Green runners often ask, “what do we do when it rains”? The seasoned coach gruffly replies, “you get wet”. The truth is, if you are an outdoor runner or if you ever plan to run an outdooor race, chances are you will eventually face a soaker run. Unlike Sean “P Diddy” Combs, most of us do not have a manservant willing to run a marathon next to us whilst holding an umbrella over our delicate heads.
You never know what kind of weather race day may bring and you definitely don’t want your first experience with a rainstorm to be at the 28K mark of your first marathon. Perhaps the hardest part of running in the rain is getting over the initial shock. Once you get out the door, so long as you make like the Boy Scouts and Be Prepared, you may find that you actually enjoy the experience.
- Avoid too much of a good thing. Leave the raincoat at home with the rubber boots. Water-proof outerwear (think Gortex and the ilk) sounds wise, but it typically lacks the high degree of breathability required by heat-generating runners. The material traps in body heat and sweat, creating something I call ‘the wet sauna effect’ in your jacket. No point keeping the external moisture out just to encourage and then confine internally generated sweat. Think light-weight, breathable, water-resistant outwear – if you choose to wear a shell at all (if it is rainy and cold I opt for yes, rainy and warm I opt for no).
- Stay undercover. Wear a hat with a brim. It keeps your hair dry, which helps you regulate body temperature, and will keep your face blissfully dry. You may be surprised at the difference a dry face can make. It can make or break a run, trust me.
- Go high-tech. Save the old cotton t-shirt for the gym. When running in the rain you need to get technical, starting with the base layer. If it wicks, it’s rainy-day approved.
- Dress smart. Dress in layers, but don’t overdress. The things you wear will get wet. More layers means more heavy, soggy articles of clothing to carrying around. Too many wet layers may make you feel colder, not warmer. Think twice before adding that extra layer; but do be aware that wet weather, especially with a wind, can be chilling.
- Test drive your clothes. Some clothing stretches and grows with water weight – the last thing you want are your sopping yoga pants falling so low your cute runner’s bottom is on display and you are constantly tripping on the pant legs dragging under your feet. Conversely, with only minimal moisture some clothing will shrink-wrap you like a mummy and that free-flowing shirt is suddenly hugging all your curves.
- Clothing includes socks. Do not wear two absorbent cotton sponges on your feet. Some people even put plastic bags over their cotton socks thinking the baggies will keep their feet dry, but this is apt to create that awful ’wet sauna effect’ in your shoe. Feet sweat too.
- Lubricate. If you are at all prone to chafing don’t be shy about body gliding every nook and cranny. Wet clothes + movement = chafing in places that never chafed before.
- This one’s for the boys. Men, listen up. Band-aid those nipples or risk the Bloody #11. If you don’t know what I am talking about be forewarned, you don’t want to find out the hard way.
- See clearly. If you wear specs you need to experiment a little. Hats will often keep your lenses clear, but many folks opt for contacts in inclement weather. For the truly determined, laser eye surgery may be your answer.
- Go Zen. Rain may be good for runners, but it isn’t kind to our gadgets. Leave the GPS and music-maker at home for the day. If you can’t live without your electronics protect them accordingly.
- Drink up. Dripping in it and surrounded by it, drinking it may be the last think you want to do, but a wet outside does not mean a hydrated inside.
- The waiting game. If you need to stand around in the rain before you run (like at the start of a race) a garbage bag with head and arm-hole cutouts might make the wait a bit more pleasant. You will get wet eventually, but delaying that moment sometimes has psychological benefits.
- Quick change. If you are finishing the run somewhere other than home have a towel and complete change of clothes (including shoes) at the finish. Dry clothes are an instant mood-enhancer.
- Safety first. Be weather savvy – watch out for lightening, know the signs and symptoms of hypothermia, save the new route for another day, and wear brightly visible clothing (your own sight and the sight of the motor-vehicle driver is reduced in rainy conditions).
- As Nike bids us, Just Do It. This may not be your best run ever, but it will be memorable.
I must admit summer rain doesn’t bother me that much – in fact I think a summer rainstorm helped one of my long runs last summer (good for helping clear my head after perhaps too many beverages the night before!).
Summer rain is sweet relief from the stifling city heat. By August I’m doing a Sunday morning rain dance.
this rookie wishes i had known about the wet pantlegs stretching and heavy! after around the bay i learned the hard way!
Most of those lessons I learned the hard way – but they sure stuck!
Today’s rain run was a treat. I actually had to take a warm up shower later because of the chill. I will run in the rain anytime!
Rainy runs are the best kind of runs.