left-handed vs. right-handed running

observational data tells me that more left-handed gloves are lost than right-handed ones.

....

but first, a bit of context:

a couple of weeks ago i made my confession to the faith community to which i belong - i have an addiction.

i am addicted to collecting lost, frozen winter outerwear.

i do this as i'm running.  in the last three seasons of winter training (outdoors of course) i've managed to collect headwear and mittens galore.  in fact, two of my favourite toques (a billabong and an underarmour) i came across as frozen flat to the roads.  both times i had to pry them off of the pavement and carried them home, rigid as a discus.

but what i've discovered this winter more prominently than any other is that most of the gloves and mittens lost/discarded on the roadways, sidewalks and snowbanks are left handed.  easily by a 4 to 1 ratio.

while you may not care how many people are walking around with just a covering on their right hands, it has become a minor frustration to me as i try to compile pairs to be able to actually wear.

this is all preamble (necessary or unnecessary) to a quick comment about winter running gear.  i don't know whether or not it's because i've grown up in the snow belt of south-central ontario or because i'm just a little off-kilter (i definitely have been accused of the latter), but my standard winter running apparel consists of:

• a nike dri-fit, lined shell jacket (about three and half years old now, purchased with a g/c from the local sportchek)
• a running room canada-branded reflective nylon sleeveless vest (because my shell jacket is almost completely black with only minor reflective accents)
• women's running room fit-wear reflective wind pant (easily 10 years old, with nylon front-of-leg panels and polyester rear-of-leg panels - bought from a goodwill store)
• the underarmour beanie toque (found dead on road)
• various combinations of gloves and mitts (also victims of snowplows)
• underneath all of the outerwear is usually my standard running gear - polyester tees or l/s tops, unlined poly compression tights and poly socks (all in single layers)

this gear has served me well in all sorts of conditions, ranging from 0 deg. celsius (the point at which i usually put away the shorts) to -35 deg. celsius and 20-25cm snow days.  i try to observe the general rule of 'dress for 20deg (F) warmer' in order to prevent overheating, and the subsequent possibilities of overperspiring leading to hypothermic simulation.  so you won't find me looking like the michelin man.

i also don't tend to run with any kind of hydration or fuel.  being a morning runner, i'm motivated by the desire to get home and have breakfast.  hunger has a way of motivating me to move faster.  while i don't necessarily recommend this as a good running practice (dehydration can be a significant issue in the winter), i find that it does help train my body to burn fat more efficiently.

anyway, i'd love to hear what other outdoor winter runners wear as they combat the elements.  and it would be great to also accumulate more data to confirm whether or not other neighbourhoods are populated by right-handed only glove wearers.

left-handed vs. right-handed running