Yesterday, I ran in the 2025 Austin International Half (Formerly 3M Half Marathon). It was my first half marathon, after just picking up the sport of running in 2024. My goal for 2024 was to run one race – I ran my first 5K with my wife in February, my first 10K in May, and in late October I set a goal for a half marathon and began a 12 week training plan I found online.
It was 28°F with a wind chill of 11°F (that’s -11°C). Now for some that might not be surprising (or even considered cold) in January. For us folks in Austin, Texas, that’s winter storm alert, ERCOT (Texas power grid) might go down indefinitely, people are hoarding toilet paper and eggs…¯_(ツ)_/¯
Although it’s just as likely to be 40-50°F this time of year in Austin, I should’ve prepared for the cold. I had only two runs previously in the cold, it being a fairly mild winter this year, but not at that distance. Fortunately, my “better half” is, well, better. She purchased cold weather running pants, shirt, gloves, neck gaiter, ear muffs, and a wind breaker. All of which I needed to complete the run.
We packed extra items of clothing, just in case. And I did end up making some game-time decisions. After watching runners exiting their vehicles wearing beanies, I swapped my typical running hat for my wife’s beanie. This ended up being a much better opton. For one, I was worried about my hat blowing off since it was so windy. Two, the beanie was warmer. Three, the beanie is much easier to remove and place, and I did end up removing and holding it for various stints to manage my temperature.
I certainly attempted to follow the golden rules, “nothing new on race day” and “dress for warmer than it is.” An emergency space blanket would have been a good addition to try to keep warm before the race.
