When does wind begin to hinder performance? 15mph? 20mph?

Wind doesn't have to be that fast at all to have a negative effect if its blowing straight into you. A stiff breeze will make it a little tougher. Winds of 20mph will feel like a gale if you're trying to push hard through it.

Conventional wisdom would say that ANY headwind is going to affect your performance. According to this http://runworks.com/calculator.html ... a 5 mph headwind slows you down 13-15 seconds per mile over paces 5:00 to 7:00. Not sure how accurate the algorithm is, though.

I looked at that calculator before NYC 2014 and it scared the crap out of me because winds were going to be in the mid 20s.

As a practical matter, I would say that I notice an impact once you get to 10 mph or more. But if you look at the studies on this, you will find that most of the negative impact (I have read 80%) can be avoided if you are running in a tight pack behind someone who is blocking the wind. From what I have read, you want to be within a meter of the person, and you want them between you and the direction the wind is coming from.

Of course, you want to take the opposite approach if there is a tail wind. Get out in the open and let it push you. You don't get as much of a benefit from a 10 mph tailwind as you lose from a 10 mph headwind, but it still helps (see all those Boston Marathon times a few years back).

In theory, if you can avoid 80% of the impact of the headwind by tucking in behind someone, and then bounce out to take advantage of the tailwind elsewhere on a course, a windy day could actually be an advantage even though the tailwind doesn't help as much as the headwind hurts because you don't suffer all of the ill effects of the headwind.

Wind resistance of any kind is a factor. It could be dead calm and you're still going to be slower than compared to running on a TM. From Daniels, it's a hyperbolic curve as the windspeed increases. And if I recall, beyond 10mph is where it starts to make a dramatic impact on max vo2.

Never.

It was proven on these very boards after the Boston gale force wind marathon in which Hall ran 2:04:58 that the wind had absolutely nothing to do with the unusual top times that day. No wind, of any strength, in either direction can ever make any difference whatsoever on running performance.

Actually, what most people miss is the fact that a slight headwind will INCREASE your efficiency and performance. As you naturally lean slightly forward during a run, the slight headwind will relieve the stress placed on your stabilizers, this allowing you to push forward more efficiently.

Are you suggesting that the increased efficiency that might result from someone changing their form as a result of the wind offsets the negative impact of the wind in a material enough way to result in net positive?

If you are a short, stocky, muscular guy running for place rather than time, you like windy days.

Also, the vector of the wind relative to the running path is critical. A crosswind is less affecting in a track race than headwind down the straight.

Smoove wrote:

Are you suggesting that the increased efficiency that might result from someone changing their form as a result of the wind offsets the negative impact of the wind in a material enough way to result in net positive?

I hope not, as that's asinine. I will say that on an extremely hot sunny day a tail wind equal to your running speed will negatively effect most people more than stagnant, or even a slight headwind.

Smoove wrote:

Are you suggesting that the increased efficiency that might result from someone changing their form as a result of the wind offsets the negative impact of the wind in a material enough way to result in net positive?

That's exactly what I'm saying. All of your power goes into pushing forward without activating any antagonistic muscles. This is how you achieve the greatest efficiency.

lol. idiot.

Let's walk through this:

What if we are talking about someone who already has very efficient form?

Would any headwind be offset, or is there some threshold where you agree with most of the rest of the world and acknowledge that there is a negative net impact

This just doesn't hold up when you look at the studies and it also doesn't pass the common sense test.

category 3 hurricane bruh

I'm quite often windy while running, usually from something I've eaten the night before (too much spice or green veg). It doesn't hinder performance except in the most extreme of cases when I need to stop and contort my body to squeeze all the gas out. I imagine these ones come out at more than 15 mph but I have never had the wherewithal to measure.

Of course wind affects speed, I live in the windiest town in the uk. It's so windy Siemens decided to build their offshore wind farm here. EVERY workout it's windy and it slows me down a lot. I like doing straight 400s with tail wind though, I fly.

The wind is cool.

Wind reading are generally measured 10 meters off the ground. Also take into account that trees and other structures will be blocking some of it. So that 15 or 20 mph wind is not quite as bad as you would think. However, that wind speed still affects your times a little. That's mainly the reason why everybody runs their PR's indoor in New England, because calm mild days are a rarity in the Spring here.

NjCoach wrote:

What do you guys think? When does wind get fast enough where it has a negative effect on practice performance or race times?

As soon as the brain impulses trigger a response to move any part of your body in a planned direction. That's my definition.

Anyone else have a better one? Why am I asking this? There is no better definition.

have you, like, never run