On Sunday I ran the ING NYC Marathon Tune-up, an 18-mile NYRR race in Central Park. It poured rain the entire time getting to the 7:00 am start, running the race, and getting home afterwards. It was, without question, a very miserable experience.
With a temperature in the 50’s or above, I don’t mind running through the rain, making no attempt to keep dry. I see runners running in plastic jackets and garbage bags but cannot subscribe to that since I feel they will suffer from lack of airflow and will get wet anyway.
However, you really want to stay dry until the race start and also have dry clothes at the finish for the trip home. I duly traveled there with waterproof protection (umbrella included) and a change of clothes in my day-pack. But I missed one detail – I had to put my partly wet outer jacket and very wet umbrella in the pack to check it before the race start. Result: At the end of the race everything in my pack was soaked. Lesson learnt: On a rainy day always include some plastic bags and ties, allowing you to group and separate items of different dryness in your checked bag. (And as I interpret the rules for the NYC Marathon, they must be clear plastic bags.)