I like running. Sometimes I don’t much like the weather conditions I run in. This is a list of those conditions, ranked from “pretty good” to “please make it stop.”
The original list is here: Bad running weather: the list (July 13, 2011)
The first update to the list is here: Bad weather running: the list (updated) (July 10, 2012)
15. Overcast and light breeze. This is actually ideal conditions. It is usually never too cold or warm when the weather is like this.
14. Moderate wind. Moderate wind is fine. I have a cap that stays in place now.
13. Warm sun. Warm is no big thing. I’m talking about 20ºC or thereabouts.
12. Light rain. You might think light rain would be nice but it really isn’t. You still get soaked and in the summer there’s no real way to dress for it. And it still feels cold(ish), even in mid-July.
11. Snow. I’ve only run once in light snow and it was fun. I’m thinking a foot of snow would probably be less so.
10. Cold rain. Cold rain means cold hands and if you wear gloves they need to be waterproof. Cold rain is never fun. Plus my nipples are weirdly sensitive to the cold now and cold rain is like torturing them. Poor little nipples. 🙁
9. Hard rain. This is really just light rain but cutting to the chase. It also has the potential to wreak havoc with any non-waterproof items you may be carrying and it’s hard to see if you wear glasses. I wear glasses.
8. Extreme cold. I’ve run in sub-freezing conditions and been fine. I’m thinking Arctic tundra-type cold here.
7. Heavy wind. The resistance means you work a lot harder to achieve the same result and my cap has to be on tight enough to cut off circulation so it doesn’t fly away.
6. Hot sun. My body feels like a furnace and I’m left parched as all get-out. Dry mouth and lips are yucky. By hot I mean high 20s and low 30s. Bonus if it’s also really humid so it feels like there is also no breathable air.
5. Hard rain and heavy wind. Likeliest weather to make me wonder to myself, ‘What was I thinking?’ when running.
4. Hot sun and heavy wind. Or “What would it be like to do a run on a windy day in the Sahara?” Heat dries you out, the wind makes it harder to run and dries you out even more. Bleah. This combination is, however, very rare.
3. Hail. Getting pelted by little ice rocks is unpleasant. I’ve been caught in hail twice and did not like it either time. Hail has moved from #7 to #2 on the list as a result.
2. NEW Cyclists. I have grown to loathe anyone on a bicycle, especially since the area where I run most frequently–Burnaby Lake–forbids bicycles, but cyclists show up anyway, sometimes in packs. They tend to be either little kids who will wobble suddenly and unpredictably in front of you, or jerks who power through as fast as they can pedal, oblivious to the presence or safety of others.
And the worst weather to run in is:
1. Dogs. Still #1. See here. I’ve had a dog knock me down while running. The weather has never done this.