The Boston marathon this year is supposed to be rainy, windy, and cold. Awesome, it’s just like running in Seattle… The last two Boston marathons that I have run in have been warm. So this change should definitely be interesting. I have probably run in every type of weather throughout my marathon training and running years. When I ran Grandma’s marathon in Minnesota during 2015, it dumped buckets of rain on us before we even started. My shoes were soaked and my teeth were chattering. All of the runners stood really close to each other just to feel body heat until we started. So as I think about flying out to Boston on Saturday, I am really concentrating on what to pack. So here’s a few tips that I have learned from past marathon weather conditions.
Always bring an extra pair of running shoes and socks. Shoes that you are just going to leave at the athletes village or the start line. These shoes are the ones that you are going to wear while you are waiting to start because they are going to get soaked and the shoes that you want to run the marathon with are in your bag waiting for you to put on at the very last minute. Because believe me, you do not want wet shoes and socks before you even start the marathon. Can anyone say ouch in the way of blisters? And squishy….
Layers, layers, layers. With the rain and low temperatures you are going to want to dress in layers and start peeling off those layers as you get close to starting or throughout the course. These are clothes/layers that you don’t care about giving up. Because as you peel them off they will be left there and gathered to be donated to charity. And speaking of layers bring a throwaway pair of gloves. My hands are always so cold before I start running but once I start running my body heats up and it’s nice to toss whatever I don’t need. Do you have an extra heat/space blanket from a previous marathon? If you don’t mind giving it up then it can be a great tool to use before you start to warm your body or sit on at athletes village. Do you own a pair of arm sleeves? I find that these are great for your arms when you like to run in singlets but want to still stay warm. Do you own a pair of compression sleeves? I personally like to wear these on my legs. When I wear my compression sleeves on my legs they seem to recover faster and I get less muscle cramps. They are also another way to keep your legs warm if you prefer to run in shorts.
Wearing a hat or visor is also a great way to keep your head warm. A visor will help to stop rain and sweat from pouring into your eyes.
Bring a couple of garbage bags. Cut one circle at top for your head and two circles on the side for your arms. And poof you have yourself a waterproof coat. These bags are essential to put over your clothing before you start to keep you warm and dry. They take up zero space and you can just easily tear them off before you start.
And one last tip that I can provide, if you’re checking luggage pack your race day essentials in your carry-on. Last thing you want to have happen is your bag get lost and you don’t have any of your gear to run a marathon in. It doesn’t happen very often but you never know when it will and that’s the last thing you want to have to worry about before running 26.2 miles!
Here’s to a wonderful and soggy Boston 2018! Cheers!! And good luck to all the runners out there!!!