I know that a light rain can make for ideal conditions in a race, and in tarining, too. I tend to like running in the rain, but recently I ran a 10k road race in the rain, and did not like it. It was not light rain. It was not a monsoon, but it was steady, heavier rain, throughout the race. How would this affect a runner? What has been your experience? Thanks in advance.
Your welcome.
Any experiences out there? Did a hard rain slow you down much?
I got wet
Star wrote:
I got wet
That's what she said
I haven't ran many 10 k's in a rain, there's not a lot of 10 k's in my neck of the woods during rainy season as it is, but I think they help so long as it's a light rain. Anything that's steady enough to make you keep thinking more about how annoying the rain is, is taking your mind further away from what you're doing there in the first place. So to make more sense of that, if it's raining hard enough to make you think more about the rain than the race then it's a negative thing. If the rain is light enough to give you some boost about how good your run is then it's a positive thing. There's no set or cut off rain conditions, it's by how you're feeling that day IMHO.
I generally agree with this.
I would elaborate and say that if it is raining so hard that your shoes are soaked through or if it is raining so much that you cannot get good traction (as is common in races in wet weather here in Central Florida where there are tons of brick roads), then you are going to be negatively impacted. Same thing if it is cool and raining.
But if you get a nice light rain on a 60 degree or warmer day, it is manna from heaven.
Rain accumulating on your clothes and shoes weighs you down.
The added friction from running into the rain drops slows your forward progress.
Hard to isolate the impact, though, since rain and wind often occur together.
Smoove wrote:
I generally agree with this.
I would elaborate and say that if it is raining so hard that your shoes are soaked through or if it is raining so much that you cannot get good traction (as is common in races in wet weather here in Central Florida where there are tons of brick roads), then you are going to be negatively impacted. Same thing if it is cool and raining.
But if you get a nice light rain on a 60 degree or warmer day, it is manna from heaven.
Thanks, folks...
You bet that would be manna from heaven on a day 60 or warmer. I have experienced this a number of times...nice.
In the race I mention, it was 58 degrees at the start, and it rained fairly hard throughout the race. I was completely soaked when finished, head to toe.
outsiderunner wrote:
I know that a light rain can make for ideal conditions in a race, and in tarining, too. I tend to like running in the rain, but recently I ran a 10k road race in the rain, and did not like it. It was not light rain. It was not a monsoon, but it was steady, heavier rain, throughout the race. How would this affect a runner? What has been your experience? Thanks in advance.
Research has said that rain 1.81cm/hr increases finishing times by .64%.
shamper wrote:
outsiderunner wrote:I know that a light rain can make for ideal conditions in a race, and in tarining, too. I tend to like running in the rain, but recently I ran a 10k road race in the rain, and did not like it. It was not light rain. It was not a monsoon, but it was steady, heavier rain, throughout the race. How would this affect a runner? What has been your experience? Thanks in advance.
Research has said that rain 1.81cm/hr increases finishing times by .64%.
Interesting information...do you have a source for this?
Google impact of rain on over ground running or something like that and there is a study. I have it in my time conversion worksheet, but not the full citation.
Rain has been known to make bitchitis flare up in a number of runners. I would be careful next time if I were you. Sounds like you had a heavy case. Dress appropriately or ask the race director to move the date next time. You spent your hard earned money to enter!
PhysioProfessor123 wrote:
Rain has been known to make bitchitis flare up in a number of runners. I would be careful next time if I were you. Sounds like you had a heavy case. Dress appropriately or ask the race director to move the date next time. You spent your hard earned money to enter!
Yeah, perhaps it was bitchitis. About three miles in, I started thinking negative thoughts.
I think it could have a huge impact on a race. I did a half in the rain a while back. I was in great shape and pr'ed by 10 seconds. Three miles to go my legs were cramping up pretty bad because they got stiff from the rain/cold. Never had the happened to me before. Makes me wonder what i could have ran with better weather. Maybe a good 10-15 secs faster or so.
I always run faster in the rain, keeps my muscles cool.
Ask ventolin. It will pretend to know to the 100th of a second. Moron.