Forums >Running 101>Sunday's Marathon
I am running this Sunday's marathon here in Toronto and was wondering given the very cold temperatures how should I dress. The temperature at the start will be about -1C or 30F. The high reached later in the afternoon after I have finished will only be 7C or 44F. I usually wear a singlet and shorts for races but thinking track pants and a long sleeve dry fit shirt. I bought a cheap pair of gloves and a toque this week that I can toss any time during the race. Thanks for your help.
Dress so you are cold and shivering at the start, if you are semi comfortable, you'll be too hot about 6 miles in. In this southern boy's opinion pants are almost never needed unless the temps are below 20 F, or raining at around 30F, you may have a higher cold tolerance. A throwaway long sleeve cotton shirt over your long sleeve tech shirt may be a good idea too. I'd carry gloves and protection for ears if its windy.
How quickly can you get to your drop bag after the race, if more than 10 minutes, you may get hypothermic once you stop running, plan accordingly.
I'm planning on running a race on Sunday in similar conditions, but only doing a half marathon. The time from loading into the corral and waiting around for the race to actually start is going to be pretty long, so I plan to have on a few layers.
During the race I plan to wear a short sleeve tech shirt, knee length tights, compression sleeves for my lower legs, running socks, shoes, headband that covers my ears, and gloves. When I start the race I'll have all that on, plus I will have on a pair of home-made throw away arm warmers (made from an old pair of knee-hi wool socks with the toes cut out), a throw away hat, an over-sized pair of throw away sweat pants that are cut off at the knees (easier to remove over the shoes), a throw away jacket , a throw away scarf that covers my neck and a second pair of throw away gloves. I plan to peel and discard layers as I warm up while running. I may even take a throw away blanket with me to the starting corral and fling that off at the very start. I think I would rather have all the extra stuff and not need it rather than not having the stuff and really needing it.
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Individuals runners vary in how they handle temperature. You will likely get some people advising you to dress exactly how they do, which is probably what works for each of them, but may not be what works for you. So I think you will need to guess & extrapolate based on how you handle temperature. Best of luck!
PS: As mentioned above, adjustable stuff (a jacket you can tie around your waist), or discardable stuff (a throwaway top, or a plastic cover), are useful for being able to change your covering as you warm up.
It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.
Good luck!
I will be very slowly doing the half. I am not a "racer" but I find I do better cold than hot so I tend to under-dress knowing that by 2 or 3 km in I'll be happy. What are you wearing on your runs now? I know it's a little warmer but if you're out in the early mornings it's gotta be at least close temperature wise.
First or last...it's the same finish line
HF #4362
Half Fanatic 12680
I like to use this "What to Wear" web site from Runner's World: http://www.runnersworld.com/what-to-wear?gender=m&temp=30&conditions=pc&wind=lw&time=day&intensity=r&feel=ib
According to that, you should be wearing shorts and a long-sleeved tech shirt. Gloves and a hat are always a good idea since they can be taken off if necessary. The site allows you to change some of the parameters according to the amount of sun and wind that is predicted and according to your own preferences (if you like to be warm, cool or in-between). I've found their recommendations to be generally accurate.
Plenty good advice already offered...only thing I'd add is I'd do your best not to wear anything new on race day. If you haven't done a long run in the gear you plan to race in I'd really try to avoid it. Nothing is more fun than getting eight to ten miles in and realizing something rubs funny, rides up, keeps coming undone or slips, etc. I wore a pair of compression sleeves once without testing them first only to find they slipped down after a mile. Fortunately after one good yank back up, they stayed in place but it would have been a real drag to do that every mile for 26 miles.
Thanks everyone. Checked the updated forecast tonight and the temps have dropped further. -3C (25F) Sunday morning with a daytime high of 6C (42F) with snow flurries.
an amazing likeness
For racing beyond the 5k or 10K in those mid-level 'brisk' (30-40F) temps...I wear pants (lightweight, such as Sporthill, not wind pants), and two layers on top with the outer layer being something I can zip up and down to adjust as needed. While I could do it in shorts with no real discomfort, I find the legs being cold has an impact on endurance. I also wear a lightweight smartwool hat which I take off, put back on as needed to control my temp
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
not bad for mile 25
When it's below 40F I wear lightweight stretch tights, long sleeve tech shirt with a comfy short sleeve tech shirt as an undershirt, headband to keep the ears warm, and cheap jersey gloves. Throwaway sweats for before the race for sure.
p.s. Sounds like ideal racing weather. Good luck!
Consistently Slow
+1
Run until the trail runs out.
SCHEDULE 2016--
The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff
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Reading this forum gave me information that I need for my coming marathon event. Preparation is important in every event that I joined and it pays to know the weather and location of the event. I am now on my half marathon training and I hope I can complete my run safely.
training for half marathon beginner