Race In The Rain? 12 Tips On How To Handle Racing In The Rain
Runners have been known to stalk the weather app on their phone as much—if not more—than their email or favourite social media channel in the days leading up to a big race.
What’s the weather going to be like on race day? Will it be picture-perfect running temperatures for nailing a PR, or will it be hot and humid? Or, perhaps worse, will you race in the rain?
Although some runners find that a race in rain is almost preferable to a race on a hot day, others find that running a marathon in the rain or even a half marathon in the rain is about as unappealing as it gets.
Whichever side of the fence you land on, the good news is that there are tips you can use to make a race in the rain more enjoyable or at least less of a pain.
Therefore, while we have yet to find a way to control the weather, we can at least partially control our reactions to it and experience it—at least in terms of running a race in the rain.
What To Wear When Running A Race In The Rain
There are two different scenarios you might encounter for running a race in the rain: running in warm rain and running in the cold rain. If you took a vote, the vast majority of runners would probably opt for running a race in rain on a warm day rather than running a race in the cold rain.
Running a race in the rain on a warm day can be somewhat refreshing, whereas running in cold rain can quickly become a recipe for getting hypothermia if you aren’t properly dressed.
With that said, the temptation is often to bundle up excessively when it’s cold and rainy, but this can lead to overheating once the race gets underway. Most waterproof and water-repellent clothing, such as rain jackets and rain pants, are not very breathable.
Instead, they trap heat, leaving you feeling wet from the rain on the outside and wet with sweat on the inside. Your clothing will be a soggy, heavy, hot mess.
Wear thin layers of sweat-wicking clothing that you can shed if you warm up once the race begins. If it’s very cold and rainy, a waterproof shell isn’t a bad idea, but make sure you don’t have too many layers of clothing underneath.
An important note for racing a half marathon in the rain, or any race for that matter, is that you should pin your bib number on your shorts or tights rather than your top.
On the other hand, when you are running a race in warm rain, it’s often a good idea to stick with just a very light singlet and skip the rain jacket altogether.
The rain jacket will trap too much heat, and if it’s much above 65 degrees Fahrenheit, you’ll probably overheat in the jacket once you start the race. Instead, wear a light singlet and arm sleeves.
You might be slightly cold and uncomfortable the minutes before the race, but you’ll warm up quickly and will be glad you’re not stifling in a heat-trapping raincoat. Stay dry on the starting line with a cheap, disposable poncho that you can ditch in the trash can when the gun goes off.
6 Tips for How to Run a Race in Bad Weather
1. Control what you can control
Winning at running and life is about knowing what you can control and what you can’t. Don’t waste energy stressing over what you don’t have any power over like the weather. Instead, relinquish that grip and adapt.
If it’s raining, you may need to add a hat or some extra body glide to your body, for example. If it’s hot, you may need some more sports drinks in your fueling plan.
If it’s balmy, you will need to tamp down the effort. And finally, if the weather isn’t ideal for setting a PR, you need to adjust your attitude. Focus on what your ultimate goal is—go out there, have fun, and make yourself proud.
Remind yourself that all your sacrifices weren’t just for this one morning. It was for everything that came along with it—the betterment of yourself, the friendships, healthy life choices, and—for mother runners—teaching your kids valuable lessons.
2. Adjust Your Effort
We could be getting sick or battling an injury or running a race in bad weather. So, give it all you got on THAT day which may be more or less based on the conditions.
With that, it means adjusting your effort—not focusing on specific paces—for racing in bad weather. If you’re running against a 50 mph headwind, it’s just nuts to think you can hold your goal marathon pace. If this pace is a 6 out of 10 effort, then run at a 6 out of 10 effort.
Do regular body scans to see how you’re feeling. If your legs are burning in the marathon and you have 16 miles to go, then you need to back off, for example.
Do not let things you can’t control rattle you. Stay controlled and focused on the pace that feels right. Don’t overthink times and how that may reflect fitness.
3. Have More Than One Goal
Think A goal, B goal, and C goal. This helps athletes adjust their race plans to meet the conditions of the day including illness, injury, and running in bad weather. The range is from conservative to aggressive.
Athletes should start a race conservatively and then speed up if they feel good. When it’s nasty, we typically go more conservative and toss out the aggressive goals entirely, focusing on process goals to run a smart race.
4. Compartmentalize
If something bad happens, you deal with it and move on. Or you shift your focus to what is going right. For example, if you’re running into a strong wind, don’t focus on how slow your mile split was. Put your head down, keep moving, and then move on.
If you’re soaked and cold from running in the rain, focus on how the rest of you are feeling or flip the script and be glad you’re not overheating.
Compartmentalizing is an amazing strategy to deal with hurdles that come up in running and life. Don’t continue to stress about what went wrong. Focus on what is going right and how great you’re doing in the face of challenges such as running in bad weather.
