Underwear for Winter Running (Tumblr Repost)

As I enjoy the week at the lake cabin, winter seems only a distant memory.  I can run everyday now wearing a tank and some shorts.  We Minnesotans live for summer!  Here is a Tumblr repost recounting the woes of winter running and the garments that are required to make it work.

24-January 2019: Underwear for Running…

As I am in the midst of marathon training, I thought it would be useful to review the topic of undies for running.  For the longest time (when I was in my twenties), I did NOT wear underwear when running. This is from a guy who never goes commando!  I ALWAYS wear underwear in my daily life. I just don’t like the feeling of not wearing underwear; maybe I’m too “type A” or rule abiding!  Or maybe I just love underwear too much!

•

Now when I say I wore “nothing,” what I mean is that I wore running shorts with a liner.  So this gave “the boys” some needed support.  I certainly did not feel as though everything was hanging out all over the place.  

I am not entirely certain what made me evolve my undergarment habits, but I eventually started to wear underwear as I began running outdoors year round.  In the winter months, this first layer becomes extremely important.  In fact, a runner starts to research what are the best types/brands of underwear to use in cold, winter weather.  I remember reading articles in Runner’s World magazine and coming across these pairs as recommended to use for various climates/conditions.  I bought the Patagonia briefs below to climb Mount Rainier some years ago. 

Running outdoors in winter forces me to break my “no boxer briefs rule.”  I find that I have to let practicality outweigh my desire to wear briefs or jockstraps. So in the heart of winter weather, when the temp dips below 0F (-18C), I will wear the following layers:  boxer briefs, running tights, running pants, long compression socks, and short socks.  Also, don’t forget the ice joggers to slip on over your running shoes.  If you don’t have those, you will inevitably, wipe out on the icy streets…and this is NO joke.  I speak from personal experience!

Then there is the upper half of the body to consider!  Winter running is a challenge in Minnesota, and unfortunately this season, I have been doing too much of my training indoors on the treadmill.  I really like running outdoors, so I am hopeful I can correct this soon.

•

On the other hand, warm weather running is so much easier!  Just grab a comfortable brief and/or jockstrap, shorts, socks, shirt/tank, and you are good to go…  It’s no wonder I enjoy summer over winter.  

•

On a lighter note, I have recently been noticing the Underwear Fun Runs that are becoming increasingly common.  They are the perfect marriage of two of my loves…running and undies.  Most of them seem to be charity events to raise money for a worthy cause.  Here is one coming up in February in Minneapolis to raise money for Neurofibromatosis. NF is a condition associated with seizures and cutaneous skin tumors.  These skin tumors can be disfiguring.    

Their website states the following:  “We run in our undies because those affected with NF can’t cover up their tumors to feel more comfortable, so why should we? So start a team of your friends, join a team, or run solo, just come out, have a blast, and raise some money for NF research (and earn some cool fundraising rewards too!).”

•

I think this is such a cool concept.  It would be awesome to run this type of event with a group of buds!  However, February in Minneapolis can be brutally cold.  So you had better run that mile pretty damn fast!  Since I will likely never be able to participate in one of these events, I may have to do my own “fun run” on the treadmill and perhaps video the experience for this blog :-)  Maybe we could arrange a virtual undie fun run!  What do you think?

•

Let me know what you like to wear when running. What is your base undie layer?   Remember to show your undies!  

•

It’s-2F with windchills -20 and a blizzard warning, so I will be on the treadmill today…