I live in Ohio, and I run outdoors in the winter. Only the worst winter days (like some of the ones we had last year) will keep me inside running on the treadmill.  Otherwise, I gear up and go.  The best strategy is to dress in thin, lightweight, moisture-wicking layers.  You should dress so that you are just a little chilly standing outside, since you want to be comfortable when you're moving.

Here are a few must-have items if you want to try winter running. These would be great gifts for your running friends this holiday season:

1. Gore-Tex (or similar technical fabric) jacket
A breathable, windproof, waterproof jacket is a must if you're going to run outdoors.  A jacket like this is expensive, but if you care for it, it can last you a long time. My in-laws got me a Gore-Tex suit (jacket and pants) years ago and it is still in good condition.

Some things to look for: A flap to cover the zipper, either inside or outside of the zipper. If the zipper is bare, you are going to have the winter wind blowing right into your chest.  A hood that tucks away when it's not wanted but can be pulled out quickly if it starts to drizzle.  Pockets (an inside media pocket is an especially nice touch).  A hem that dips down in back is nice to cover your butt when the wind is at your back.

Think lightweight shell, not parka.  You don't want to overheat and get sweaty, or you will get chilled. Buy a size that will be big enough to accommodate movement and layers underneath, but not so big that it lets wind whip through it.

2: Moisture-wicking layers
You do not want to wear your cotton running t-shirts outdoors in the winter.  They will get soaked with sweat and chill you.  You want to wear layers of fabric that are moisture-wicking to keep the dampness off your skin. Think dri-fit, UnderArmour, and similar.  I wear the same clothes I wear for other workouts -- moisture-wicking tights, long- or short-sleeved t-shirts.  Silk long underwear are a great base layer but they aren't essential.

You don't have to spend a lot of money on these clothes -- Target and other bargain retailers now carry technical workout clothes.  I have gotten a lot of my go-to items off their clearance racks.

3. Non-cotton socks
Again, cotton gets wet and causes blisters. I like Wright Socks, which are double-layered and are made of a lightweight fabric that keeps my feet comfortable in most weather.  My husband sometimes wears wool socks, but I don't like the way they feel.

4. Hat and gloves
I don't spend a lot of money on my running hats. I get the cheap stretch kind at Target. I bought special "texting gloves" years ago when they were hard to find, and they are still going strong. It's easier to find texting gloves now at discount stores, but the Glider Gloves are warmer.

I often take my gloves and hat off midway through the run, which is one reason I think pockets on a jacket are essential.

Some nice-to-have items once you have covered the essentials:

1. Gore-Tex (or similar technical fabric) pants
On most days, I wear my jacket with two or three layers of tights, but I have a pair of Gore-Tex pants for really cold days. It's best if they have zippers at the bottom so that you can take them off without taking off your shoes.

2. Moisture-wicking underwear
Until last year, I just wore my regular undies when I was running, and they were fine. They got sweaty, but it wasn't that much fabric so it wasn't a big deal.  Then I found a few three-packs of Champion activewear underwear on clearance at Target, and found that they were much more comfortable for working out. A nice benefit is that they are seamless, so there is no chafing.

3. Neck gaiter or scarf
Some people prefer a , but I feel suffocated when I wear one (and I also feel like I should be robbing a convenience store) I'd rather wear a hat and neck gaiter and pull the neck gaiter up to wear I want it. Most days I don't need it, and in the in-between days, I just wear a cheap regular scarf.

By the way, you still need a in the winter. Almost all of them are made from wicking fabric, so just wear the same one you wear the rest of the year. I, of course, wear Enell.

Please be safe this winter! Know the signs of frostbite, and don't be a hero if you feel like you are just too cold to complete your run. You can always add another layer for the next one.

The start line is so mobbed that it's not the kind of race where you can get a personal record (PR), but oddly enough, I did have my PR 5K at a Race for the Cure, in 2003, a 27:33.  

That was a long time ago.  I didn't come close to that time, but had a pretty good race. I crossed the start line about a minute after the start and was able to get enough room to run comfortably fairly soon after the start. I hit the first mile and heard them calling out times -- 11:04. I had to go under 11 minutes for that mile. The rest of the race was fairly uneventful, except that in the last mile I ran into a friend of mine who is a breast cancer survivor, and I accidentally pulled my number halfway off and had to fix it. 

