What's the longest you've run in pouring rain below 45 degrees?

Triathlon Forum
1

Okay, what’s the point?

I ran 16 this morning here in Little Rock, and I normally don’t run in the rain but I’m pressed for time in marathon training and this storm down here is dug in like a tick.

We are located on this fringe of battle between an ice storm and warm weather rain storm. Its just set up battle headquarters in Little Rock. On the left, is ice. On the right and everywhere else, its pouring rain. It has not stopped raining for 2 days.

I have decreed this year, NO TREADMILL!

So, I have no choice.

I know in the back of my mind hardcores run in pouring rain. I must try this, I said to myself. I have not tried this experience and the way I figure it, if I’m going to join the club of hardcores, I’ve got to do this, I need to RUN REALLY LONG IN POURING ASS RAIN!

I’ve run in the snow and sleet, but this, THIS, running in the pouring rain, HAS TO BE DONE.

Checking the weather channel, waiting on small gaps in the deluge on the radar—now this right here is stupid because its not like I’m a weather expert. Nonetheless, heck the radar, and I see this freaking gap in the radar, it stops raining and starts sprinkling, so I head out the door intending to run 16 miles.

As per usual, the little break in the rain was just a vicious lie to trap me into a pouring rain situation. Let’s sprinkle on his ass at first and then when he gets into the run, let’s just pour down on his ass.

I’ve got 3 layers of clothes on, with a rain jacket on top of a dri-fit top. It wasn’t so bad the first five miles. In fact, I was surprised just how easy this was. I said to myself, I am soaking wet, but this isn’t THAT BAD!

You have to not smash the puddles and get water in your shoes, that’s a big thing. Once that water completely invades the shoe, its blister city. In fact, I’d say that’s rule number one in running in the rain. Keep your feet up and away from puddles.

And don’t bust your ass.

But a quite unforeseen circumstance appeared. Although concerned about freezing to death at first, I start getting hot and I look at my heart rate and its zooming out of control. I had not foreseen this. No sir. Not at all.

It felt like August 18th, 103 degrees.

The rain jacket was just keeping all of the heat in and I was burning up. You don’t think that, if you are an ignorant f&*cking runner like me, when the rain feels cold hitting your face and legs.

So, I did an even more retarded thing, I slowed down and turned around and basically what happened the rest of the 8 miles was that I froze to death on the way back. It goes like this. You got hot, then you get very cold, if you don’t know what you are doing.

Get in the car and it looked like I just dove into a swimming pool and whalla, here I am at the car. My hands and body were so cold I couldn’t move my jaw.

Now my shoes are ruined, most likely. Once you wash shoes, or get them wet, they just aren’t the same. Ever.

Live and learn. Don’t wear a bunch of shit running in the rain, and keep a moderate pace, so as not to overheat.

2

Ive run in all kinds of conditions(8 degrees,90+ degrees,30 degrees and snowing,50+ degrees and raining),but theres nothing worse then running in the rain when the temperature is just above freezing or below 45 degrees.
Once your clothes get wet,you just cant stay warm.
I once ran about 12 miles in those conditions,and it wasnt fun.

3

26.2

it sucks
.

4

13.1…38 and rain from start to finish. It was a horrible day…I think it was the coldest I have ever been. (This year’s IMWI comes in @ a distant second…)

5

Years ago I did my first marathon in the rain in Toronto. It was 5 deg C and warmed up to 8 deg C by the end. Rain started about 10 minutes before the start and by 35km it was bucketting down so hard there was water flowing across the road. I cramped a hamstring and quad on the same leg and walked it in from there!

Therefore, I was out in the rain for an entire marathon, which ended up being 4:20 that time. Doh. Who would be me?!

OH yeah, I live in NZ now and if I didn’t run in the rain, I simply wouldn’t ever run. BTW, I wash my shoes about every 4 weeks to keep them clean and nice looking plus keep the stink down. Washing them in the washing machine makes no difference to them as far as I can tell.

6

When i was in marathon prep i did a 36km run in pouring rain. The kind that’s so heavy it creates the illusion that the street itself is moving back and fourth. on top of this, i had just worked an 8 hour shift and had closed the store at 9:00pm. I bonked really hard with about 8km left and ended up finishing the run at about 1:00 am. i’ll never forget that night: alone in the dark, out of fuel, soaking wet, many km from home. good times!

by the way. you can stuff news paper in your wet shoes and leave them over night. in the morning they will be dry and you woun’t harm your shoes the way vents/hairdryers will.

7

That’s why I run on the treadmill in the winter. I get a solid aerobic and endurance workout on the treadmill. When I was hard core, I would run in every condition, and often in 40-32 with rain during the winter all the time. I rarely do anymore. That’s what the treadmill is there for.

