Along with the frozen-lung query, one of the other most common weather-related questions I hear is, “What do you do when it rains?” The answer: Get wet. What I mean, without being too much of a martyr about it, is that part of being a runner is coping with the hand that Mother Nature deals. Again, most people in our society have lost their connection to the outdoors. The only running in the rain they can imagine is from their office building to the car so that they don’t get wet.
But what do you do after a run? You get in the shower; you get wet. Why is so horrible to get wet during your run? Unless the rain is cold, running in the rain can be incredibly enjoyable. Think about when you were a kid and how you splashed in puddles or how good it felt to be in the rain in the middle of summer.
Of course, running in the rain isn’t always ideal. As I said, a cold rain is not that fun. You have to be extra careful, especially if you’re running near a lot of traffic. Cars aren’t going to be able to see you as well. But most times, putting on the right gear and a baseball or painter’s cap is the only added step you need to take to have a great run. When you get home, just be sure to change into dry clothes as soon as possible. Notice how I keep mentioning cold rain? I’m not going to tell you that being a runner means you stick to your planned run no matter what the conditions. Freezing rain, sleet, hail—when the weather is that bad, it’s usually time to reconsider. Shorten your run, sticking close to home so that you can end the run quickly if conditions deteriorate. Or, if the nasty stuff is only going to be around for a day, don’t feel guilty about taking the day off. You can get battered around if you always try to run in those conditions. I once had to take cover while running during a major hail storm in Arizona. The only other weather I really fear is lightning. I just don’t go out when it’s striking.
Fortunately, you can usually wait for it to pass and get in a nice post-storm run.
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