Winter post 2

I wrote one blog post on some of the winter gear I have been wearing so far and decided to write another one because I got some more gear. Some of the new pieces are an Icebreaker Blast Vest and sprint leggings, a Brooks Heater Hog long sleeve shirt and Mizuno Breath Thermo gloves.

We had some cold days in Chicago last week and my new gear (minus the gloves) came right on time.  The cold actually made me really excited to test the gear out and I did last Thursday. 

The picture below shows how I layered for the run on the cold day. My base layer is the Brooks Heater Hog long sleeve. It is a very soft piece that creates heat when you sweat. This is probably one of the clothing items I wanted try the most that I bought. I needed a solid base layer and thought this would be a good piece. The only con on the Heater Hog shirt is that it runs a little big. I ordered a medium probably should have ordered a small.

Base layer-Brooks Heater Hog
Mid-layer-Brooks Infiniti 1/2 Zip
Outer layer-Icebreaker Blast Vest

The mid-layer is the Brooks Infiniti 1/2 zip. My review on the piece is here. I wore it as an outer layer and it worked fine, but I knew I would need a good outer layer. I really wanted an Icebreaker piece and decided to go with the Blast Vest. It is made mostly of Merino wool and a little bit of lycra. It is also windproof and water resistant. The back of the vest is also very breathable. The side panels are soft and very comfortable. It is just an overall awesome piece.

Outer layer-Brooks 2-in-1 shot
base layer-Icebreaker Sprint Leggings

The Sprint Leggings were also an item I really wanted to try. It is extremely soft and comfortable against my skin. The fit works great, it is odor resistant and breathes very well. It kept me very warm on a very cold day. In fact, I did not even notice that it had been cold. For those that like pockets in their leggings, this piece does not have any.

Putting it all together

This combo worked extremely well and I know it will get me through the winter. I am lucky to have two great tights that will keep me warm and are breathable. I failed to mention that I also bought an Icebreaker Chase Beanie and I did not like that as much. It kept my head warm, but it barely covered my ears. That is probably because I have a a pretty big head and it just does not fit.  The Mizuno Breath Thermo gloves also worked great as liners. On non-windy days, they would work great on their own. That is all I have for now. If it get anymore winter gear, I will test it out and give my take on it. 

I also started looking at 2014 races recently. What races are people starting to look forward to?