Friday, March 23, 2012

Wet, Wet, Wet Weather

This is the weather report for race day.


Yeah, I have never run a long race in the race. All the marathons I've done have gotten into the 90s and I've been much more concerned with overheating.

This puts my race outfit into a whole different light. I was planning on my new shorts that I've done all my runs in. I love these shorts.
Nike Two-in-One Tempo Track Women's Running Shorts
With it raining and feeling like 45 degrees, I'm not sure what to wear. I *hate* running in the capris that I have, because they always ride down (is that the right phrase? Basically they don't stay where they're supposed to stay.

I'm wondering whether to pick up a pair of compression calf things at the expo.


I figure they'd keep my legs warmer and would be more likely to stay in place.

I'm also thinking I'll bring my gloves and wear a jacket, probably this great north face one my mother in law got me (you can vent the sides to allow circulation while still being protected from the rain).


Question - do I want to wear a short sleeved shirt, a long sleeved shirt, or both under it?

This totally reminds me of the week before Dick Collins, when it was supposed to rain and I was freaking out, emailing the ultra list a plea for help (I was totally known as the "rain girl" on the course. Every time I met someone knew, they would say, "Oh, so you're the girl who emailed about running in the rain!"). At least I'm not really stressed about it, persay, just trying to figure out how not to be too cold.

Any advice from any of you seasoned running in the rain runners (apparently, according to my blog stats, people are reading this blog, despite my super lack of comments. So, if you're reading this and you run, please help!!!)- what should I be wearing? Short or long sleeves? Will compression sleeves plus shorts keep me warm enough? What other precautions should I take for a rainy marathon?

Thanks for helping :)

6 comments:

Christine said...

Can't give you a running answer, but for style's sake, I think the hot pink calf compression socks (or whatever they are) would look kinda awesome and other runners would be jealous.

Aside from that, to me it seems like the dryer you can stay, the better, but that might be completely wrong.

Gretchen said...

Definitely yes on the shorts. If you can get compression sleeves, awesome (because I'm an advocate of compression) but if not, I still think you'll be fine.

It's the top that matters. Rain jacket=good. Short or long sleeves under it is a good question. I guess I'd say it depends how hard you'll be running, and thus how much heat you'll generate. If that jacket is truly waterproof, it will probably hold in a fair amount of heat and you might be good with short sleeves. If your running pace is going to be a pretty mellow effort level, you might want long sleeves. I suspect both would be a bit much no matter what, but it does provide the advantage of having options. :)

Lastly, I would say definitely wear a running cap with a brim. Keeps the rain out of your eyes.

Hope that helps. Have fun out there, Addy! You're going to do great!!

Adelyn said...

Christine - I agree :) I saw lots of women wearing the compression sleeves at Ed's race a few weeks ago, and thought they looked pretty cool, sort of like superheros :).

Thanks for weighing in!

Adelyn said...

Gretchen - Thanks so much for the advice! I've been wanting to try the compression socks anyway (in part because of your post about how great they are), so I'm thinking this might be a perfect opportunity. Thanks for your other words of wisdom as well :) It helps a lot!

Sarah said...

I would wear a light shell, with a light long sleeve underneath & a hat with a brim. Definitely stick with the shorts. 50 is not that cold, although my perspective might be different than yours. I love compression sleeves but I would be cautious. It took me a couple runs to get used to them. Honestly I don't think they make that much difference in terms of warmth. Definitely bring a throwaway to wear at the start so you don't get over chilled. Good luck!

Adelyn said...

Thanks for the advice, Sarah! I ended up not going with the compression sleeves, because you're right - I might not love them right away, and trying something new for 5 hours of running doesn't sound great.

Thanks for the well wishes, too!