Half marathon attire in rain

k7n2w3
k7n2w3 Posts: 241 Member
edited November 12 in Fitness and Exercise
Hey All,
I am running my first Half on Sunday and am wondering on what to wear due to rain. I am a "hot" person temperature wise and tend to go on the lesser side of clothing when I run, usually I add 20 degrees and dress for it, like 60 degrees and I'm in tank top and shorts or just sports bra and shorts. However the weather this sunday is going to be 59 degrees and rain. i planned on capri tights and a non-cotton tank. I am not sure if that is appropriate or not, runnersworld suggested women wear just their sportsbra because a shirt might soak up the rain too much but then suggested a tech shirt for men (I assume it was possibly written by a guy lol) Although if it was 60 and sunny I might wear something like that. I can't wear long sleeves cuz I sweat easily. Suggestions on the top to wear? tank? just sports bra? tek t-shirt? Any other tips for running in the rain? I haven't ran in the rain in years nor have I done a half marathon so I welcome tips on what to expect w/ this whole rain that decided to show up (although I won't probably be as hot!). thanks :-)

SW 155.1
CW and GW 112.0

Replies

  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
    Wear what you'll be comfortable in. The writers and contributors at Runnersworld aren't the ones that are going to run the race. You are. Wear what you want.

    I will say that a tech shirt (non-cotton) is a good way to go. I would probably wear a tank or a t-shirt because it's not particularly cold, but that's me. Also, you might want to consider wearing a visor or a cap to keep the rain out of your eyes. And don't forget to wear non-cotton socks! Rubbing in your shoes with wet cotton socks stinks!

    Good luck on the race!!
  • k7n2w3
    k7n2w3 Posts: 241 Member
    oh gosh I didnt even realize the socks part!! thanks!!
  • Chagama
    Chagama Posts: 543 Member
    First, remember, once you are wet, you can't get wetter. Sounds stupid, but I've run twice in heavy runs, one full and one half marathon, and once you are soaked you can ignore it. Then it becomes a fun bonding thing, all of the runners against the weather. Keep your sense of humor about it, nothing else you can do.

    Definitely no cotton. I made that mistake in the full marathon in the rain, it gets heavy, you get hot, it's just bad all around. Something that will not absorb all the water. For the half in the rain I wore a tech shirt and it was much better. Can't speak to whether a shirt is better than a sports bra.

    Some soft of visor to keep the rain out of your eyes. You'll get wet anyway, but if you can keep the rain from directly falling in your eyes, it's good.

    Remember, streets are crowned to get the water to run to the sides and the storm drains. So, the center of the roads will by the driest. The edges may have standing water. Stay to the center.

    Have fun. And the pictures always make it look like it was worse than it really was. On the half marathon, we had one really heavy period of rain right at the start, and then light rain for the next hour or so, but looking at the pictures it looks like we ran through a rain and flood of biblical proportions. We all laughed, but it was fun showing them to other people who gave us way more credit than we deserved.
  • SERinDC
    SERinDC Posts: 93 Member
    I also always feel like I'm overheating when I run. A few weeks ago I did a 11.5 mile training run in the rain. If you like shorts just as much as capris, I'd say do shorts. I wore running capris on that run and they were so stuck to my body it wasn't great. They weren't super uncomfortable, just stuck on wet. I wore a technical t-shirt and felt that was fine.

    I did a half marathon last weekend and it was 62 and sunny. Even at 62 degrees I felt like it was 80 because of the sun. Wore running shorts and a technical t-shirt and felt comfortable. If it were 60 and raining, I would have worn the exact same thing. Hope that helps & good luck :)
  • Karmarie24
    Karmarie24 Posts: 48 Member
    I'd do a tech tank and capris/shorts! If it's only a drizzle rain bring a ziplock bag to put your iPod in (if you run with one).

    If it's going to be a high of 60 it might be chilly in the morning when you start. It sounds crazy but a ton of people bring a trash bag with a hole cut out for your head to wear as a poncho in the morning. Then as you're running (typically within the 1st mile for me) toss the bag and go.

