Over the winter I posted about what to wear during the winter months, complete with pictures, and examples of what I wear at each of the temperatures. That has actually been one of my most popular posts, and I thought it would be a good idea to do a summer one.

One thing to be said about this summer one though; I am a lot more comfortable wearing a sports bra and sports than a lot of you reading may be. Honestly, I probably shouldn’t be wearing a sports bra and shorts where I live, and I have definitely run in areas in the past where it was not a good idea at all, but for me, I am wearing it for comfort reasons; to stay cool, rather than flaunting.

This could easily turn into a debate. I have seen many posts about how women should not run in sports bras, yet we often see men running shirtless in the summer months. It is just a shame that our culture differs so much between the way men and women are looked at. I do not want this to turn into a post about gender stereotypes, or throw all men into one group, so I will stop right here.

I know a lot of you may not be comfortable with wearing a sports bra, tank tops, or even shorts, and that is definitely your decision (remember Be Strong, Be Brave, be YOU?), this is just my recommendation based on what I would chose. Just remember you probably want to run first thing in the morning, or late at night, you do not want to overheat, THAT is dangerous 🙂

Before I begin, I did write a full post on running in the heat, which you should check out first.

A few notes about summer running:

• If you are working out/running hard, you are going to overheat a lot easier than you would on a recovery run, and may need to dress for a higher temperature (dressing like it is 70, when its 65). If you are running hard, this is when you definitely should try to run before the sun comes up.
• Sometimes before the sun rises, the humidity can be almost unbearable. I did write a post about running in humidity to give you some tips, but it will be your decision whether you prefer to run in the humidity or the heat….as on those really hot summer days, it is going to be one or the other. If you are running hard, it is always going to be better to deal with the humidity.
• Sunglasses should be there anytime the sun is out in the summer. This will protect your eyes, especially with the reflections that come off the cars and windows you run by.
• Every day during summer, I wear something to keep the hair out of my face. I find when it is in my face, I just get flustered and hotter, so I would recommend you use either a band, hat, or pin it back away from your head….but I recommend something to cover your face, trust me it feels cooler!
• If it is windy, you will want to run with the wind first, and back against the wind. It can be unbearably hot if you do it the other way around. This way, although it will slow you down a little. It will help with cooling you off, and will actually feel pretty good.

I have included my shoes in here, and you can read more about why I chose the shoes I did in my post about it, but realistically, in the summer, your feet are gonna get hot regardless, just try to pick thin, comfortable socks to go underneath 🙂

I am going to start with 55 degrees, if you want what to wear under this, check out my post on what to wear at every temperature in the winter. Sorry guys, I do not have pictures of men, but I am sure you can get the idea 🙂

55 degrees (13 C)

• T-shirt
  • Saucony Women’s Hydralite Short Sleeve Top
• Comfortable shorts
  • Saucony Women’s Scoot Tight Shorts
• Compression Socks
  • Tiux Compression
• Headband to keep hair out of your face
  • Sweaty Bands Viva Diva Headband
• Saucony Women’s Breakthru Running Shoe

60 degrees (16 C)

• Tank top or vest/jersey
  • Saucony Women’s Print Racerback Tank Top
• Spandex shorts
  • My beloved <Saucony Women’s Bullet Tight Shorts
    I actually just bought a 4th pair!
•  Compression Socks (I was doing a workout this day, usually I would just wear regular socks)
  • Tiux Compression
•  Headband to keep hair out of your face
  • Sweaty Bands Viva Diva Headband
•  Saucony Women’s Breakthru Running Shoe

65 degrees (18 C)

• Sweat wicking sports bra
  • Saucony Sweet Elite Bra
• Tank top or vest/jersey
  • Saucony Women’s Ignite Singlet
• Tight, comfortable shorts (that prevent chafing for you- I do not get chafing, but if you do, this will require some experimentation.
  • Saucony Women’s Rock-It Tight Shorts
• Running Cap
  • Saucony Speed Run Cap
    (not the exact cap, but closest)
• Saucony Women’s Triumph ISO Running Shoe

70 degrees (21 C)

• Loose, comfortable shorts
  • Saucony Women’s Ignite Split Shorts
• Tank top (with build in bra preferably to reduce layers, if not I would use the sweet elite (above)
  • Women’s PE Tank (this is not the exact tank, but closest I could find)
•  Running Cap
  • Saucony Speed Run Cap(not the exact cap, but closest)
• Sunglasses
  • Oakley Half Jacket
• Saucony Women’s Ride 8 Running Shoe

75 degrees (24 C)

• Sports bra
  • Saucony Women’s Athlete Avenger
    (they do not sell the one I have in this picture anymore, but I would say the athlete avenger is a step up anyway)
• Loose, comfortable shorts
  • Saucony Women’s Ignite Split Shorts
•  Visor
  • Saucony Speed Run Visor
• Saucony Women’s Triumph ISO Running Shoe

80+ degrees (27 C)

Once you get to this temperature, if you are not used to running in the heat, I would caution you against it. This is where you are getting to a dangerous zone, where you can overheat very easily. If you do decide to run, expect yourself to feel significantly worse than you usually would, and you will need to back off your pace a lot.

In case you do decide to run at this temperature:

•  Sports bra
  • Saucony Women’s Athlete Avenger (for those of you who have not yet been comfortable with just a sports bra, this is going to be your best bet. It is strong, and more like a crop top.)
• Shorts! At this point, I am not sure it matters, but as long as your body can cool itself. This is when I go all out, and go for the small ones
  • Saucony Women’s Scoot Tight Shorts
• Visor
  • Saucony Speed Run Visor

Sorry this is a backwards image, but I have only run in 80 degrees once, and this was it! I also LOVE the phrase on the back; “Faster Than You” 🙂

So there you have it, my best temperature guide for the summer. Please keep in mind that the heat and/or humidity will affect your running, and it will feel much more difficult. You also need to make sure you rehydrate like a boss afterwards, and you can read about this in my post about what drinks I use to stay hydrated. This is when EnduroPacks becomes especially important (remember you can use coupon code “tinamuir” for a $10 off discount).

Runners Connect has some great articles on summer running, including:

Temperature Calculator to show you how much the heat/humidity will affect your pace

Secrets for running in the heat

Adapting to running in the heat

Does sunscreen affect performance? (yes, we all should be wearing it on every run!)

If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out. I would love to hear from you!

Until then, stay cool, and happy running…..unless you live on the other side of the world, in which case you may prefer my winter running guide 🙂

Heat or humidity? What is your best advice for summer running?