Scientifics

To Run Or Not To Run?
Maya Winters

A discussion of the doubtlessly ancient dilemma of what to do if it’s raining – does running really keep you drier overall?

Before I start this article fully, I’d like to point out that I am not going to give you a definitive answer to this question because there still seems to be a large amount of doubt around regarding the answer to this dilemma. Therefore, I will examine - to the best of my ability - some of the arguments I have found during my research and hopefully leave you feeling less clueless or at the very least more informed on the topic.

First I wish to mention the most important factors here: obviously the main issue is how many raindrops hit you at each of the 2 paces, another is the amount of time you spend in the rain and, perhaps most importantly of all, how hard it’s raining.

Theory 1 – Running keeps you drier
Apparently, an amazingly high-class, reliable and serious experiment has been carried out as follows:
- Have a person with two pieces of cardboard (one above their head and another in front of them)
- Get this person to walk in the rain for a certain amount of time (and then repeat this with new pieces of board, but with the person running)
- Now count how many dots there are on the pieces of cardboard and use to suggest the following theory

(N.B. I recommend that you should only attempt this experiment when you at least hold a good degree in Raindrop Counting. Otherwise the complexity of it may be too complex for you to carry out and indeed, probably too dangerous.)

This first theory claims that when you are running, more raindrops hit you from the front but, because you are moving faster, less hit the top of your head. This experiment showed that these two effects cancel out and thus, the same amount of rain hits you whether you run or walk, assuming the amount of time you spend in the rain is the same both times (which of course it isn’t). So in fact overall, this reasoning suggests that running, because it will get you undercover quicker, will actually keep you drier.

Theory 2 – You get just as wet running as walking
Ok, this suggestion is a little more difficult to word in a manner that’s easy to understand, I’ve confused myself a zillion times trying to write it, so I’m just going to cover the main idea. If in doubt though, just look at the pictures, hopefully they’ll help!

This theory agrees that when running, you get more raindrops hitting your front (the vertical piece of cardboard), however it argues that the top of your head get hit by exactly the same amount of drops when running as when walking. It says this on the basis that the area of your head and shoulders remains the same and the amount of rain falling on a specific area remains constant

This is very different to the last theory, seeming to suggest so far that you actually get wetter if you run. However, if you take into account the effect of the amount of time spent in the rain, according to mathematical models, this cancels out the effect of the greater number of raindrops. To put it simply, it makes no difference whatsoever if you walk or run so you might as well save your energy. This is apparently only based on mathematical models though; reality could be different if other factors also influence the result.

Theory 3 – Walking keeps you driest

This final theory I am going to cover says that the amount of raindrops landing on the top of your head is proportional to the time you spend in the rain (not dependant on the speed you move at). The amount of raindrops landing on the rest of you is assumed to be the same at any speed because you are moving through the same volume of space between the two places.

This theory takes into account the effect of the amount of rain falling. When running obviously the wetting happens over a shorter period of time, so the natural drying routine (via evaporation) has less time to work than when walking. This means that for light drizzle it is probably driest if you walk and also seems to argue that walking when it’s pouring is also a better idea.

So where does this leave us? Confused?

Quite possibly, so quickly I’m going to try to add some of my own thoughts that cropped up during my research. The only clear thing from the research is that no one really seems to be completely sure which is better – walking or running. However, the arguments I’ve covered do bring up the most important issues involved in the problem as well as some interesting ideas. Here are my suggestions for the course of action to take in various circumstances:

In light rain:
Personally, I think that in light rain, the best plan is always to walk (except for long journeys – see below). You avoid exhausting yourself for no reason and you do seem to end up drier.

Long journeys in light rain should be avoided at all costs. Last November I spent forty minutes walking home in what was, for the whole journey, merely a light drizzle. When I arrived home I was soaked through, not a pretty sight and in a terrible mood. Admittedly remembering that I actually had an umbrella in my bag might have helped matters a little bit, but still, not nice. Thus, although I think walking is better than running (running nearly 2 miles?!) the best plan is most definitely to either stay put till it clears up, beg someone to come and pick you up, or, worst case scenario, get a bus (and hope the bus stop is undercover!*).

In pouring rain:
No matter how long you spend in heavy rain you are unlikely to enjoy it, unless it happens to have been terribly hot recently, you have wellingtons and a coat, or of course you’re just one of those strange people who love storms!

Again I’d advise simply not going anywhere by foot, especially not for a long distance. Life, though, is rarely fair, and it will of course always start pouring just after you’ve left a building without taking a coat or an umbrella. In these situations I don’t think it really matters whether you walk or you run. Walking might make you wetter or running might, but what really matters here is how you feel. Psychologically you’re likely to feel drier if you sprint (or perhaps just jog) at least the last little bit to the door if not for the whole trip! Although heavy rain doesn’t actually hurt you, you often tend to feel fairly harassed by it so the less time you spend out in it, the better you’ll feel.

