12 Frustrating Stages Of Dressing For A Run In The Spring

Spring is awesome for runners. The sun is out longer, the temperatures start to rise, and you just generally feel more excited to go out and run. However, spring also comes with a serious problem: Figuring out what the heck you’re supposed to wear.

We’re not talking how to coordinate your leggings with your tank here, but how to wear the right type of clothes to get you through a run in the most unpredictable weather of the year. With the hot and the cold, the rain and the shine, it’s easy to spend more time in your closet deciding what to wear on your run than for a first date.

If you’ve gone for a run lately, you probably had these thoughts as you endured these twelve frustrating stages of getting dressed:

1. It’s still a little brisk out so if I don’t wear a jacket I’ll freeze. But what if I get hot once I get going? What do I do with the jacket? Tie it around my waist? So uncool, I’ll be a fanny pack short of looking like a tourist exploring the big city. Not a good look.
2. I am so sick of wearing black leggings every day. I have all this pretty neon stuff I never wear, I’m going to make an effort here and coordinate a cute spring-y outfit.
3. Ok that was 20 minutes of my life I’ll never get back. Black leggings it is.
4. Do I wear a tank top? Light-weight long sleeves? Those weird arm warmer things I’ve never been able to figure out?
5. Onto pants. Or shorts?  What if I wear pants and get that weird back of the knee sweat? Or shorts and get so cold I can’t run? Why don’t I have any clean capris?
6. What’s that rule again? Dress for the actual temperature plus twenty degrees? Or is it doubled? Or times the speed of light? Why is it a math problem? JUST TELL ME: PANTS OR SHORTS.
7. I should bring sunglasses. And a hat? Definitely a light rain coat. Maybe gloves. And a pack mule.
8. So it just rained. Do I wear my new awesome sneakers and risk getting them muddy, or my old dirty ones that kind of hurt?
9. Maybe I should just run on the treadmill.
10. I’ve got this. I’ll just dress in light layers and take them off when I get too hot. Maybe if I sweat enough they’ll just disintegrate.
11. Ok, tank top on, followed by long sleeves and light rain coat. Arm warmers and hat in pocket and OMG I FORGOT TO PUT ON SUNCREEN FIRST. This is worse than the kid who has to pee once their snowsuit is on.
12. Dressed! That only took half the time I allotted for my run. I think that’s a new PR!

Read More:
What To Wear During Spring Long Runs
7 Reasons Running In The Spring Is Winning