Benefits of Running in the Rain
Posted on May 30, 2009 under Random | 11 Comments
Running in the Rain
I just got back from a run this morning and I’m hoping this will be my first post right after a run. I’ve always been a fan of running in the rain and feel that there are many positive benefits for many reasons. Now don’t get me wrong, it is never safe to be running in the rain when it is pouring outside. Even though today was just drizzling, my New Balance 768’s weren’t gripping to the road as well as I would have wanted them to. In fact, there were sharp turns on the road where I felt like I was going to slip a little. So you definitely need running shoes that will be able to grip the slippery roads. And you need to know when it is raining too hard to run because running with soaked clothes and shoes is just like running with added weights. But other than that, I think that the benefits of running in the run outweigh the disadvantages.
Why you should run in the rain:
- You Run Faster – Seriously, I almost always run faster when it’s raining, probably because I’m more focused on the rain than how tired I am.
- You Won’t Get Heat Exhaustion – It is way harder to run in the heat than during cooler temperatures and the rain will help you keep cool too.
- The Sun Won’t Bother You – Hasn’t there been more than one occasion where you finish your run to find awkward looking tan lines around your ankles, arms, neck, etc?
- It’s Refreshing – Unless you live in an area where it rains all the time, rain won’t happen too often. So when it does, take advantage of the change in weather.
- It’s Fun – Don’t we all wish we could go back to when we were kids and would run and jump in puddles like there was no tomorrow?
I thought I had more reasons than this, but that’s still more than enough for me I think I like running in the rain almost as much as I like running in the dark, which I’ll talk about next time.
May 31st, 2009 at 1:01 AM
I think it makes a big difference if it’s a light or heavy rain. I love drizzle and even mild showers, but I run for cover when it’s a thunderstorm or spitting hail, which it’s done in Coronado on a long run more than once.
May 31st, 2009 at 12:40 PM
I love running in the rain as long as it isn’t cold out. There really is something refreshing about it.
June 1st, 2009 at 12:59 PM
i’d love to run in the rain right now. soo hot. well, not pouring rain, but a medium or light rain would be alright. unfortunately when it rains it brings thunder and lightning and that’s not quite a risk i want to take 🙂
June 2nd, 2009 at 9:37 PM
My high school cross country coach used to tell us, “Runner’s don’t get rained out, they get rained on.” I’ve quoted that to people probably over 1,000 times in my lifetime…man, that’s a lot of rainy days.
June 5th, 2009 at 2:00 AM
@Anne I don’t know about Coronado, but I was going to say that it’s fortunate I’m in SD since it doesn’t rain that often. And when it does, it’s usually not that bad or lasts very long (compared to people outside SD).
@diana Weather seems to be at extremes for people lately. Either really hot and humid or raining too hard to even step outside. Hopefully it’ll stay somewhere in between for everybody 🙂
@lindsay The weather does seem to be a lot worse for people on the Eastcoast. Hope things turn up for the better! Or you could use your treadmill, even though you haven’t for 14 days!! 🙂
@Chris Barber That’s a good quote, definitely going to tell people that if they ever complain about a little rain, lol.
June 6th, 2009 at 11:50 PM
I always feel so hardcore when I run in the rain. Certainly not something I want to do very often, but it’s good from tiem to time.
June 8th, 2009 at 5:15 PM
@X-country2 One thing I didn’t mention because I thought it was pretty silly is that after you finish running in the rain, (because your body is so hot) steam is literally coming out of your hair/head. So it looks like you’re on fire! I always thought that was cool.
July 7th, 2009 at 5:30 AM
The best is when it is hot and not raining at the start of a run, but in the middle you get hit with some refreshing rain. That is paradise. When I wish it was raining on hot days, I will purposely run through neighborhoods where a lot of sprinklers will be on so I can run through them.
July 31st, 2009 at 12:27 AM
I love running in the rain. My favourite reason is that it makes me feel like a superman and gives me mental toughness. The result is that if it’s raining on a race day it gives me an edge over all the people who are cursing the rain and feeling negative.
In Sweden they have two sayings – “There’s no bad weather, only bad clothing” and “Rain is just liquid sunshine”.
October 26th, 2009 at 10:18 PM
I really like the recovery timer on the Ironman Road Trainer heart rate monitor, especially for interval workouts it lets me know when I have recovered sufficiently to go again