"It was mile 19 and 20. I hit the Willis Avenue Bridge in the Bronx. God poured down His wrath on us. I didn¡¯t even care anymore about making it to Central Park before the 5-hour mark. I was happy just slogging along in sneakers that were filling up from the top with water. The road deck was flooded exactly to the height of my sneakers. Then on the metal bridge the lightning and thunder zinged down. Someone yelled 'God is telling us we're all crazy!'
During the 1997 New York City Marathon the rain hammered runners. I was personally looking for Noah to be making rounds. Sandeep Desai had oodles of practice running in the slop. This log entry comes from August 1997 while he trained in Bombay India -- in the monsoon season:
"I guess I spoke too soon when I said the rains were playing truant. Starting Thursday we¡¯ve had the highest rainfall in five years -- 11 inches in 12 hours. There was total chaos in the city with flooding, buildings collapsing and train tracks submerged under 3-4 feet of water.
Another 7 inches on Saturday and Sunday. In short, the city¡¯s infrastructure collapsed. But, I knew I must get the long run in. I started the run at 5:15am before heat set in for the day it was 79 degrees and 101 percent humidity.
I limited myself to an out-and-back course of two miles round trip. There were extremely strong winds on the out part of the course -- towards the end I avoided them by running a new course -- which was uphill!! It was raining heavily and I was running around in soggy shoes.
During the 9th and 10th mile I had a narrow escape. A scooter drove head on into me -- I escaped with a bruised shoulder and twisted my eyeglasses. Of course there was an unpleasant exchange of words and only later did I realize the guy was driving on the wrong side of the road! Ten minutes later I ran into a pot hole, which I could not see due to the ruined glasses and there was a lot of water in the road. Again escaped unhurt.
The only thing that kept me going was the thought of telling you that I could not finish. My left knee hurt around 19 -20 miles especially downhill. I had to stop and run up hill to avoid the pain. In fact my entire body was hurting from the waist down. Somehow I lost concentration after the accidents and am not sure if I ran 20 or 22 miles.... In retrospect I think I was very lucky."
Ah, but the New York area is not without wind and rain of its own. A 1996 nor¡¯easter slammed the New York City area in prime long run time -- two weeks before the Marathon. Some 86 faithful would-be marathoners trounced through 20 miles of Westchester¡¯s Croton Aqueduct mud within yards of a vomiting Hudson River. The county required Federal Aid to get back on its feet -- the runners did not. Needless to say, 20 miles of those conditions and the real New York City Marathon seemed a jog in the park.
There¡¯s really not much to daily training in the rain. Just get out the door. You can last through most anything for 30 to 40 minutes. Just make up your mind and put one foot in front of the other until you are done. Here¡¯s a quick tips list:
Skip the dryer. Artificial heat sources contribute to the breakdown of high-tech shoe rubbers and glues. If you are expecting Monsoon season or the like of it -- use the Bombay alternative and buy a second or third pair of shoes.
Be seen. Wear a reflective vest, patches, or other bright-colored clothing. A glimpse of the reflective glow may be the only warning a motorist has to your presence. Battery-powered portable mini strobe lights also alert drivers.
Staying dry is usually hopeless. Staying warm isn¡¯t. Make it your business to avoid hypothermia.
Don¡¯t wear cotton t-shirts in the rain. Many a novice marathoner can been seen struggling under the weight of a drenched, stretched cotton t-shirt weighing the equivalent of a choir robe. These tops cling, rub and weigh a gazillion pounds. Choose wicking Cool-Max tops instead. They're a little softer and don¡¯t hoard rain drops.
If you¡¯re really in doubt about whether to wear a jacket or not, try one of those nifty jackets that folds up into its own pocket and converts to a waist packet. Better than the novice jacket- tied- around-the waist look, and much better than getting the chills.
Most wet cotton socks are blister instigators. They bunch, wrinkle, crease and give your toes a wedgie. Pick an acrylic or polypropylene blend. Record in your log which socks are successful so on marathon day there won¡¯t be any doubts.
Afford yourself little luxuries. A cap with some type of beak keeps the worst of the spritz off your face. Although it would probably fail in a mascara test.
Be extra careful around car traffic. Although the impulse is to rush the crosswalk, wait for the signal. Cars and drivers have a lot less control on wet roads.
Dry your shoes by removing the innards and stuffing the body with newspapers to wick the moisture out of your gear. Don¡¯t put them on a radiator or in the oven. This was a favorite trick of my Mom¡¯s. There¡¯s nothing quite as memorable as the aroma of smoldering rubber oozing from a forgotten pair of shoes inside a heating oven.
Keep those gorgeous runner¡¯s legs warm too! Tights usually do the trick. Heavy rain requires water-repellent pants. You¡¯ll be warm, but the fabric swish swish sound of the legs rubbing together may drive you a little buggy.