    Something I'm going to do for my next race is to bring latex gloves too. My hands always freeze until I start running so I can wear those, warm up them toss them too!

    You've probably thought of this already but make sure you have nice dry clothes waiting for you at the finish line, I normally bring rubber soled slippers to change into, because I always get blisters in races.
  • Dragonfly1996
    Dragonfly1996 Posts: 196 Member
    Hi - I am a "hot" person too!! Wear a proper (non cotton) running tshirt or vest so it won't get heavy & will draw the sweat away from the skin. Also running sox - the twin lined ones so you don't get blisters! Try both out before your race to check no chafing!!

    59 deg is a good running temp for me - not keen on running in heat (or sub zero for that matter)!! I did 20mi last weekend in the pouring rain & my feet got really wet but my clothes weren't wringing wet. After a few miles you won't care & it is true once you are wet - you can't get wetter!!

    Best of luck with your run :flowerforyou:
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
    Like most of the other people said, avoid anything cotton, socks, underwear, t-shirts cause once there wet, they will rub you raw. Good luck to you, let us know how you did.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Wear as little as possible while still being able to be comfortable. And yet one more reminder for wearing technical fabrics only.
  • k7n2w3
    k7n2w3 Posts: 241 Member
    Thanks everyone! You all rock! Now I get why the sports bra only was recommended so there's less rubbing right? so is it better to have a tek shirt to wisk some of the water off the skin or at some point does it just stick to the body and a sports bra only is better? Sorry for so many questions... it's been years since I've done the running in the rain thing
  • brandyk77
    brandyk77 Posts: 605 Member
    hmm.. hard one.

    capris would be better for chafing issues but you might overheat.

    Wear a hat for sure.
  • cattracy0829
    cattracy0829 Posts: 177 Member
    I don't even think I own a non-cotton pair of socks....
  • blgerig
    blgerig Posts: 174 Member
    I ran a half-marathon in the rain last May and have a race tomorrow that looks like rain... Definitely wear a hat. I was in running shorts and a tech t-shirt and perfectly comfortable.
  • I always take a cheap rain parka ($1.50 at Target in the camping section) or a garbage bag and wear that for the period of time that you have to stand out in the rain in your corral waiting for the race to start.

    I don't mind running in the rain but I hate just standing there for 30+ minutes. Then you can just toss it once you start running.
  • k7n2w3
    k7n2w3 Posts: 241 Member
    awesome idea!! def doing that too. All these ideas everyone gave are great!
  • DoreenS
    DoreenS Posts: 8 Member
    Don't forget to have somebody bring you dry clothes after your race...or bring some and check it in.
  • k7n2w3
    k7n2w3 Posts: 241 Member
    Since it was requested that I post after my half marathon I am :-) I did it in 2:05 and loved every minute of it. Not the best time but it was my first one and it's not a bad time so I'm not upset with it. I ran it with a friend so that added some fun to it. The weather was a little chilly but perfect for running! It was supposed to rain but it rained only up until the race started, then it stopped. I had so much energy the whole time and screamed out the mile markers and jumped on my friend who was taking pictures at mile 11 lol That probably added a minute to my time but was worth it! I didn't walk at all and even skipped a couple of the water stations. If it weren't for the hill at the end I could have kept running for a few more miles. The course was difficult with 3 miles of a steady hlll between mile 6-9. I never thought I'd run more than 3 miles and now I can't wait until my next half! It really goes to show how it is possible to go from not being able to run even a quarter mile last year turned into 13.1 miles straight
  • lmd172
    lmd172 Posts: 172
    excellent! way to go...and glad you didn't have to deal with the rain that much!
  • cushygal
    cushygal Posts: 586 Member
    Congrats to you - that was a great time.

    I am now training for my very first half marathon and I am hoping for a time somewhere between 2:45 and 3:00, but I am a slow runner. So far my longest run has been 7 miles and that was run in 1:22, and that felt so easy, yet yesterday I couldn't run a mile without trouble - so weird how the body can be :smile:
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
    Woohoo! Great accomplishment.
  • blgerig
    blgerig Posts: 174 Member
    Glad it went well!!
This discussion has been closed.