MS Blues Marathon-12 degrees-What To Wear?

I'll copy and paste what I wrote in your thread on Tri-Talk.  I'm actually kinda pumped up about this one.  Extreme weather always makes you feel hard core.

Top:  Two LS tech shirts & a thin windbreaker that I bike in.  It's full zip, so If I get warm I can unzip or even take it off and tie it around my waist.  There's no way I'm going to get too warm in two LS shirts.  And even if it gets a bit warm, I'll start thinking about how miserable July and August are around here and I'll just suck it up and deal with it.  I did the Cellular South about a month ago and it was mid thirties and raining.  Wore the same thing and I got pretty hot on the way out and took the jacket off.  Then the wind kicked up and I had to put the jacket back on.

Bottom:  Pair of tri shorts underneath tights.  Gotta put an extra layer over the bits ya know.  I'm seriously debating another layer over the legs, but I don't really know yet.

Feet:  Some super thin liner/wicking socks and then my thicker wool socks on top of those.  My running shoes have lots of mesh, so I gotta get some warmth in somewhere.  I might even duct tape the tops of my shoes to keep some wind out.

Head:  I've got a really thin skull cap thing (for cold weather cyling) that covers the ears as well that I'm wearing under a fleece beanie.  If that gets too hot, I can stuff the thin cap in my waist.

Hands:  Cheap target gloves under my cold weather cycling gloves.  If that gets too hot, I'll chunk the cheapies.

Before the race I'm wearing almost an entire box of garbage bags to keep the wind off me and hopefully retain some warmth before the gun.

See ya out there if I don't go sliding off an icy bridge on the way in.  And hey, as we're whining about how freaking cold it's going to be, just remember what the Heatwave in June feels like.

You'll want to wear just enough that you are actually kind of cold at the start. Even at that temp you should warm up pretty well once you get going. Layers are best. Because there's going to be some wind, you'll definitely want to cover up your skin as much as possible, so tights are a must. Of course gloves. My head gets hot, and I sweat a lot, so a knit cap or balaclava is not a good choice for me. I wear a regular running mesh cap and then ear warmers. That being said, here's my planned outfit for the day:

Thin Under Armour shirt with close fitting, long-sleeved, mock neck tech shirt over
Fleece vest with high neck
Tights (I'll probably wear compression sleeves on my calves too)
Smartwool socks (thin and light like regular running socks, but warm)
Gloves (because my hands are always cold and I can't find my good winter running gloves, I may double up with a pair of throwaway gloves...I have several of those)
Running cap with fleece ear warmer
Garbage bag to stay warm under until the start

And...warm clothes to change into as soon as I'm finished. When I really get cold is when I stop.

Anothing thing to keep in mind is that it will probably be icy around the water stops. So, use caution when grabbing water or Gatorade.

Good luck!

There's always a no shirt guy

I managed.  It got a little cold toward the end of the half for me.  I went over to my parents house since the full was going by it.  Had some beers, blared some Buffet.  Rang a cowbell and cheered on the brave souls who were out there for 26.2.

Yeah... incredibly said to hear about the man that passed.  He was actually doing a relay, and was just doing the final 10k.

I love the juxtaposition of the 2 runners in this picture.

I ended up feeling fine most of the way. Really, only my thumbs and my face got cold. Then at the end, my butt was really cold. Go figure.