What To Wear Running In Hot Weather

For women runners, hot weather running can create a conflict between running for comfort (risking the risque) and comfortable running (soggy, heavy running clothes).

Fortunately, between today's terrific technical fabrics and a little know-how, you can strike a nice balance between being too uncovered and staying cool.  

First, stay away from cotton.

Cotton holds sweat and takes a long time to dry.  Look for running clothes made from CoolMax or Dri-Fit fabrics that wick moisture away from your body and allow evaporation. This goes for your running bras as well.

Recommendation: Nike Women's Tempo Dri-Fit Short Sleeve Top and Tempo Track Short

Migrate to new running socks.

Is there anything worse than blisters on a long run? What goes for your running clothes, goes for your socks too. If your socks are made from cotton, they'll hold the moisture causing chafing and...you guessed it...blisters. Instead of cotton, look for socks made from polyester, acrylic or Coolmax.

Recommendation: Dri-Max RoadRunner Sports Low Cut Sock (a personal favorite - great price!)

Dress Light and Loose

Persperation is your body's natural cooling mechanism. The idea here is to dress in clothes that are loose enough to allow air access to your skin and allow that natural cooling process to take place. Also, go for light colors like white, creme and yellow which reflect rather than absorb heat from your skin.

Wear Sunglasses

The purpose of wearing sunglasses is two-fold. First, a good pair of sunglasses will protect your eyes from the sun's glare and improve sight on sunny days (much safer). Sunglasses will also prevent squinting which leads to headaches and (gasp!) wrinkles!

Recommendation: Oakley Enduring Edge...so cool!

Wear Sunscreen

Apply your sunscreen before you get dressed to run. Use at least 15 SPF (higher SPF for fairer skin) and apply it all over to provide protection to skin covered only by very light or mesh fabrics. Don't forget your face or the tops of your ears!

Recommendation: Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock

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