Are you obsessed about the weather for the Rock’n’Roll USA marathon and half marathon this weekend? Are you stalking every weather resource you can, to try and figure out what to wear? Do you have two complete outfits set out, ranging from shorts to fleece lined tights?
Well, look no further for information! I got Alex from “The Running Weatherman” to give us his predictions!
The Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Marathon and Half Marathon is this weekend, and I’ve had a number of people asking me about the forecast. The average high for the day is 56 and the average low is 37. The forecast is only a few degrees away from average, with lows expected to be in the upper 30s and highs approaching the 60 degree mark by the afternoon.
Running conditions are looking great. Temperatures will be cool in the low to mid 40s for the majority of the race. Skies will be mostly cloudy to partly sunny as a cold frontal boundary moves through the region. For the most part, this will be a moisture-starved cold front, so precipitation will be very light. There’s a good chance you won’t even see rain.
Winds are the one weather aspect in question, as it may be a little breezy at times out of the west around 10-15 mph. This will be most noticeable at the beginning of the race on the National Mall and across the Memorial Bridge. You may also feel it along the Potomac before hitting Rock Creek Park. After mile 4 on the half marathon you should be good to go. Wind may come in to play later in the marathon beyond mile 20, so keep that in mind and keep a little extra in the tank.
Regardless, 10-15 mph really isn’t that bad. I ran the Marine Corps Marathon the day of Hurricane Sandy and really didn’t notice winds gusting to 20-25 mph while crossing the 14th St. Bridge. I think the pain pretty much outweighed everything else!
As far as what to wear, a long sleeve shirt and tights would be good for the half. You may want to try to go with shorts and a long sleeve for the full marathon, then you could maybe shed the top layer for a t-shirt when it warms up later in the race. Good luck out there and have fun!
There you go, weather predictions from an expert!
(And in case you are wondering, I’m wearing a skirt, compression socks, a short sleeve shirt, arm warmers, and a light windbreaker. I expect the arm warmers to be in the jacket pockets by the end and the jacket to be around my waist, but we’ll see… I also bought a lovely turquoise sweatshirt off the clearance rack at Target to discard at some point.)
Come back tomorrow for information about my Lucky 13 – I Run, You Win Giveaway that will kick off after RNR. I have 13 awesome items and will give one away after each race!!!