First rainy half marathon: what to pack? What to do?

RunnerGirl238

Morning y'all,

My 7th half marathon is this weekend. It.is.going.to.rain all weekend. It is mostly paved but a little off road.

This is my first wash out race in 10 years of running. What should I pack that I don't normally? Should I even wear my running shoes to the start or wear other shoes to avoid soggy shoes as long as possible?

Should i talk myself into expecting a slower pace? Talk me through this please.

emilysusana

I’m following because I’m going to be running a rainy half of Saturday. It’s also my first half!

firef1y72

Can you get yourself a jacket from a charity shop that you could throw away once you start? Or a black bin bag with holes for head and arms, again to be thrown away on start line.
Wear your normal runners but put plastic bags over them until you're ready to start.
Vaseline, bodyglide, or similar, coat your feet in it before you put your socks on

I wear my usual kit no matter what the weather, shorts, vest top (compression top underneath to stop chafing), compression socks and buff. I've run like that in rain, wind, hail, snow and blazing sunshine. There comes a point when your clothes can't get any wetter, and I've literally been able to wring my socks out at the end of an 18 miler before, but it was one of the most fun runs I've had. There comes a point where you're so wet anyway that you can't help but embrace your inner Peppa Pig and jump in all the puddles

deannalfisher

trash bag with holes cut in it to keep you dry; put a pair of dry socks/shoes in your morning bag (if they have one) - so you can change as soon as you get done;

is it going to be warm/rain; or cold/rain?

spiriteagle99

I've only had one rainy race, but it was a doozy - Boston 2018. From discussions before and after I learned a lot. 1. Bring something warmish to wear before the race that you toss before the gun goes off. A lot of people had old shoes, others wore plastic bags over their feet. The bags were slippery when dealing with the mudpit that was the Athlete's Village. People that had spare shoes were happy. I just figured my feet were going to get soaked on the walk to the start, so why bother. 2. Hat with visor is a necessity. Not having rain in my face made the downpour a lot more tolerable. 3. Temperature makes a huge difference. Rain and under 40 F requires more protection than rain over 40 degrees. Don't wear a rain jacket if it's over 45 or so. A garbage bag or light poncho will keep you warm enough. With a jacket you just sweat a lot. 4. Lots of vaseline - between your toes, any place that might rub like thighs, under arms, etc. 5. Clothes that fit close to your body will chafe less than looser clothes. 6. Most important - don't let yourself get psyched out by the possibility of a wet race. I saw a lot of runners get really upset and depressed about the forecast. They were so sure the day would be awful, it was, for them. I am a backpacker, so all day rain is not something new to me. I just laughed as the forecast kept getting worse and worse. Even though I had never run in those conditions (38 F, torrential rain, 25 mph headwinds) I was there to enjoy myself, so I did. I thanked all the volunteers and onlookers, high fived the kids, and ran my heart out. I ended up with a 10 minute PR.

SteveTries

I'm British, I know all about running in the rain

1) throwaway raincoat/poncho for the start - got to stay warm. Consider how you are going to keep your socks dry before the start (is there a sheltered area? can you grab some overboots from the local swimming pool?)
2) a peaked running cap - it's so much easier to run in the rain when it's not in your eyes!
3) wet clothes chafe more than dry. Go heavy on the Glide and/or wear a thin baselayer

VioletRojo

Is it going to be cold, or just wet? If it's going to be just wet you'll want
a rain poncho or jacket that you can toss when you get too hot or it stops raining
a brimmed hat or visor to keep the rain out of your eyes

If it's going to be cold too you'll want
layers you can remove as you warm up
possibly gloves (my hands get cold and my fingers turn blue at about 50*f)
possibly ear warmers if your ears get cold.

In October I did a marathon that started at 24*f. The night before I went to the thrift store and bought sweat pants and a sweat shirt to wear at the start. By mile 4 I was shedding the extra layers.

DX2JX2

How bad will it be? Light drizzle or borderline monsoon?

No need for a consciously slower pace unless you feel the conditions battling you (e.g., constant wind in the face). Outside of that, just run your race. Weather is one of the reasons that not every race will be a PR but no need to concede that until the end.

For shoes I wouldn't worry too much about it. If it's raining hard enough to worry about wearing your shoes before the race they're going to be saturated by the first mile anyway. Maybe just add some preemptive blister protection if you think your wet socks might not play nicely with your shoes.

Poncho or windbreaker is always nice if wind will be an issue. And it might sound odd but wear your sunglasses no matter what...they'll protect against driving rain if wind blows it into your face. A hat with a brim is nice too to keep water off your noggin and I like the silky tech clothes in wet conditions because they won't rub as much.

littlegreenparrot1

My top tip - have a bag in the car, at the bag drop, with obliging friend. This should contain towel, dry warm clothes, and dry socks/ shoes.

I am often very muddy at the end of long trail runs here in the UK, and although I can cope during it, afterward it makes life much more comfortable.

RunnerGirl238

So much great info here. So appreciative. Itll be coolish- 65 and we start around 730 a.m.

spiriteagle99

65 is actually quite warm for a race. You'll be fine in a singlet and shorts.