Running outdoors in all weather

kehuizenga

I am in week 2 of couch to 5k and my day 3 run is scheduled for tomorrow morning; however, there is a good chance of rain. I do have a pretty nice rain jacket (this one: http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/womens-jackets-vests/women-39-s-venture-jacket.html?from=subCat&variationId=XC0), but I am a bit worried about falling and visibility. Does anyone else run outdoors in the rain and have any tips? I am planning on wearing that jacket with nike tempo shorts and a tshirt.

Also, I really want to continue running outside through the winter. The only problem is, I live in Chicago and winters are quite cold and snowy (well except this past winter!). Does anyone else run outside through a cold winter and have any tips for that? What do you wear? I am really worried about the slippery sidewalks in this case, but I hope they salt the running/bike path I usually use.

redhousecat

rain is easy as long as there is a concrete sidewalk. Wet asphalt tends to be oily and slippery.

as for running in the cold, they make these vented neoprene masks to wear. I have one and it works really well for super cold areas. I got mine at REI

kehuizenga

Anyone else?

brandyk77

Minnesota here

I run all winter. Layers layers layers

Example:

0F day

Tights
socks
compression top
running pullover
hat
mittens

all technical stuff of course

camrunner

I like running in the rain. I don't find it necessary to wear anything different. Whatever weather there is I'm probably going to finish all of my runs soaking wet anyway. Last time I did wear a hat, though, and it was nice to get the rain out of my eyes.

As for cold... it doesn't really bother me. It's hard to feel cold when you're working so hard. If I lived somewhere where I had to deal with temperatures below maybe 20F I would look into some kind of long pants, some lightweight gloves and probably wear a beanie.

kylTKe

Look out for ice? Wear a hat, gloves, and sweatshirt? There's really not that much to it. Personally I don't like to wear a mask, but when I do wear one I use this one with a plastic cover over where your mouth is so that you're not sucking in on the fabric and having trouble breathing.

gamblerpl1

My Mom and Dad were walking in central Indiana during the winter when they were in their 60's. They used face masks, "bunny suits" and good winter boots. They really enjoyed it.

kehuizenga

Thanks everyone! I am most worried about slipping and falling in either rain or snow/ice. I suppose I will just have to be careful. Thanks especially to brandyk's encouragement, if you can run through a Minnesota winter, I can certainly handle doing so in Chicago!

arc918

Running in the rain is fun! The trick is NOT to overdress. Clothes get wet & heavy and then chafe = no fun.

Other tip: dress for the middle of the run. You should be a little cold when you start, knowing that you warm up once you crack a sweat. In the dead of winter (So Cal - doesn't get below the high 30s) it takes me ~ 1.5 miles to warm up and start sweating.

nixism

When I was really fit I used to run in ALL weather, even full on down pours, however after a few runs in the rain, my shoes would become old/stretched/not fit properly and I would have ruined them... (they were good quality runners too!! not cheap!).... so these days if I were to run, I would probably give the rainy days a bit of a miss... showery days OK, but full on rain, I would opt to do something else...

runnerdad

Yes, save some of your older running shoes for rainy days - a good soaking rain will tend to ruin the cushioning of a new pair.

If you will be facing a lot of icy days, you can get strap on cleats (sort of like tire chains) for extra traction. I never need them (Florida boy here), but the brand Yak Trax ,or something like that , comes to mind.

About the only thing I do different on warm rainy days is use Body Glide to reduce chafing from wet clothes, but if it is cold, you may want a water repellant jacket to prevent getting too chilled.

kehuizenga

Thank you runnerdad! I will look into those cleats at my local running store! And I will definitely remember to wear my old shoes when it rains--I hadn't thought of that, but I do not want to ruin my nice ones. I already have body glide which I use for swimming and so I will definitely start using it when needed for running too. Thank you so much everyone for the ideas!

CarsonRuns

Stuff newspaper in wet shoes. The newspaper pulls all the moisture out in about 24 hours. I have a wet pair full of paper sitting on my desk right now.

emilymnyc

Running in the rain is one of my favorite things For that I usually just add a hat so my eyes aren't all bleary.

For running in cold weather, definitely avoid over-dressing. You always want to dress as though it's 10 degrees warmer. lululemon makes really great tech fleece running tights that usually come out starting in october, and great base, mid, and water resistant layers too!

brandyk77

Re: slipping...luckily i live in a city that cleans its paths pretty well. Not a lot of ice on the roads. A couple of winters ago, there was some issues with snow (that was the year the metrodome collapsed) but we made do. Consider it strength training!

i have had the cleats and hated them BTW - not comfortable at all. Tried yaktrax too

For shoe drying, go and spend a little bit of money on a boot dryer (for skiing). Works wonders.

rybo

I prefer running in cold weather over warm weather.

rowbseat13

Running in the rain is the best feeling in the world. If it's supposed to rain, I will purposely plan my run for that in-between sprinkling and heavy rain period. Love it. I've never slipped or fallen, and as long as you're not running in torrential downpour, your visibility should be fine. It's much harder to see out of a windshield in the rain than out of your eyes, so make sure you watch the cars because they're probably not watching for you. Wear a hat, and if you carry an mp3 player/phone, just put it in a plastic zip-lock bag and poke your headphones in through the plastic.

nellyett

I ran in the rain yesterday....stayed on the sidewalk so there was plenty of traction. i didn't wear anything special, just a light t-shirt and my yoga capri's.