I’m deciding whether or not to embark on a trip this weekend which will involve 2-3 hours of running. The expected temperature is 40-45F and 90% humidity. I wouldn’t run in weather that’s both hot and humid but what is it like when it’s cold and humid?
You could say: “Try it”, yes, but I’d like to know whether or not to jump into the trip at all.
Have you ever gone running in those sorts of temperatures, when it’s misty or foggy? Those are the sorts of weather conditions that’ll lead to high relative humidity at that sort of temperature, and so, that’s what it’s likely to feel like.
Despite the high relative humidity, the atmosphere is actually holding a lot less water vapor, in the absolute, than it is on a humid day when the temperature is in the 70s or 80s. This is because, the warmer air becomes, the more water vaport it can hold, and “relative humidity” is a measure of what percentage of the atmosphere’s current capacity for water vapor (at the current air temperature) it’s currently holding.
IME, it’s the dewpoint, not the relative humidity, that has the biggest bearing on how much I feel the humidity when I run. A dewpoint of about 40F (which is what you’re describing) is a lot more tolerable, to me, than a dewpoint of 60F.
So I’d be running in cool fog? That sounds fun.
Might not be foggy, per se (if there’s fog at ground level, the relative humidity is probably at or very close to 100%), but yeah, that’s the general idea.
I’ll note that one of my best runs, ever (as far as official races go) was a 10K in my hometown (Green Bay, WI) a few years ago. The Bellin Run is held in early June, and in the past few years, they’ve had some very hot conditions for it.
But, the year I ran it (2014 or so), the temperature was around 50 degrees – it was overcast, with a little mist in the air; I’d guess that the relative humidity was over 80% that morning.
Even with the humidity, it was still nearly-perfect running conditions (for me, at least); I had been planning on running a 9:30 pace, but I was consistently, and comfortably, hitting 8:30 miles. I broke my PR at that distance by nearly 10 minutes.
How cold? How humid?
I’ve run/raced in rain, I’ve run/raced in snow. If you’re dressed appropriately it can be fun but if you’re not dressed right it can be miserable. I have rain gear but if it’s too warm you’ll end up wetter on the inside (sweat) than the outside.
Depending upon where you are & how cold it is you may want to tweak your attire, ie. non-cotton gloves.
Thanks for the info, kenobi.
I’m about to go running soon and I’m definitely not worried about it getting too stuffy.
Actually is foggy so I guess I have to go even if it’s 5 Celsius, 100% humidity with 0.4km visibility.
If I don’t post back, you know a grue got me.
Sounds like typical weather for the Houston Marathon.
Fpr those in shape with no health issues (like asthma exacerbated by cold temps), those conditions should (in general) not be a problem.
I don’t like running when it’s below 50F (and prefer much warmer temps), but that’s a personal preference.
That’s not so bad. Probably too late, but hi-viz top & blinky lights if you’re going to be on open roads to make yourself more visible.