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MeHereYouWhere?! wrote:

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derp wrote:
My biceps are sore today because my gloves were so heavily soaked in water. Breathability doesn't really matter when you're completely soaked through.

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Read Andrew Skurka's blog. Next time get some restaurant worker or hospital gloves. Put those on over your gloves. Your hands will stay warm and dry.

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derp wrote:

Thanks. That was just one example though. Another example is I have wind burn/frostbite/chaffing on my junk. Should I have worn a condom too? There was nothing you could do yesterday to stay warm or dry.

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UA Runner wrote:
I think they come trained to race, but when you throw a curveball like a cold, hot or rainy day, Kenyans are notoriously unreliable. My guess is they showed up without even having a jacket, or just some baggy thing a friend gave to them, not fully understanding the difference it would make.

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wejo wrote:

Anyone have a link to the wool recommendations? Without thinking about it wool would seem to get really wet and soggy but clearly I'm wrong.

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Pro Tip Cyclist wrote:

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derp wrote:

Thanks. That was just one example though. Another example is I have wind burn/frostbite/chaffing on my junk. Should I have worn a condom too? There was nothing you could do yesterday to stay warm or dry.

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It is a common pro tip amongst cyclists to insert a plastic bag beneath your tights but above your shorts when cycling in cold weather.

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amateur scientist wrote:

As I watched the race, I was surprised by the clothing choices of the elite runners. Most went with the wind/water resistant jackets and waterproof gloves, which seems logical for the weather. However, they are not best for racing conditions.

Racing conditions cause you to produce more heat and sweat than a typical training run, especially of marathon length. The problem is that breathe-ability of these weather proof/resistant materials becomes essentially useless when you sweat inside the jacket, creating 100% humidity both inside and out. With 100% humidity, the jacket no longer is breathable, insulation capabilities will suffer, and you are essentially running in wet garbage bag that saps your body heat because the persistent wetness does not allow humidity escape. Cold, wet clothes without breathe-ability or insulation are a recipe for hypothermia.

Knowing this from being outdoors in the winter a lot, I don't wear the waterproof stuff for a race in cold and wet conditions. I would have gone with a material that retains heat and maintains breathe-ability while wet, like merino wool or a synthetic material.

Anyways, that's my theory about why so many elites dropped out today.

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wejo wrote:

Anyone have a link to the wool recommendations? Without thinking about it wool would seem to get really wet and soggy but clearly I'm wrong.

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wejo wrote:

Anyone have a link to the wool recommendations? Without thinking about it wool would seem to get really wet and soggy but clearly I'm wrong.

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amateur scientist wrote:

As I watched the race, I was surprised by the clothing choices of the elite runners. Most went with the wind/water resistant jackets and waterproof gloves, which seems logical for the weather. However, they are not best for racing conditions.

Racing conditions cause you to produce more heat and sweat than a typical training run, especially of marathon length. The problem is that breathe-ability of these weather proof/resistant materials becomes essentially useless when you sweat inside the jacket, creating 100% humidity both inside and out. With 100% humidity, the jacket no longer is breathable, insulation capabilities will suffer, and you are essentially running in wet garbage bag that saps your body heat because the persistent wetness does not allow humidity escape. Cold, wet clothes without breathe-ability or insulation are a recipe for hypothermia.

Knowing this from being outdoors in the winter a lot, I don't wear the waterproof stuff for a race in cold and wet conditions. I would have gone with a material that retains heat and maintains breathe-ability while wet, like merino wool or a synthetic material.

Anyways, that's my theory about why so many elites dropped out today.

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wejo wrote:

Anyone have a link to the wool recommendations? Without thinking about it wool would seem to get really wet and soggy but clearly I'm wrong.

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Working Harder wrote:

Did some running as well as hiking in Iceland last year and that was my setup. One particular day running on Laugavegur in the highlands it was around mid 30s, crazy windy with on and off rain. Smartwool lightweight base layer bottoms with a DWR tight, Pettit Endurance merino long sleeve top, Arcteryx Norvan single layer GT shell. It still amazes me how many people are in the dark about the benefits of wool. Plus, wool doesn't trap bacteria (odor) like synthetics so you can wear it forever without washing and it doesn't stink.

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