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Funny, this Californian ran a half marathon in northern norway rain (during the summer, though, so it was about 45f). I inadvertently tested this plastic bag theory. My luggage had been lost by the airlines, so I didn't have my rain shell, just the most basic running clothes that I wisely chose to put in my carryon. I ended up running the race in t-shirt and shorts covered by a free plastic poncho handed out by a restaurant. I quickly saturated my clothes from a combination of sweat and rain getting in, but it functioned like a wet suit in that it prevented the fresh rain and wind from cooling me evaporatively, while my body kept my wet clothes warm. While it was a bit stuffy, I was afraid I'd get cold very quickly in the wind and rain if I took it off (which I did in the last few miles, and yes, it got cold quickly). As soon as I stopped running, even with a space blanket, even going indoors, my temperature plummeted EXTREMELY rapidly. At 45f in the dry I'd typically use long sleeves (and I repeated this experiment this past weekend in Napa) although, again, it's really just to keep you warm while you wait to start; once you're running, it's no problem to get by with only short sleeves and shorts. |