5. Change Your Metrics
Holding onto goals is like holding onto a bar of soap. The tighter you grip, the more likely it’s going to slip away.
It’s a beautiful reminder that our metrics of success should not be the time on the clock. It should be all the little things we did to get there—including strengthening that adversity muscle. And what bigger test to adversity than running a race in bad weather conditions?
In marathoning and in life, you are measured by how you rise in the face of adversity. How will you rise? How will you cross the finish line with a smile on your face? Everyone running will face the same weather and everyone would finish faster in perfect conditions. How do you show that you are proud of what you have done to get here no matter what?
Once again, we have a beautiful reminder that running is about so much more than the time on the clock. Don’t rob yourself of all the gifts it’s given you by only focusing on that metric. That’s not what it is about.
Zoom out and remember the big picture—for you, your life, your health, and your family—and that you and all the other runners are in this together. You’re all doing this hard thing, racing in bad weather, and using this energy to power through and make yourself proud!
6. Don’t Forget To Smile
Science backs this up—smiling makes the effort feel less hard and boosts your mood. So, when you feel yourself spiralling in a tornado of negativity, smile. Say something friendly to a fellow racer. Say thanks to those cheering you on, or just think of something funny.
Smiling serves as a reminder that we choose to race in bad weather or good. We do this for fun—because we love it.
No matter the race, we are going to feel discomfort. We are going to feel pain. Embrace it. We don’t grow in our comfort zone. That happens when things get hard and we push our limits beyond what we thought possible.
7. Don’t Forget Your Nutrition
If you’re running a marathon in the rain, you can’t ditch your nutrition and hydration plan. It’s normal to not feel as thirsty or hungry when running in the rain, so sometimes you have to be more deliberate and mindful with your in-race fueling plan.
Stay on top of your fueling and execute the exact same strategy you would if it wasn’t raining; your body still needs the fluids and calories.
In fact, if you’re shivering, you’ll burn through even more glycogen, so your carbohydrate needs can potentially increase by running a marathon in the rain. Bring extra fuel.
8. Adjust Your Warm-Up Routine
You still need to warm up for a race in the rain, but it’s usually a good idea to time your warm-up closer to the start. You don’t want to get hot and sweaty and then sit around; your body temperature will plummet, and you can get hypothermic.
Time your warm-up so that you have just enough time afterwards for a quick pit stop, a clothing change, a few strides, and then the bang of the starting gun.
9. Stay Dry Before the Race
Many runners who want to know how to run a race in the rain focus solely on what to do once the gun goes off, but the pre-race experience in the rain is just as important.
If you don’t stay dry, you’ll not only feel miserable and unmotivated to run, but you can also get overly cold and tight. Stay dry as much as possible—indoors or in your car.
Wear fully waterproof clothing and use an umbrella as you pick up your race number. Wear completely different clothes for your warm-up that you can change out of before the race. Extra socks and running shoes are a must.
10. Call Upon Your Training
One of the best things you can do to prepare to run a race in the rain is to run in the rain during training. Don’t shy away from running outside on rainy days, even when the treadmill may be beckoning to you.
Getting used to running in the rain during training will make it that much less of a surprise on race day. Plus, you’ll have road-tested strategies for the best gear to use and clothing to wear for maximal comfort.
11. Wear a Cap
Whether you are running a race in cold or warm rain, wearing a cap or visor is one of the best ways to keep the rain off of your face and out of your eyes so you can see.
This helps prevent the tendency to tuck your face and look straight down at the ground when running in the rain to keep the rain out of your eyes.
Proper running form involves having a neutral spine with your gaze straight ahead. Choose a visor when it’s really hot out because it will still allow the top of your head to be open so that you can release heat.
12. Use Body Glide
Even if you aren’t particularly prone to chafing, you certainly don’t want painful skin rubbing to befall you on race day. It’s hard enough to run a race in the rain, let alone trying to do so while battling burning skin.
When you run in the rain, your clothing may stick to your skin, and the friction between different areas of skin and material can cause extremely painful abrasions.
Use Body Glide, Vaseline, or another anti-chafing balm on vulnerable skin areas like your armpits, under your bra straps, and between your toes and inner thighs.
Adjust to running a race in bad weather by adjusting your perspective
We’ve all learned that running should be about the journey and not the destination. Happy runners know that it’s about the small wins and joy along the way—running with friends, seeing the sunrise, feeling strong in your body—and not about the time on the clock at the end of your goal race.
Shifting your focus back to that is one major way to deal with running a race in bad weather. Still, it is hard for us to do!
Most runners are Type A. We like to control things including how many miles we run a day, how much we eat, and how much we sleep. But unfortunately, so much is out of our control—especially on race day and in a long-distance event such as a marathon.
