Running in the rain

I'm a morning runner, and if I miss my early morning time I find it difficult to go out later in the day. I woke up this morning bright-eyed and bushy-imaginary-tailed, all ready to jump out of bed into my running clothes and head out of the door.

Unfortunately it was pouring with rain - straight in my window, so I'd been having a quick pre-run rinse in my sleep. And yes, I closed the window, crawled into a dry sleeping bag and went back to sleep.

How do you manage to make yourselves go out when the weather is disgusting? I need some way to motivate myself to go out - telling myself it's not running in the rain but doing the drowned rat dance just isn't working!

Comments

  • Think of it as if you can run in the wind and the rain, you can damn well run in anything LOL

  • Running in the rain is just the most magical, stimulating experience. Plus, it keeps you a little cooler, and offers a more technical challenge when it comes to the running surface and how to deal with it.
  • Call me weird if you like, but running in the rain doesn't bother me in the slightest. It's only water and you're not made of sugar (as my boyfriend would say!)
  • Skin is waterproof!

    Most people like having a shower.

    Running in the rain means you get a shower for free!

    I'm with Lauren on this one - in fact I'll go with EMarkM - I had a fantastic run in the rain this morning - it made my run special. Even more so when about 400m from home a big lorry drove through a puddle and a wall of water covered me!

    Running in the rain is no problem at all so long as you can keep warm (which you do if you keep running). The main problem with rain is if you get caught in it and have to wear soaking wet clothes the rest of the day, which doesn't happen when you are on a run.

  • Nessie73Nessie73 ✭✭✭
    the thought's ALWAYS worse than the doing. It's excellent fun after the first 5 minutes. I don't really like running when it's windy mind
  • RedjeepRedjeep ✭✭✭

    Like the other posters, I have no problem running in the rain.

    Sometimes I actually prefer it. I remember a run through my local woods at the end of last year in a light drizzle that was absolutely magical as it just brought the place alive.

    I can still (almost) smell the pine, remember the stillness and just the noise of the birds singing. Everything just seemed more intense, maybe because there were no other noise as the drum of traffic was deadened by the rain and there was nobody else around. Fantastic.

    My run tonight was in reasonably heavy rain, but I was warm in my waterproof top and my baseball cap kept the rain of my face. It was my first run after about a month due to injury, and I loved it. I'd been determined that nothing was going to stop me running tonight.

  • I normally run late at night, so the weather doesn't bother me as its normally dark.
  • I dont like running in the rain.

    I dont like running in heat, or cold or wind or snow.

    Or the dark

    I like running in a bright, warm, windless environment  over a resonable flat surface.

    I dont like running on treadmills and gyms are evil.

    So what does little me do?

    I just go outside and run, where it may be raining or hot or cold or snowing.

    And dark.

    See what Im saying here?

    Good

    Now off you trot and close that window there's a draftimage

  • If you are training for an event / race then the weather dosn't matter the training does.No matter the weather keeping to my training plan will motivate me.

    Must admit starting a LSR in the pouring rain can be a bit miserable at times...but great when you get back image

  • YoungPupYoungPup ✭✭✭
    I agree that it's all in the mind - this morning I ran 7 miles into work in the rain, and I was very tempted to bin it, but once you get going it is actually very nice.

    The rain is cooling, and once you're wet, you're wet.......
  • Running in the rain is awesome.

    A light shower is best but when it's pouring you feel like a serious runner as you're getting out there no matter what

    Just make sure you're wearing decent running kit as cotton gets really heavy and (literally) becomes a drag

  • I love running in the rain with my waterproof jacket hood up to listen to the sound of the rain bouncing off my hood whilst remaining reasonably dry. Once you've got wet you will actually enjoy getting drenched, stamping in puddles as you go! Surely there's a big kid wearing wellies inside you somewhere?!
  • I enjoy running in the rain however not so much a strong headwind. I would agree with Warkie, you just go and stick to the plan in my view. I ran 11.5 miles before work this morning and it was a really good workout!
  • mr fmr f ✭✭✭
    Just back from a 6m tempo session, off road, in shorts. Started off raining lightly then lashed it down before turning to driving hail! Awesome. Absolutely awesome.
  • I absolutely love running in the rain. My most enjoyable half-marathon ever was run in teeming rain, splashing through the puddles, rain running down my face and off  my nose, hair and clothes soaked - awesome! Just loved it.

    Where I live there's a saying - "there's no such thing as bad weather, only wrong choice of clothing". Says it all really.

  • ChimneyChimney ✭✭✭
    Where I came at it from is that when I race the weather could be doing anything (Like mis-reading the weather in March and doing a XC race in shorts & a singlet in a blizzard. I was shivering whilst running the whole way round, now that was an experience and one hell of a learning curve!). If I only trained in certain types of weather it could give me a serious downer at a race if the weather wasn't to my liking so I go out whatever.I do of course have favourites. Like running off road in fresh powder. Running through a Beech wood just after a downpour and whilst the back edge of the cloud is still passing. In strong swirling winds combined with rain/hail/snow. The crisp stillness of a frosty morning.

    Writing this I just realised that I’m perhaps not the best person to give you advice. Apparently I enjoy the colder/wetter end of the weatherscale. Odd isn't it that you don't know something about yourself until you start writing a reply to someone else?

    If reality matched intention I'd know I was dreaming
  • The worst bit is actually opening the door and stepping out onto the rain if it's pouring down. I always say to myself that I never yet regretted that I went for a run but I have regretted not going for one so there. All sorted. A bit of rain (and gale force winds and hail stones as recently) will not keep me at home. Having been rained on all this week during my time out I am however promising to have this Saturday off and stay at home as more rain forecast for the weekend.
  • Oh yes, and do think that maybe it rains even more they will lift the hosepipe ban sooner.
  • Just put in a training session yesterday where it started to rain torrentially just as I started (if only I could synchronise other things in my life with the Man up there...). I really wanted to quit, but considering I had my trainer there and only have 4 weeks to recover from a 2 months Achilles injury for my first marathon, that was a no go.

    Result? I felt absolutely elated by the end, having put in a massive session and disregarding the absolutely soaking wet clothes. Basically felt like He Man during the run and loved it.

    As my trainer kept on saying, there is no wrong weather, just wrong gear!
  • compo 1compo 1 ✭✭✭
    nice running in the rain keeps you cool and not to hot
  • TimeaJTimeaJ ✭✭✭
    I have been lucky so far having been able to avoid getting soaked in rain. I did get caught up in a torrential downpour with hail on Sunday afternoon during the last 3k of my run. I had knonw there was a strong chance of this happening, I could literally smell rain in the air, moments before the heavens opened. It felt like a "storm chaser" run.

    I have to say, I found the rain very refreshing, I even stretched out my hands at one point to fully "soak in" the experience. The hail on my face was not too nice but made me run harder, as if fighting the elements.

    Priceless experience! Would I do it again? If I can avoid it, probably not, but if it happens, it will not panic me any more. And sometimes it is just nice to do something completely crazy!
  • Put on a cap.

    You don't feel the rain on your head, the peak keeps the rain off your face.

    Can't feel the rain = no rain

    Easy running - no jacket required
  • Nowt wrong with a bit of rain, after all I've never seen a rusty man.
  • Love running in the rain. only thing I do different is wear a cap. you will be having a shower when youve done so what difference does it make if you get wet. It keeps you cool, I always run a little faster in the rain. Get out there you might enjoy it!
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