8

Probably about 2.5 hours.
If you’re gonna run in the winter in Vancouver, you’re gonna run in the rain :slight_smile:

Generally, I don’t worry about dry - just warm. When I get home, I just dump everything that I’m wearing directly into the washing machine :slight_smile:
Polypro shirt, polypro beanie, tights, gloves and I’m usually good to go. If you get a polypro shirt that unzips, that’s nice for hills, intervals, etc.

Sometimes, I wear my Goretex socks - they help keep the blister situation under control. If it’s really cold like it has been this year or very windy, I’ve really been enjoying my softshell jacket. It breathes better than anything remotely waterproof that I’ve tried before.

Way way better than the treadmill !!

9

Good work out there!! My longest was the CIM marathon, December 1997, Sacramento CA … So about 3 hours and 15 minutes in 45-degree pouring rain. It was miserable but I didn’t get hypothermia until the end, after I stopped. I did suffer through my best case of nipples turned to scabs, thanks to the soaking wet shirt (yes, it was even Coolmax) rubbing against my chest. I ran with my fleece around my waist and put it on after I saw the bloody horror that was my chest … My fleece and shoes probably soaked up 10 pounds of water.

10

ran in minus 20 degree weather long enough to completely freeze my ears - nasty frostbite and all the skin peeled off. ouch. about 1980.
a marathon once, in about 1996? 93? here in AZ - rained all day and i watched the then - under- construction salt river bridge float away. cool.
century ride a few years ago, chilly and rainy all day in sedona az, it sucked worse than the marathon because was 6+ hours vs only 4.
also tucson marathon once, snowed at the start but was nice by the end.

I guess it builds character, right? to run in the cold rain. Well my frickin character is as developed as much as i want, so no more running in the rain for me.

now rainy and mud mtn biking, that’s a different story. epic ride once in brian head or moab UT , i forget which. in about a foot of snow at start, totally covered with red clay mud at the end. fabulous. coffee in a diner never tasted so good as that afternoon.

11

Never did a full marathon in a downpour, but did a 23-miler in a downpour a couple of summers ago. Pretty interesting experience. I actually like running in the rain - better control of body temp (as long as wearing the right clothes), and I find it easier to get into a sweet rhythm.

Congrats on overcoming a source of anxiety!

12

Not running, but a few years back there was a mtb ride called mtb mania in Hickory NC- 62 miles, and the whole ride it rained and was between 40 and 45 degrees. I remember freezing on the downhills, and then about 30 miles into it remembering that I had a shell in my hydration back. The remaining miles only my hands were cold, and from about 50 miles on that really wasn’t a problem because my front brake pads had worn out. Good times…unfortunately the ride no longer is held- it was a lot of fun.

13

my first marathon. 40 degrees and it rained the whole time.

It is a good thing I like running in rain

14

I’ve done many runs in the rain at temperatures colder than that. Likely, the furthest in training would be around 20 miles although my first marathon ever was around 3-4C and rained off and on most of the race and I had ended up the medical room after the race while they checked my lowered core temperature.

15

26.2 at Moo 2006
.

16

For the Montreal Nike 21k in April last year it was 6 degrees celsius and raining.

17

i ran 20 miles in combination sleet and rain. luckily Evan rode a bike beside me and carried GU, etc–he was great support (maybe more than a warrior than i, as he was REALLY cold, having gone slowly on a bike beside me). at the end of the run, i was purple and in bad shape from being wet and very cold. thankfully, now i know alot more about running in hard conditions. it’s not for the timid!

it’s days like this that make you never forget what you went through, it will be a terrific source of strength during your race. well worth it. :slight_smile:

18

20 miles even. The race is named the Eastern States 20 miler. Starts in Maine goes though New Hampshire along the coast and finishes in Mass. I think the year was 2003. Pouring rain and very cold. I was soaked within the first mile. 2 hours and 12 minutes of hell.

19

Jungfrau Marathon, September 1, 2001 - 40 degrees and raining at 500 meters. The race finished at 2200 meters in a white out. Running in the rain is better than riding in the rain any day.

20

Cal International Marathon - Sacramento - 1st weekend in December. You can usually figure on temps in the high 30s to mid 40s and rain is always likely…

For myself, I’ve never done much running in cold rain. I’ve biked in cold rain - 100 miles 12/31/02 in pouring rain and mid 40s followed by a ten-mile run. When I lived in Chicago I ran in warm rain and I used to spend a lot of time in FL, where you always wait until midday to run, because the rain usually hits around 1:30 or so and you definitely want to run in the rain when it’s that hot and muggy.

In the winter, we used to run outside regardless of temps. Coldest day on record, -28 F I ran 8 that afternoon, but was awakened by a call from one of my running buds who said they had a group doing ten miles to celebrate the record.