okansas.blogspot.com Occassional thoughts about orienteering
Thursday, May 08, 2003
Don't try this at home
A thunderstorm blew through town about 6:30 this morning. By the time I left to drive to work, the rain was very light, but the roads were still wet.
Conditions were perfect for an experiment.
At dinner Saturday night, Peter told a story about a good Finnish orienteer -- a veteran, probably in his 50s -- who ran well in the rain despite wearing glasses. His secret? He practiced by driving in the rain without using his windshield whippers.
I drove part of the way to work today without using my windshield whippers. There was a light rain falling and traffic was kicking up a lot of spray. The window was quickly covered with water.
I could easily see general shapes (like cars and the trees along the roads), the lanes or lights. I didn't feel like I was a danger. But, making out details was difficult. If I had to read a sign or pick out details on a car or along the side of the road, I couldn't.
I can't imagine that you can improve your ability to see well through rain covered glasses or windshields. But, you can probably get used to it. Even though you won't get better at seeing, you'll get more comfortable with the problem. Spraying some water or your glasses (or running without them) might be something worth trying. At least you won't cause an accident.
