What to Wear Running in Spokane
Spokane runs hot in August, icy in January and smoky some late summers. What to wear by temperature, plus ice, mud, smoke, wind and dark.
Spokane gives you every kind of running weather, sometimes in the same week. A 25 degree morning in January, a 95 degree afternoon in July, and a smoky stretch some late summers that makes you reconsider the whole idea of going outside.
The temperature ranges below are the ones we use for the daily gear pick on our home page. They go by how it feels over the next few hours, not the day's high, and they come from the National Weather Service forecast for Spokane.
What to wear by temperature
31 degrees and below: freezing
This is a layering day. Start with a long-sleeve base layer, add a lightweight jacket or vest, and put on gloves and a hat or headband. You want to feel slightly cold for the first five minutes. If you're comfortable standing at the door, you'll be overheated by mile two.
Browse cold-weather apparel and cold-weather accessories like gloves and beanies.
32 to 44 degrees: cold
Long sleeves, tights or warm shorts depending on how tough you are, thin gloves. A wind-blocking layer helps more than a thick one. This is the range where wet matters most, because cold plus rain gets miserable fast. Waterproof apparel earns its place here.
45 to 59 degrees: cool
The best running weather in town, honestly. A tee or light long sleeve, shorts, maybe arm sleeves you can pull off and stuff in a pocket. If you're racing, this is the range you're hoping for.
60 to 74 degrees: warm
Light singlet or tee, shorts, a hat if the sun is out. Spokane's sun is bright and the air is dry, so carry water on anything past an hour and put sunscreen on your neck and ears. See warm-weather apparel.
75 degrees and above: hot
Run early. Wear light, loose, light-colored clothes, carry water, and cut the pace. Heat slows everybody down and that's fine. Pick shaded stretches of the Centennial Trail over open pavement if you can.
Shoes, ice, mud and smoke
Shoes
On dry roads a normal road trainer is all you need: road shoes. When the trails turn muddy, especially on singletrack like the Dishman Hills, a shoe with real lugs is worth it: trail shoes. For rain and slush, look at waterproof shoes and wear socks you don't mind soaking. Cold wet feet end more winter runs than cold legs do.
Ice and snow
Freeze and thaw cycles turn roads and trails icy, and ice doesn't care how good your shoes are. Slip-on traction devices are cheap and they work, and you'll find them in accessories. If the sidewalk looks like a skating rink, a treadmill day is a smart day.
Smoke
Some late summers, wildfire smoke settles over the Inland Northwest. When air quality is poor, hard efforts are a bad idea. Check the Washington Smoke Blog and AirNow before you go. If it's bad, move the run indoors or shorten it and keep it easy. Your lungs will thank you for skipping one workout.
Wind and darkness
Wind makes a cool day feel cold. Run out into the wind and come home with it behind you, so you're not soaked and facing it at the end. From fall through early spring you'll often run in the dark, so a headlamp or clip-on light and something reflective aren't optional.
A quick way to dress, every time
- Look at the forecast for the next few hours, not just the high. The home page shows today's conditions and what we'd wear.
- Match the feels-like temperature to a range above.
- Dress for about ten degrees warmer than it feels at the door. You'll warm up fast.
- Check the ground: dry, wet, muddy or icy decides your shoes more than the thermometer does.
- Check the air and the wind. Smoke or a hard wind can change the plan.
- Pick one layer you can take off and carry. Then go.