chicago marathon weather- what the heck

Failed geography? wrote:

llass wrote:

A breeze off the lake would be at least 5 fewer degrees stupid.

This time of year the lake is warm. Secondly, the winds will be coming from the SW. The lake is to the East last I looked at the map.

Thanks for the info. I live a block from the lake and train there, but you obviously know more with your keen map reading knowledge.

What was your opinion of the breeze yesterday Mr. map wizard?

So you're saying that it's not going to be too bad essentially? --since you live right there.

What's your overall take on it?

It's going to be very humid. The wild card is the sun. If it stays overcast with just peeks of sun you'll have to run slower, but not that much. If the sun is out, it's going to be nasty, especially after the halfway point where you'll get away from the cover of the buildings.

It's not going to be a good day, but the more cloud cover the better. It will mean the difference between running in humid low 70's and humid high 70's or 80.

Today the temp was 79 at noon with the sun trying to break out.

slowing down is not an option. besides i live in florida and 70s is a rare sight in my training regimen. i have run all my long run in much hotter/stickier conditions than the race. if you are from the south, just relax it ain't gonna be different from your reg training.(though 50s would be nice, i won't lie)

The dew points are in the mid to upper 60's now and are supposed to stay there through the weekend. We have had fog in the morning hours. The air is going to be thick but hopefully the humidity will help build cloud cover and maybe some rain like today and keep the sun under cover. Going to need to push the fluids for sure.

The difference between Grandmas and Chicago is that for Grandmas you trained in cool and raced in the heat, this equals real problems. For Chicago you trained in the shit, now you get race in the shit. You will be able to cope better than Grandmas.

Also, Niagara Falls is not a fast course. It may look like it but the weather is generally crap, rain, cold and into a headwind the whole way. I have run it twice and both times it was a nightmare with the last time in 38f temps with torrential rain the whole way. I'm never doing it again unless they move it ahead by a couple of weeks prior to the arrival of the north winds.

It will be 73 degrees at 8am, going over 80 by about 11:30. Relative humidity will be an awful 70 percent, with sunny skies and SW winds. This is what it will be. Trust me.

If it is anything like today then yes... the forecast is for a S wind at 5. BAD! http://www.weather.gov/data/obhistory/KORD.html

I just left my office downtown, which is in the first 2 miles of the course, and the temperature is 75 degrees. At O'Hare it's 83.

It will be warm and humid, but the determining factors, the breeze and cloud cover won't be known till race time.

Runners have two choices:

1) Relax, get hydrated and prepare to run your best race and adjust pace accordingly in warm and humid conditions.

2) Get more and more worried till you get hysterical at every weather update and ruin your race before you get to the start, like MarathonMind.

I'm choosing #1

flip spiceland wrote:

is anyone else a little worried about chitown weather on sunday? i mean they are calling for near record highs this week. sucks for me.....

I ran a marathon in 2005 in Austin where the temp. was well above 70F at the start and a huge thunderstorm had left the course as humid as a sauna. I slowed the pace for the first half respecting the heat and felt surprisingly spry in the second half. I broke 3 hours for the first time which shocked the hell out of me because I am a hairy, sweaty, heat-intolerant half-sicilian.

The message is; take it easy for the first half, hydrate well and see how you feel at about 18 to 20 miles. You might get a pleasant surprise. Just don't go out as fast you originally planned.

Well, at 5:54 Chicago time on Friday, it's 85 degrees and humid as hell. The max humidity was 87% today.

http://weather.chicagotribune.com/history/airport/KMDW/2007/10/5/DailyHistory.html

,

It's Saturday, and the forcast looks right on. Can I worry now?

Re-read what Sweat Hog said and follow His/Her advice!

SVC wrote:

Well, at 5:54 Chicago time on Friday, it's 85 degrees and humid as hell. The max humidity was 87% today.

http://weather.chicagotribune.com/history/airport/KMDW/2007/10/5/DailyHistory.html

okay, as has been pointed out many times on this thread already, you're not racing at chicago midway. you'll be racing usually within a mile of the lake. things will be cooler. probably something like 5 degrees cooler than where the official temperature for chicago is taken.

For what it's worth, my forecast for race day from last Sunday has not changed. And it will not change.

Just like last year! Give me some freakin' credit.

flip spiceland wrote:

is anyone else a little worried about chitown weather on sunday? i mean they are calling for near record highs this week. sucks for me.....

Rent "Lawrence of Arabia." It will inspire you. My two favorite quotes:

"NOTHING is written!"

and

"It will be FUN!"

?

chuck d wrote:

SVC wrote:

Well, at 5:54 Chicago time on Friday, it's 85 degrees and humid as hell. The max humidity was 87% today.

http://weather.chicagotribune.com/history/airport/KMDW/2007/10/5/DailyHistory.html

okay, as has been pointed out many times on this thread already, you're not racing at chicago midway. you'll be racing usually within a mile of the lake. things will be cooler. probably something like 5 degrees cooler than where the official temperature for chicago is taken.

If the wind were from the north or east, you are right, you would get a good 5 degree cool down. But it will be from the S/SW, so any cooling effect will be minimal. This morning, five blocks from the lake, I measured 71 degrees at 8am. Expect the same tomorrow or a little warmer. Expect at least as bad of humidity as today. Plan accordingly is all I'm saying.