Cold weather running

So after 4 months off running due to stress fractures in my legs, I'm finally allowed to run again.  Unfortunately, there's no way of checking that the stress fractures have healed, so it's just "hope you've stayed off it for long enough".  Right now it's feeling fine, so my new running orthotics and heel-wedged running shoes are hitting the streets to try to get back into training for our goal of a marathon this year.

The streets are a little colder here than they were in Sydney, so we've had to learn about what to wear in the cold weather.  Here's my cold weather running outfit:

That's a thin running shirt under a thick running jumper (both made of that weird wicking material).  The front of the pants has a windproof layer and the back doesn't - fleece-lined on the inside and also made of that wicking material.  Socks made of the same stuff - apparently anything cotton is bad in this sort of weather because it soaks in the sweat which then freezes in the wind, so everything has to be about getting the water away from your skin.  The jumper even has holes for your thumbs so that it stays over the glove-shirt divide :)  I'm also wearing gloves and a toque (beanie).

Check out how awful my beanie is:

Yes, it has a hole it for my ponytail.  It looks ridiculous, but it keeps my head warm.  I think I have a big head though because the "one size fits all" womens' beanie doesn't cover my ears fully - maybe I need to stretch it a bit more.  We do need to solve the "cold face" problem, because your face gets seriously cold in when it's -11 windchill.  Perhaps we need to invest in some balaclavas!

The actual running part is easier than I thought it would be in terms of the terrain - they're amazing here at clearing roads and footpaths.  They put salt down on the footpaths, which lowers the freezing temperature of the water and keeps the footpaths completely clear - pretty smart.  So there's no issue of slipping and sliding all over the place like I thought there would be.

The bigger problem is that after 4 months off running, I can barely run 2km - ouch.  Hopefully I can get myself back to a decent level fast.