It's cold--FINALLY!

It's about midway into November in northwest Ohio. The only consistency of seasons in Ohio is that the weather patterns are eratic. I ran the Fall Classic half about this time two years ago in a tech tee. I sweated my balls off. A few weeks ago snow flakes fell onto my windshield as I drove home from school. I ran the Churchill's half two days ago in shorts.

Tomorrow morning I'll be up shortly before 5:00AM to run five miles. Here's the forecast:

Twenty-five degrees. Fifteen with the wind chill. While many of my friends are already bundling up and loathing the thought of walking from the car into work tomorrow morning, I can't wait. This might be my favorite time of the year to run. Crisp, cold air, less sweating, and the most fun running gear.

Precipitation proof hats, ear warmer headbands, mittens, vests and jackets, Yak Trax... did I mention mittens? I love mittens.

I clearly have a thing for Nike Running stuff. Seriously, Nike makes some good shit. That grey jacket there--I've had that since Winter 2011. It's crazy thin, but it keeps me warm, nay, hot even when temperatures hover at or below zero and that's with a tank or tech tee underneath. I'm only thinking about getting a new one because I want another color.

I have goals for this winter. This blast of cold air is making me want to throw myself earlier than planned into a routine more serious than those of the past two winters. Also, I hope that it snows a lot; I only got to wear my Yak Trax once or twice last year. I get excited for Yak Trax-worthy mornings.

What's your favorite season for running? Any must-have cold weather gear suggestions? How often do you replace pricier items like jackets?