After the race, red-faced and feeling happy.

I thought I saw 34-something on the clock when I finished, and was feeling good thinking I had managed to do about an 11-minute-mile pace for the 5K, which is great considering all the hamstring issues I have been dealing with since early spring.  The results are posted and I see that my time was recorded at 35:04, so maybe I didn't see the clock right. I didn't wear a watch, but I stopped and started the timer on my UP band and it also said that I ran 34-something (it gives only minutes), so I'm not sure what happened -- the race was chip timed so the results should be accurate. I guess it doesn't matter that much if I ran 11 minutes a mile or 11:19 per mile, especially at such a crowded race. 

I won't lie, sometimes I ask myself if I should be spending so much money on a clothing service that doesn't leave me with any clothes (unless I spend a little extra to take the option to buy the things I like). But $79 monthly gets me three items at a time, and if I'm smart about wearing and sending back things strategically, I can end up getting a lot more items per month than three -- usually it works out to about 2 items per week.  And when I get something that doesn't fit, I just send it back and get something else. There were some issues with slow shipping in the past, but since Gwynnie Bee opened a new shipping center, things are turning around a lot faster.  

I also don't have to pay for dry cleaning or deal with the hassle of going to the cleaners.  I like taking the clothes with me for travel, too, and sending them back from my destination to make more room in my suitcase. 

I find myself shopping a lot less and when I do buy something, it's more often something that Gwynnie Bee just doesn't offer, like pants (there are a few pairs of jeans on offer, but I have never gotten one) or accessories. 

I also feel like I have better clothes than the ones I would buy for myself. The dresses I buy for myself top out around $60 and are usually basics that I feel like can get away with wearing often because they aren't that memorable. Gwynnie Bee clothes are memorable, and each dress would cost more to buy than I pay for my rental fee per month. So I might be spending less on clothes but having a better wardrobe.  

The biggest benefit for me is confidence. I get compliments on my clothes, which rarely happened before. I take pictures of myself and like them.  

So if you want to try Gwynnie Bee for yourself, you have until September 30 to sign up to try it free for one month. 

I knew I would be up yesterday. I went not because I was expecting a great weigh-in, but because I needed to hit the reset button. Despite my great intentions, I let tracking slip again. I have been stressing out about my dad and was having a bit of an, "F--- it, I don't care" attitude, which was not helping. I also haven't been able to get to a meeting with the leader I like because of my schedule, which made it harder to feel jazzed about the program.

The gain was a bummer since if I had stayed on program, I could have gotten a 10-pound star, but that gives me motivation to do better for next week.  I have reason to believe that most of that gain was water weight so it's not totally out of the question to at least be back to where I was last week.

Interestingly, yesterday's topic was all about "A Simple (re)Start" plan, riffing on the Simple Start motif. I happened to run into a friend from work at the meeting, too, which isn't that surprising because the meeting location is a few miles from where I work. It was helpful to go and weigh in.

I noticed this week that the 3-month trackers like the one I am using were a dollar off, and there was also a sale on the Active Link. I would warn any WW members reading this to think twice about buying too much program stuff, as it is likely that they will switch up the program in October like they tend to do, and the fact that they are putting very basic stuff (and not just cookbooks) on sale and giving away Starter Kits suggests that it might be bigger changes this time.  The computer systems were down at my meeting and that also suggests that they are doing some technical stuff behind the scenes.  I have not heard any speculation about what the changes would be -- it could be just changes to logos and branding or just some tweaks to tracking. The whole "Turn the page and start over" theme of the meeting makes me wonder if they are going back to a system that would make that possible -- the weekly points really interfere with that ability to make a fresh start every day, at least to my obsessive-compulsive brain.

Edit: Here are some hints about what they might be changing: 

Weight Watchers executives have been considering an array of strategies to stop the declines, including making it easier to sign up members, offering more personalized weight-loss programs and courting corporations and health-insurance providers to subsidize memberships. (emphasis is mine)