Save the Gortex clothing for cold, wet weather. It's too warm for non-winter wear. Water and wind-repellent clothing suffice most the rest of the year.
Cold Rain: If you are going for a fast time -- forget the jacket. It interferes with running efficiency. Opt for something like a light wicking top or vest. Don¡¯t worry about getting cold. In a short fast race, your body creates lots of warmth. Maybe that¡¯s why they call it the heat of competition. Lightweight gloves and a cotton biker's hat keep you surprisingly warm.
Warming Up: You¡¯ll probably be tempted to skip this little item. Who wants to start a race dripping wet? But get your priorities straight. This is race day. You are there to race and race well. Forget about your comfy couch. Do what works and stick to your tried-and-true routine. Thoroughly warm up to prepare muscles, prevent injury and improve performance.
Waterproof Your Splits: If you intend on carrying your intermediate time goals on an index card or something -- the ink may run faster than you. Some inks hold up better in the rain. Tattoed splits are a little extreme but experiment with non-toxic markers. If the race is important -- experiment in the shower.
Avoid The Puddles and keep your feet dry. Those nifty fruit and vegetable plastic bags from the grocery store work well inside your shoes. They also work well on the outside -- pre-race. This can be crucial before rainy New York City Marathons as the waiting area can get very muddy. Watch out for slipping and take the bags off before the race.
Longer Runs In the Rain - Runs of more than one hour: ºø¼Ó¿¡¼ º¸´Ù ¿À·£ ´Þ¸®±â - ÇÑ(1) ½Ã°£ÀÌ»ó ´Þ¸®±â
Sure, rubbing clothes and blisters can be annoying any time but they are really exacerbated by the rain. Apply a little petroleum jelly or other non-water soluble body lubricants to tender spots. Don¡¯t know where the tender spots are? Wait until you step into a hot shower after a long run -- you¡¯ll know instantly where you're missing skin.
Generally good spots to coat lightly are under bra and jock straps, between thighs, under arms, nipples and don¡¯t forget the feet. It¡¯ll only take jock straps few trial and error runs to identify clothing that rubs you the wrong way.
It looks like shipwrecking weather as I write this web page but I ran anyway. A little field work in the wind and rain didn¡¯t provide any great flashes of insight. Inside my jacket and under my hat I was somewhat dry. It got kinda nice out there. But, nice wears off and cold and wet wear on you. Then its not nice, not fun and a little risky.
The big health problem with running in the rain, especially cold rain and especially especially cold windy rain -- is hypothermia -- a lowering of our body¡¯s temperature. Once the body temp falls below 95 F, mental function is impaired and blood pressure falls. Below 91.4 degrees limbs become rigid and immobile, followed by unconsciousness.
The risks of hypothermia greatly increase with the presence of wet clothing and wind. Usually, the body¡¯s heat production increases some 24-fold with running. Sometimes its just not enough to offset the body heat losses to a wet, cold environment. This isn¡¯t a big problem when racing as the high effort level generates lots of warmth. But, a loweffort, endurance event like a long run doesn¡¯t create as much heat and may not offset the environmental losses.
Your body compensates with a little involuntary exercise -- shivering. If running isn¡¯t creating enough heat, neither will shivering. When the quivers strike, call it a day and hit the hot showers.
Run the first half of the workout running against the wind and the second half with a warming tailwind that wraps body heat around you like a blanket.
Wear a hat and gloves.
Wind-chill is a factor in all seasons. Wear a nylon windbreaker type-shell or other jacket to keep the wind out and your body heat in. A vented, breathable jacket is the most comfortable.
Listen for the warning sound of approaching cars spewing mud and hurry up onto the curb to avoid an icy mud bath.
If convenient, try changing into dry clothes a few times during a run.
Run a loop course if conditions are bad. Better not to be far from home. Just in case, carry enough money for a cab ride, phone call or emergency hot chocolate.
So you¡¯ve got The Big Race approaching. First, it's weeks away then WHAM it¡¯s this weekend! You're listening to every available weather forecast until finding one you want to believe (a.k.a. a mix of sun and low clouds, 50 F). Its a marathoner¡¯s knee-jerk to check upcoming conditions and plot long runs, races and workouts in the most agreeable weather.
Recently my training partner Philippa received a Mother¡¯s Day card from her son Jack - 5 years old. Inside were illustrations of a few of her favorite things. For food, there was chocolate, and for hobbies there were running shoes and for her favorite television show, he carefully crayoned in The Weather Channel.
What does the weather forecast really mean? What¡¯s the difference between a storm warning and an a storm watch? Hey, we only wanna know -- if it's really gonna rain? Here¡¯s a few terms to help you sort out the spring showers from the Thunder Rumblers. More information is available at ¢Ñwww.weather.com.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning -- A severe thunderstorm has actually been observed by spotters or indicated on radar and is occurring or imminent in the warning area. By the way, Severe Thunderstorms are those that produce hail 3/4" in diameter or larger, wind gusts 58 miles per hour or greater and/or tornados. This is not running weather, folks.
