Rainy Race Day Preparation

It's a 5k .... you'll be done in less than a 1/2 hour ......... there is really nothing to it!

Stay as dry as possible up until the start.  Make sure you have dry socks and a change of them when you're done.

Lake Placid last year was rain almost the entire day.  If people can do a 16:59:59 Ironman basically in the rain the whole time (ask KathyG, she was out there for over 16 hours in that mess and she survived), running a 5k in it should be a piece of cake!

Don't worry, you'll be fine and have a great race!!

Bring dry clothes and towel for post-race. Your insoles will be fine. And HTFU.

ETA: Careful on the painted lines on the road, as well as cobblestones. I'm not saying dance around like a nancy or anything, but pay attention. They can get slick. Also, avoid stepping in puddles, if you can--not b/c you'll get wet, but moreso b/c you don't know what's IN there--easy to turn an ankle that way.

As mentioned running in a rainy 5 k shouldn't pose much of an issue.  You may want to take a nice sized garbage bag and make a cheap rain coat out of it for the time your standing around before the start, either wear it for the race or discard it at the start line or place it somewhere you can come back to and dispose of it properly afterwards.

For Tri's I always have a few kitchen garbage bags in my transition bag so I can use them to keep things a little dryer if there's showers race day.

Did 26.2 in custom orthotics at this race and there was no problem. Had done an approx 1.5-hr training run in torrential downpour as well with no issues. They're fine getting wet/soaked, so wear them. I think KathyG had orthotics as well. No issues.

I wouldn't recommend a trash bag. While it is only a 5k, trash bags basically have NO capacity for ventilation. It's REALLY easy to get overheated in them.

For rain, I usually wear a brimmed cap to keep rain out of the face, one or two light shirts with a waterproofed breathable zip jacket over the top. Regular shorts/shoes/socks.

Have some dry stuff available to change into after the race, and dry off/change as SOON as is feasible. The longer you stand around in wet, the colder you will get.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29740783@N07/2781792242/

That's a picture of me in the rain at the rattlesnake triathlon (Aurora, Colorado) last year. I don't bike without socks, that is a pic of me oh so optimistically getting dry socks out of a baggie in T1.

John

Did you miss the part about discarding the bag at the start line ??? 

Did you miss the part about discarding the bag at the start line ???   Staying dry before the start and not getting totally soaked and chilled is the goal if temps are low enough.  Of course it's probably a lot warmer where your at and were looking at 40's and rain this weekend and getting chilled could be a major issue if you were standing out in it for long enough.

Did you miss the part you typed about racing in it?

John 

Embrace the experience and try to enjoy it.  It could make for great storytelling someday.  Definitely avoid the mud puddles, though!

Good luck and have fun!

Thanks for the advice folks.

I'll pack some dry clothes and have fun. Should be fun. I'm looking forward to it honestly. It's my "welcome back from injury" race and I'm stoked to run it.

I was mostly concerned for the orthotics, but seeing as how that's a non-issue, I've made a mountain out of a mole hill. Time to lace up and run.

Bring a visor/hat. Thanks for this tip. I didn't think about it.

Run and have fun. Will do!

Excellent suggestion!

At the 2007 Boston Marathon it rained like a son of a gun and Hefty garbage bags were worth there weight in gold before the race and during the first few miles before things got spread out.  And some folks even ran in them, you tkd don't know how things work in the northern climes and for a 5k how the heck would one overheat in a garbage bag ?

Well, since the OP is from Alabama I don't know why we're worried about northern climes.  And, yes, I can overheat in a plastic bag in a 5k.  

I agree that the bag might be good for before hand but really it will probably be quite pleasant.  Enjoy the race!

Oh, just because I currently live in Az, I don't know cold climes?

My college cross country was at Western State College. 7700 feet elevation on the Western Slope in Colorado, coldest spot in the nation a few times a month during the winter. High school x-c was in Denver.

And while the first few miles of a marathon might be ok, it is very possible to over heat in a 5k while wearing a trash bag. They are great before the start (After your warmup) as you mentioned, but I'd never race a step in one. If I had to race in stuff, I'd race in layers of light clothing that can be peeled as necessary.

John