Let’s analyse what role the warm cap plays for morning joggers and runners

Firstly, I find runners and joggers throwing the ‘warm cap’ to the winds once the season starts to change from the cold to the summer. Suddenly it’s as if they’ve strengthened themselves and now are easily able to face the less taxing morning chill of the so-called summer. Of course, they believe they will be warm once they start running or warming up. Wait! Didn’t I say ‘warm-up?’ That’s exactly why I believe runners need to keep themselves warm during warm-ups even if they ‘build’ heat – the exact objective of the warm-up. Preserve this heat instead of losing it, because your muscles need to get warm so that you can stretch them. Or look at it as a way of getting warm faster (we’re all crunched for time and need to get home, shower, eat and dash off fighting traffic jams on the way to office).

Pockets

So,  keep the warm cap close to you and ensure you’re wearing running shorts or track pants that have pockets so you can lug it inside when you get really warm during the actual run (I was never going to suggest you wear it right through your morning run because of course it gets hot after about 15 minutes.) Of course, if you park your car close by, then you don’t need to worry.

Type

Yeah, so what kind of warm cap is this? One that is made of wool or maybe a substitute material that may be cheaper and fit into your budget. It should ideally be foldable over the ears when you need to and of course you can fold it back up over your ears when the ‘going’ is too  warm.

Cover your ears

One of the most important things about this warm cap is, check that it has the foldable side, or is at least long enough that

Make sure its flap covers your ears

it can be foldable over your ears. People have made the mistake of buying one that looked the part while it sat on the shopkeeper’s shelves and they quickly asked for it to be packed even as they got their credit card out of the wallet. (They needed to dash off to the 7-11 store after this, before heading home on time and getting dinner ready!) We’re all so crunched for time, we sometimes pick things before thinking.

Can expose later

Now, while you’re running (typically not during the warm up) you may of course start to feel the heat, so having a foldable cap will allow you to turn up the part covering your ears so that only your head is insulated. So check for a the availability of a foldable cap instead of rushing to buy one that covers the ears per se. Of course, when you’re really ‘hot’ and running you may need to take off the cap. So don’t think it’s compulsory to keep the cap on (depends on the season too) right through. It’s only until you get warm and while the cold is attacking you. Initially at least.

Why the ears

Well, 80 per cent of our body heat escapes through your head, most of it through your ears. Most people don’t realize the latter part and merely ‘feel’ warm (I don’t mean merely runners). That’s why in England , a cold place if you’d agree, the older generation says “Our youngsters don’t know how to keep themselves warm. They just head out without caps.” That’s true because  they feel ‘warm enough’ or strong enough to fight the mild cold if any; they’ve grown up in an era when central heating, not to mention hot showers at home have been common. For instance, after a hot shower, one feels warm no doubt and then again, there is central heating at home keeping you warm until you finish your breakfast. So you head straight out and… slowly the cold sets in …. (Of course the car’s heating system keeps you warm again). You then fool yourself that you can fight the cold because you felt so warm only minutes ago. Fact is, your body is getting exposed and you’re bitterly fighting the cold, whereas you could have just worn a cap and warmer clothing to keep yourself more protected.

Cool-Down or Warm-Down Session

So, we’ve discarded the cap during the run and we’re fine. However, you’ve finished your intensive run and of course are sweating and initiating the cool-down session (some call it the warm-down session which is not totally wrong either). That is, you don’t stop suddenly but probably continue with a canter-like run and finally a walk. Now, either during this stage, or usually after this cool down and during the post-run stretching, you’ll be advised to keep the cap close at hand. Your muscles again, need to be kept warm so that they stretch correctly. What’s the point in allowing the heat to escape from the heat and ears? So, wear the cap again if feasible.  Use your discretion and preserve that heat, while also simultaneously avoiding any sudden exposure from winds and drafts.

Get those muscles stretched nicely and once they respond to your stretch, you can definitely use your discretion and remove the warm cup. A part of stretching, I believe, is linked to the brain. Since trainers anyway advise you to be relaxed while stretching, the brain plays its part. The body responds. So what am saying again is that you don’t have to be rigid in keeping that warm cap on during post-stretches just because this blog advises you to keep it close at hand! At some point, the brain and muscle co-ordination becomes smooth and the messages carry through nicely. So you’re finally stretching well. In tropical and warm countries, especially during the summer, to keep the cap on at this stage may not be necessary.

Hope you cap a fine year running!