What to Do Before a Race: A Checklist

  • I don’t know about you, but I am always pretty excited about every race I run. Whether it’s a three miler or a full marathon, there’s a combination of nervousness and excitement pumping through my body on race day. Because races typically start early in the morning, and I’m really not a morning person, I try to get everything together and organized the night before so nothing can be forgotten the next morning. Here is a list of important things to remember to minimize stress on race day:

    Have your outfit picked out and ready to go the night before

    Make sure the outfit is something you have run in before and are comfortable with. There is nothing worse than finding out an outfit is uncomfortable at the beginning a race. Check the weather the night before to be sure your outfit is appropriate for race day conditions.

    Check the start time and make arrangements to meet friends the night before

    There is nothing worse than feeling like you’re racing toward the start line of a race!

    Make sure you eat before the race

    Don’t forget to plan out your meal the night before. You don’t want to run out of fuel while you’re running. Don’t eat too much, or anything too heavy: bananas, a bagel with peanut butter are good examples. Try not to experiment with anything new the morning of. A lot of people ask if they should drink coffee on the morning of the race. If you are normally a coffee drinker, go for it. You should absolutely try to keep your routine as close to normal as possible and introducing coffee to your system on race morning could end up being disastrous if you aren’t normally a coffee drinker. Remember to drink some water!

    Fasten your timing chip to your shoe

    If you forget your timing chip on race morning, you’ll never be on record for running that race. Follow the directions given to you with the chip, and attach it the night before so you don’t forget.

    Fasten your bib to your shirt

    Most organized races will provide you with a race bib. Safety pin this to the front of the shirt that you are going to finish the race with. Be sure the number is not hidden in the outfit, as a lot of races use your number to send photos of you running your race. Always have a couple extra safety pins in your bag just in case.

    Do you run with a watch?

    If you do, don’t forget it. You don’t want anything throwing off your comfort during the race. A lot of people here at NYCJog use the Garmin Forerunner. We can’t recommend them enough.

    Bring Band-aids, lubricant, etc

    Skin chaffing is one of the worst feelings ever! It’s also par for the course in running sometimes. Guys, pay attention to your nipples during training runs, if you feel them starting to chafe, put a band-aid over them to avoid the bloody nipple disaster. Blisters also suck! If you feel one coming on, bandage it up before you run so it doesn’t get worse and ruin your race.

    Bring a snack and a Gatorade or water for your trip home.

    You want to make sure that you are nourishing yourself after your race too. This is an important part of recovery! If you’re racing with friends, make sure to plan where to eat breakfast after the race. It’s my absolute favorite part of race day, the celebratory breakfast or brunch!

    Race day is fun! It will be even more fun if you are prepared. A couple simple steps the night before will make the morning of your race worry free.

    Happy racing!


    March 25th, 2010 | Christina Schick | No Comments |

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