Train In The Rain!

Bring the spring showers—a heightened dose of nature not only adds to the thrill of your outside play but sharpens your skills too. Such surprising benefi ts plus the latest waterproof pieces will inspire you to get wet while you sweat.

- Sara Angle

If you’ve ever felt the delicious relief of raindrops in the middle of a hot, sticky run, you get a hint of how adding water can transform your usual outing and elevate your senses. Part of choosing the pavement over a treadmill or the bike path instead of Spin class is to get a dose of nature with your workout—and that’s powerful, mood-boosting, stress-soothing stuff. So you really don’t want to skip any opportunities to soak up the scenery—or derail your outdoor training—even if the weather is on the wetter side. All you have to do is open up to the amazing feeling of experiencing nature in its most refreshing form. “When you tell yourself that rain isn’t a big deal, the whole idea of doing wet workouts feels easier and more fun,” explains Kristen Dieffenbach, Ph.D., spokesperson for the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. We’ve got the benefits , how-tos, and gear that you need to amp up for a rainy run, hike, or bike ride so you never need—or want—to miss a chance for some outside play time, rain or, well, rain.

You can go longer and faster