Wednesday, August 22, 2012

How to Get Your Run On in the Rain

If you read my post on Monday then you already know it rained on our run Saturday. At times it was basically a downpour, until it stopped. I felt bad cause I had tweeted to Robyn that the rain was light and letting up so she should go out for her long run. Well, not 2 minutes after Woody and I got outside did it start to pour. And the rain didn’t stop for quite a while. It was raining really hard and it’s been a while since I ran in the rain, but I sucked it up and remembered that you never know what it’ll be like on race day and I’m not going to back out then so I might as well go for it.

I’m glad I did, cause it turned out to be a pretty fantastic run. And day. But you read all about that in my last post!

While it’s not that appealing, sometimes running in the rain is necessary. Like when you’re training for a big race, or on race day! When I was training for the NYC Marathon in 2009 the day I had my 18 mile run scheduled – my longest run to that point – it was raining. I couldn’t put it off to the next day though because after my run I was getting in a car and Woody and I were driving to Montreal for vacation for the week. Along the way, there was a torrential downpour and I had water flowing in and out of my shoes, but I kept going. You never know what it’s gonna be like on race day!

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My tips for running in the rain:

  1. Wear a hat or visor to keep the water off your face
  2. Stay away from baggy or cotton clothes when choosing what to wear. It’ll just get heavy and clingy
  3. If you’re taking anything with you like a phone, keys and/or money, put them in a small plastic bag to keep them dry
  4. If you ever have trouble with chafing, be sure to apply the Glide or Vaseline before heading out
  5. Wear smartwool socks. I just learned this one on Saturday, my feet felt completely dry until I accidently landed in a huge puddle
  6. While it’s best not to run through huge puddles like I did, be careful jumping and swerving around them, don’t want to slip
  7. Once you’re wet, you’re wet, so enjoy it and have fun! And be proud of yourself for running through the rain!
  8. When you get home, grab newspaper and stuff your shoes with them. This is best at absorbing the water so your shoes don’t get all out of whack

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  • What do you think of these tips? Do you have any to add?
  • It’s Wednesday, how’s your week going?

Mine has been pretty crazy at work, but I have something to look forward to – we’re going to Denver on Friday!!

  • Have you liked the new Early Morning Run facebook page? Not yet? Well, here’s your chance… check it out HERE

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Today’s workout -

  • 45min bike
  • 3x10 tricep pushdown
  • 3x10 weighted side bend
  • ab exercises
  • stretching

3 comments:

Amanda Loudin said...

i always find that the thought of running in the rain is so much worse than the reality. Like you said, once you're wet, you're wet. I'd add that if you are driving to your starting point, make sure you have some dry clothes to change into immediately after!

Beth Whipple said...

Wearing a reflective vest is a good idea - it rained where I am this morning and it was dark while it was raining.

Lisa_earlymorningrun said...

That's definitely a great idea! Safety first!