* Probability of stop being undercover < 0.1% (see “Sod’s Law”)

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Notes The Alte Sententiam is Ravenclaw's running newspaper. Alte Sententiam means 'Higher Thoughts' and its current co-editors-in-chief are Chloe Fairchilde and Cassandra Lobiesk. Articles Malicious Spoilerism Dark Wizards Can't Swim Luna's Expeditions Scientifics To Run or Not to Run Alchemy and Harry Potter Past that Created the Present Not a Sue Reviews Wicked: Wickedly Popular! Puzzles Broomsticks Incantations Info FAQ Staff The Roost HOL	Scientifics To Run Or Not To Run? Maya Winters A discussion of the doubtlessly ancient dilemma of what to do if it’s raining – does running really keep you drier overall? Before I start this article fully, I’d like to point out that I am not going to give you a definitive answer to this question because there still seems to be a large amount of doubt around regarding the answer to this dilemma. Therefore, I will examine - to the best of my ability - some of the arguments I have found during my research and hopefully leave you feeling less clueless or at the very least more informed on the topic. First I wish to mention the most important factors here: obviously the main issue is how many raindrops hit you at each of the 2 paces, another is the amount of time you spend in the rain and, perhaps most importantly of all, how hard it’s raining. Theory 1 – Running keeps you drier Apparently, an amazingly high-class, reliable and serious experiment has been carried out as follows: - Have a person with two pieces of cardboard (one above their head and another in front of them) - Get this person to walk in the rain for a certain amount of time (and then repeat this with new pieces of board, but with the person running) - Now count how many dots there are on the pieces of cardboard and use to suggest the following theory (N.B. I recommend that you should only attempt this experiment when you at least hold a good degree in Raindrop Counting. Otherwise the complexity of it may be too complex for you to carry out and indeed, probably too dangerous.) This first theory claims that when you are running, more raindrops hit you from the front but, because you are moving faster, less hit the top of your head. This experiment showed that these two effects cancel out and thus, the same amount of rain hits you whether you run or walk, assuming the amount of time you spend in the rain is the same both times (which of course it isn’t). So in fact overall, this reasoning suggests that running, because it will get you undercover quicker, will actually keep you drier. Theory 2 – You get just as wet running as walking Ok, this suggestion is a little more difficult to word in a manner that’s easy to understand, I’ve confused myself a zillion times trying to write it, so I’m just going to cover the main idea. If in doubt though, just look at the pictures, hopefully they’ll help! This theory agrees that when running, you get more raindrops hitting your front (the vertical piece of cardboard), however it argues that the top of your head get hit by exactly the same amount of drops when running as when walking. It says this on the basis that the area of your head and shoulders remains the same and the amount of rain falling on a specific area remains constant This is very different to the last theory, seeming to suggest so far that you actually get wetter if you run. However, if you take into account the effect of the amount of time spent in the rain, according to mathematical models, this cancels out the effect of the greater number of raindrops. To put it simply, it makes no difference whatsoever if you walk or run so you might as well save your energy. This is apparently only based on mathematical models though; reality could be different if other factors also influence the result. Theory 3 – Walking keeps you driest This final theory I am going to cover says that the amount of raindrops landing on the top of your head is proportional to the time you spend in the rain (not dependant on the speed you move at). The amount of raindrops landing on the rest of you is assumed to be the same at any speed because you are moving through the same volume of space between the two places. This theory takes into account the effect of the amount of rain falling. When running obviously the wetting happens over a shorter period of time, so the natural drying routine (via evaporation) has less time to work than when walking. This means that for light drizzle it is probably driest if you walk and also seems to argue that walking when it’s pouring is also a better idea. So where does this leave us? Confused? Quite possibly, so quickly I’m going to try to add some of my own thoughts that cropped up during my research. The only clear thing from the research is that no one really seems to be completely sure which is better – walking or running. However, the arguments I’ve covered do bring up the most important issues involved in the problem as well as some interesting ideas. Here are my suggestions for the course of action to take in various circumstances: In light rain: Personally, I think that in light rain, the best plan is always to walk (except for long journeys – see below). You avoid exhausting yourself for no reason and you do seem to end up drier. Long journeys in light rain should be avoided at all costs. Last November I spent forty minutes walking home in what was, for the whole journey, merely a light drizzle. When I arrived home I was soaked through, not a pretty sight and in a terrible mood. Admittedly remembering that I actually had an umbrella in my bag might have helped matters a little bit, but still, not nice. Thus, although I think walking is better than running (running nearly 2 miles?!) the best plan is most definitely to either stay put till it clears up, beg someone to come and pick you up, or, worst case scenario, get a bus (and hope the bus stop is undercover!). In pouring rain:* No matter how long you spend in heavy rain you are unlikely to enjoy it, unless it happens to have been terribly hot recently, you have wellingtons and a coat, or of course you’re just one of those strange people who love storms! Again I’d advise simply not going anywhere by foot, especially not for a long distance. Life, though, is rarely fair, and it will of course always start pouring just after you’ve left a building without taking a coat or an umbrella. In these situations I don’t think it really matters whether you walk or you run. Walking might make you wetter or running might, but what really matters here is how you feel. Psychologically you’re likely to feel drier if you sprint (or perhaps just jog) at least the last little bit to the door if not for the whole trip! Although heavy rain doesn’t actually hurt you, you often tend to feel fairly harassed by it so the less time you spend out in it, the better you’ll feel. * Probability of stop being undercover < 0.1% (see “Sod’s Law”) [ Return to Top ]