Thunderstorms always bristle with lightning although you may not see the flashes. Weather Channel Meteorologist Stu Ostro warns that you should "Equate thunder with lightning." If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to get a zapping. Even without thunder you can literally be struck by lightning out of the blue.
Remember thunder and lightning as a kid? We counted aloud after each flash -- one one thousand -- two one thousand -- three one thousand -- then KABOOM! When the thunder slammed our ears we¡¯d stop counting and figure out how far away the lightning hit. The system still works. To determine the distance count the seconds between the flash and thunder and divide by five. So, if you see the flash and count to 10 seconds before you hear the rumble, the lightning struck about two miles away.
Lightning hits the earth more often than a marathoner¡¯s shoes. It strikes an estimated 100 times per second, averaging 8.6 million times per day. According to the meteorologists -- the United State¡¯s share is 20 million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes per year and up to 100,000 per thunderstorm. Do your part to keep the national lightning cloud-to-ground numbers up -- stay out of the way.
So you go running anyway -- how do you spot imminent danger? Besides thunder be aware of darkening clouds or sudden wind shifts. They can mean trouble with a capital T.
You are definitely in trouble running in a storm when you feel your hair stand on end -- the long-haired and folically-challenged will have to visualize this phenomenon. This sensation is electrical charges crawling up your body from the ground toward an electrically-charged cloud.
Drop into a tuck position immediately. Now wouldn¡¯t this be a sight in the marathon? Well, it¡¯s better than teasing a lightning spark that can reach over 5 miles with a temperature of 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit AND contain more than 100 million electrical volts. So if you¡¯re playing hide and seek with lightning, make sure you have the proper tuck position. Squat low to the ground. Place your hands on your knees with your head tucked between them. Minimize contact with the ground to minimize injury. In other words -- don¡¯t lie flat and expose your whole back side as a lightning target.
Lightning goes to the best conductor, not the tallest object. Unfortunately, sometimes the best conductor is a runner.
Stay away from large bodies of water and metal. This includes the New York City Reservoir Running Track in Central Park with its metal chain link fence.
Stay away from trees. Do not seek shelter under a tree.
Seek shelter in a building, preferably one with a treadmill.
By the way, its okay to help someone who has been hit by lightning. Once it has struck -- it's gone. Although lightning is electrical its not like a house current. The victim is not electrically charged and cannot hurt you.
Avoid downed power lines.
Don¡¯t make yourself a victim to lightning. Disaster Services for the American Red Cross warns -- "Most if not all the deaths from lightning could be prevented. The single most important thing to remember is to seek shelter indoors during a lightning storm."
In the words of the great Emil Zatopek, "There is a great advantage in training under unfavorable conditions. It is better to train under bad conditions, for the difference is than a tremendous relief in a race."
In the end, training is only a dress rehearsal for the marathon to come. The more disastrous the weather, the more heroic your training journal entry. So, whether it is a daily training run or a 20-miler in a downpour . . . be safe, be smart, keep the pace . . . and the faith.
SHELLY GLOVER has a master's degree in exercise physiology from Columbia University. She co-authored The Runner's Handbook and The Competitive Runner¡¯s Handbook [both available in the online bookstore] and is a veteran road runner and marathoner. She also coaches Mercury Masters and The Greater New York Racing Team. Shelly-lynn can be reached with specific questions by e-mail.
Nor'easter: Here's my layman's try at a Nor'easter definition. Similar to a hurricane a nor'easter is counter-clock wise turning cyclone (a storm system circulating around a center). Nor'easters are spawned by a very curvy Jet Stream that dips far south allowing cold arctic air to meet warm air. The warm air rises over the cold, creating instability up high and an area of low pressure below. Larger temperature differences create greater turbulence. Once the system is formed, the earths rotation causes the air to circle around the center (similar to when you drain the water out of your bath-tub). This creates the northeast wind, hence it's name nor'easter.
1)The classic musical "The Music Man" ³»¿ë Áß¿¡¼
'There¡¯s trouble. Right here in River City. Trouble. With a capital T, and that rhymes with P and that stands for Pool!'
(sings)
Well if so my friends,
you got TROUBLE, right here in New York City
With a capital T and that rhymes with D and that stands for DULL
We surely got trouble, right here in New York City
Remember Name, Hello Dolly, and Cauge Falles
Oh we got trouble, we're in terrible terrible trouble
cuz Broadway looks like it's heading for an artistic lull
We surely got trouble, trouble, trouble
(oh, yes we got trouble here, we got big big trouble)
With a T (with a capital T)
Gotta rhyme with D (that rhymes with D)
And that stands for DULL (that stands for dull!)