I was emailing with a friend the other day who is getting back into running and she asked me for advice on what to wear while running in the rain.
Interestingly enough, I had been planning an article on this so I was more than prepared to answer her question. In my mind there are three necessities for running in the rain and none of the options have to be expensive. Like any piece of gear, there’s a high end and a low end in terms of price and perceived value, I find you don’t have to spend a ton of $$ to get a piece of gear that performs well.
1. A billed running hat (baseball style). The bill will keep most of the rain off your face and if you use a running hat, it won’t collect the stank of sweat over time. You can use a regular bball hat, but if you’re anything like me (I sweat a ton), it will not be fit to be in the presence of another human in short order.
2. Sunglasses. I pop the yellow lenses into my glasses and wear them to keep any errant spray out of my eyes. The yellow lenses have the added benefit of turning an otherwise drab, dark-ish day into something a little more bright.
3. A soft, rain-resistant shell. I sweat like a gorilla (do they even sweat a lot?) and if I were to wear a waterproof shell, I would be miserably hot even on the chilliest of days. This won’t keep you dry, but no matter your pace, you’ll be more than warmed up be the time the rain soaks through the jacket.
I tend to buy jackets and hats at some of the larger events I do (marathons, triathlons, etc.) and have accumulated a pretty decent collection at this point. They serve as a reminder of a great day but also pull double duty as essentials for wet weather running. Definitely worth the price.I’ll wear anything from tights, knickers to shorts depending on the outside temp (I wore shorts last week when it was 50 and was fine after the first mile), my regular socks and my usual sneaks.
My last tips is when I get home, I take old newspaper and ball it up and stuff it into my sneaks. It helps them dry faster and has the added benefit of helping them keep their shape.
At one point in my running life, I went out and bought a pair of Nike Free to use as a pair of rain runners. I hated them and realized I don’t live in an area that it rains so much that I need a dedicated pair of shoes to run in.
Rain will break down your shoes faster than if you were running in dry weather, but since it’s NYC and not say, Seattle, it doesn’t make that big a difference to me.
Have any rain running essentials? I’d love to hear yours in the comments.
It rains so infrequently where I live (New Mexico) that I pretty much shun running in the rain for fear that I might melt like the wicked witch. But I actually bought a water proof jacket recently mostly for the wind protection.
Good list. Although I doubt I will actually use it. But it could happen. ;-p
I've learned to love it, used to hate it.. It's a nice change up especially when it's not too cold.
Love this! Thank you for sharing!