Rainy Day Running

 

Hump day is here! That means TWO days until I am in Philly for Healthy Living Summit! I will be blogging and tweeting LIVE from the summit so you won’t have to miss a thing, so don’t fret if you aren’t going!

Today was a good day. The weather was a little cooler, so I was able to run 3 miles outside, and then sit on the porch and enjoy the weather with the dogs. Then when Bobby came home we went fishing at the lake and for a golf cart ride. There is just so much more we can do when the weather is nice!

The YMCA won’t be done till November. so sad.

We didn’t catch anything…We didn’t stay long, I started complaining about mosquitos eating me so we just rode around on the golf cart, and when we came across the deer statue in a park in our neighborhood, Bella flipped out and thought it was real. I kept trying to get her near it but she kept running around it growling. Bobby snapped this pic right before his phone went dead. Such a bummer because it looks like it would have been a good one of Bella throwing a fit!

Moving on, the topic of today’s post….rainy day running. After running the Providence half marathon in the pouring rain for the whole race, I think I have learned a few tips and tricks to help you survive a rainy run.

Remember, it’s just rain. It won’t kill you, so go running anyway! (Unless there is lightning o a tornado…then you are on your own!)

Ok so here are my tips:

1.) Wear a hat. This will help keep your head more dry, and help to keep water drops from pelting you in the face. Not getting water all in your face will make it not so bad.

2.) Waterproof your phone/ipod. No, you don’t have to have some expensive special case, a ziplog bag will do! I kept my phone in my ziploc the whole race and it was fine afterwards! Also I could still type on the touch screen through the bag!

3.) body glide.  Even if you don’t normally chafe or blister, do it anyway. I don’t normally chafe badly but I did under ONE arm and on the outside of the leg  where the pocket was I kept my phone in. I heard people saying they usually don’t get blisters but because of squishy socks/shoes they did anyway.

4.) wear moisture wicking fabric/clothing. Honestly, you should be doing this ANYWAY, but it will help keep you from chafing more than cotton will, and it will keep you more dry.

5.) Dress warmly. The rain will most likely make it a few degrees cooler than you anticipated, so take that into consideration when planning your race day outfit.

6.) Get out of your wet clothes ASAP! do a gear check, or run back to your hotel to shower and change, but don’t stay in your wet clothes! You need to dry off and get the chill out!

7.) a garbage bag makes a great poncho. seriously. been there done that. Even if you don’t run in it, it can at least keep you dry while you wait for the race to start!

7.) Evaluate and possibly change your expectation. If you were thinking you were going to PR in said rainy day weather you still can, but don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t. There are other things to consider besides the actual rain that can slow you down. For instance, in Providence, at times it was raining so hard the drains in the streets couldn’t keep up with it so there was standing water RUSHING over the street knocking your feet out from under you. Also there were puddles I didn’t know how deep they were, which could twist an ankle. Also, there were several steep downhills I was afraid of slipping on in my wet slippery shoes. Take precautions and watch your footing. There will be other races! Think of it as an experience, and as a “mental PR!”

***Don’t forget to enter my BIC bands giveaway! Also, remember for every BIC band you buy this month, a dollar goes to support team in training!

QOTD: DO you have any other rainy day running tips?