Brrrrrrrrrrr!!!!
How many times have you signed up for a race, thrilled about the run ahead, but then cringed at the idea of standing out in the cold prior to the race start time. As you all know most races start between 6am and 8am. Several races start even earlier than that, dipping into the coldest parts of the day. There are, however, a few tricks of the trade that can make it much more bearable the next time you’re out there.
A few days before the race you should head to the nearest thrift store or Good Will location, or just dig through your closet to find old clothing you don’t need anymore. Find yourself a pair of loose sweats and either a long sleeve shirt of sweater. Once race day comes around go ahead and put on your running gear and then cover up with the new sweats and top you just bought/dug up. In the end you will have likely spent under $10 for an extra layer of warmth or nothing at all. In the waning minutes before the start of the race go ahead and disrobe from your outer layer.
Most races will have volunteers who do clothing pick up. The discarded garb will be donating to local charities, effectively putting the clothing back in circulation for those that need it most. Talk about a circle of life, right!? You’ll stay warm at a minimal expense and also give something back to charity.
One more quick suggestion regarding the spare clothing. Usually you’ll find a cluster of port-a-potties near the start line of a race, especially for marathons and half marathons. If you’re either germaphobic or simply not too fond of public restrooms, you can also use that outer layer of soon-to-be discarded clothing as a barrier between touching parts of the portable restroom, such as the door or seat (which frankly isn’t always the cleanest). If the clothing becomes soiled and you don’t feel right donating it to the clothing pick up crew then leave it in the restroom and it will be discarded later.
There you have it. No more cold pre-race waits and no more touching icky port-a-potties. Yeah, some runners might think you’re crazy by assuming you’re running in what you have on. But little do they know you’re breaking a few fashion rules to stay warm before the race.