Becoming a winter runner

Having grown up in Southern California and spent my first two Washington winters bundling into my warmest winter coat as soon as it dropped below 55 degrees, I've always been of the head-to-the-gym-if-it's-below-45-degrees persuasion and so have not amassed a large selection of outdoor fitness clothing suitable for winter weather. But, not wanting to lose the strength, stamina and endurance (and the option to eat whatever I want) that I built up in the seven months of training leading up to the marathon last month, I'm determined to give becoming a winter runner a shot this year.

So I decided to buy a pair of full-length running tights rather than relying on my standby "warm" tights, which stop at mid-calf and give me the excuse of cold and wind-burnt calves and ankles to head inside. After spending another 15 minutes grumbling about the price of running gear (this has been a common internal thread for me this year), I opted for the CW-X Performx Tight. They're pretty cool, they not only ward off cold and some wind, but are designed to stabilize your legs and improve your body's efficiency of movement.

I struggled into them this morning (they really are like tights, only thicker, slightly harder to maneuver and much less prone to ripping) and took them out for a spin in this morning's 38-degree sunshine.

The first half mile was normal, and I congratulated myself on finally having the sense to invest in winter-appropriate gear. At about three-quarters of a mile, I started to wonder why my shins were sore. At the first mile, I was gritting my teeth, struggling to pick my feet up and keep up my pace and wondering what was wrong with my tights - or my legs.

Well, I thought, I haven't been outside of the gym in about a week and a half, so it could just be that my legs have gotten spoiled by all that time on the low-impact elliptical, right? Sure, why not? I kept going, and noted that I was actually right on pace as I jogged down from the road to the Mt. Vernon Trail. Okay, not so bad.

I distracted myself with thoughts of who I was going to ask if this was normal for new winter tights, and tuned back in at about 2.5 miles to note that the soreness was fading. At 4.5 miles, I heard someone behind me and forgot about the tights as my competitive streak took over and I kicked up my pace to stay ahead of them. That usually only works for about a half mile, tops, since I'm definitely not a speed demon, but this time I had a hill working in my favor (I'm pretty good at keeping pace on hills, which many runners aren't), so I managed to stay ahead of my "opponent" and keep myself distracted until I left the trail to climb back up to the road.

I finished my 7-mile route in a decent enough time, stretched out and decided that maybe tights, like shoes, just need to be broken in, since by then they felt snug, but pretty good. My knees felt very supported without feeling constrained, and my quads didn't feel like they were working quite so hard as usual. Of course, now I'm loathe to wash the tights for fear that they'll shrink...but that's another problem entirely.

Any winter gear suggestions (for any outdoor activity), questions or comments? What should I be wearing to keep up this winter running? I'm still looking for a warm (brightly colored, since I usually run in the morning before work, when it's not always light) upper body solution to swap out for my layers of long sleeves and sweatshirts - any ideas?