It looks like it is going to be raining throughout the Philly Marathon. It's only my third marathon and my first one that will (likely) not have good weather. Any helpful tips or advice would be useful and appreciated.
And I'm running it, so please don't go with the "suck it up" suggestions. That's obvious. I'm just looking to see if anyone has advice or things they found helpful. Thanks in advance!
wear a wetsuit
OMG you will get wet!
Wear a cap, I find that helpful running in the rain.
I'm running it too except this will be my first full marathon. Will sure be a memorable one if it does rain.
Praying that the weather forecast are wrong or that the rain is really early morning and stops before the start.
My sister ran the Boston a couple of years ago in that the rain/wind. Her advice to me was to just embrace the elements. But the forecast so far doesn't seem to be nearly as bad as Boston.
I'm debating on what to wear though but it doesn't seem to be too cold. Currently planning on wearing a tshirt, shorts, armsleeves, gloves, headband, maybe a cap to help shield my eyes from the rain. Long sleeves to stay warm before the start. A poncho to stay as dry as possible before the start. But I'm bringing a bunch of different long sleeves/pants just in case. I think the most important part is changing out of wet clothes/shoes after the race.
Suck it up
There are so many threads on this. The best was from Boston last year. Read this and you'll learn everything you need:
Smartwool. Not the thin ones.
Wear throwaway shoes/socks to the start & change into race shoes as late as possible. At least you’ll start with dry-ish feet. Second the baseball cap idea. And if you have the cash, Brooks canopy jacket is a great shell.
Rain leads to increased moisture and friction. Areas that normally don't chafe might when raining insistently.
Tape up, lube up. Wear tighter fitting cloth - especially if windy too.
Bring towels in a plastic bag. Every few miles dry yourself. Dump towels when they get too wet.
Wear tight-fitting everything. Wear a cap with a brim. Don't dress for warmth, more clothes will only soak up more water and weigh you down: no sweatpants or even long tights. Wear a singlet and gloves instead of a long sleeve shirt.
It will be my first full too.
Philly weather in late November is always garbage. I'm excited to get hypothermia.
If the rain isn't too heavy and it's in the 40s it will be unpleasant but not terrible if it's not extra windy. Boston in 2015 was similar for me. Showers through the whole race, temps 40s. I wore a light t-shirt, armsleeves, light gloves (they got wet, but it felt colder to take them off than to leave them on), shorts, and a cap with a brim. Honestly once I was wet through, I didn't really notice it anymore, even my feet. Can't do anything about it at that point; I quit letting myself focus on it. I was grateful I remembered the hat with the brim to keep the rain from my eyes and mostly off my face.
Getting into warm and dry clothes as quickly as possible will be crucial when you're done. That year in Boston it was a long time until I finally was able to change and then it was hours and hours before I finally felt deep down warm again, even when dry and bundled in layers upon layers.
I'm running Sunday and not looking forward to any rain but I had success in such before so I'm not going to get too worked up about it this year if it happens again.
Wear your most water resistant gear you have that will be conducive to the marathon. Or swap out shirts mid race for dry ones. Maybe check if that is permissible first. In that case put your bib on your shorts or something.
Plan for Sunday: Compression Shorts, Singlet, Arm Warmers, Cap, Non-Cotton Gloves.
I also plan to wear an extra long-sleeve tech-shirt for first 2 miles, then throwaway.
Thinking about rubbing Vaseline on body. Should I put it on exposed legs and arms/chest? How much to put on?