Today’s Friday Five topic comes at a perfect time for me, since I have just run two of my favorite races, the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and the GW Parkway Classic.
I’m not superstitious about my race day rituals, but I have a routine that works for me.
1. Rest & Roll. In the days leading up to the race, I keep my workouts easy and spend extra time stretching and foam rolling. I take two consecutive rest days before race day, although I usually do the Forward Bends and/or Twists programs from my Rodney Yee DVD instead.
I also wear compression socks or sleeves as much as possible!
2. Hydrate & Fuel. I am pretty slack about my diet, but when race day is approaching, I do try to eat healthfully and make sure I am drinking plenty of water. I have learned the hard way that carb-loading does not work for me. If I eat a lot before a race, my GI system may still be processing it during the race, and that’s no fun for anyone! I typically make my own pasta dinner at home, having a modest serving of pasta and tomato sauce and a piece of bread as my indulgence. And of course, there’s always ice cream.
3. Check & Double Check. The night before a race, I lay out my gear and check and double check everything–especially that my Garmin is charging correctly! I also stalk the weather forecast and pick out more gear in case its colder/warmer/wetter than I first thought. 
4.Wake Up & Walk. On race morning, I get up at least an hour before I need to leave the house so I have time to walk the dog and change my mind about what to wear at least two times.
My pre-race dog walk helps me wake up, assess the weather, and get the blood flowing in my legs.
5. Caffeinate & Fuel. I don’t usually have coffee before I run, but I do have one cup of coffee on race day. For fuel, I have a Kashi whole grain waffle with a drizzle of syrup at home, and take a crunchy granola bar to eat at the race venue.
(Don’t forget to join the Ultimate Coffee Date Link Up this weekend!)
After I have my last sip of coffee and make one more trip to the bathroom, we head out the door. Probably my favorite race day ritual is that my husband acts as my sherpa. Not only does that takes away the stress of finding parking, but he sends me off with a good luck kiss. 😀
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So, those are my race day rituals for getting to starting line. Share yours and see what others do in the Friday Five Link Up over at Eat Pray Run DC, Mar on the Run and You Signed Up for What?!
![The Ultimate Coffee Date](http://got2run4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ultimate-Coffee-Date.png" "The Ultimate Coffee Date")
I love that you change your mind about your outfit multiple times! I usually lay everything out the night before and get up and leave the house quietly. Someday I think my husband will be my sherpa, but for now he usually has to stay home for kit duty.
and I LOVE THE HUSBAND SHERPA.
Dont fall over but I think the Doodle and I are doing a 5k this weekend!!!!
Oh, wow! I’ll stay tuned on Instagram. 😉
I love that you called them rituals. It’s probably a much better way to present it than superstitions. That’s probably what I would have said. Ha!! Can’t wait for tomorrow’s link up. I’ll be joining you for coffee!
I am up at least an hour ahead of time too and I have to have coffee- it does give me time to pee umpteen times and double check all my items. How do the compression socks help you before the race? I am curious. Nice that you get a chauffeur! New socks and kisses always make for a fast race! TGIF!
Maybe the compression socks support my calves and help the muscles rest? I know the science is unproven, but they can’t hurt!
Love your rituals, I really need to roll more often, that is one area that I SUCK at!!
That shin splint flare up scared me into it!
I like your rituals. Interesting that you only have coffee on race day (and Ultimate coffee dates of course) 🙂
I usually run too early to have coffee first, but it does motivate me to get it done!
We have also got in the habit of laying our race stuff out the night before and double checking our bib and timing chip. We once received the wrong one and didn’t notice until the night before the race. Boy that caused for a very stressful night!
Oh, that would be stressful, especially when they don’t have race day package pick-up, so there’s less support for that kind of issue.
Loved learning about your race day rituals! I should try foam rolling a few days before my next race – I definitely take advantage of the taper! Can’t wait for tomorrow’s coffee date! 🙂
I forgot to include stalking the weather on my post…I obsess over that more than anything else! Walking the dogs is an excellent tip! You get a chance to really “feel” the temp and get your body moving too. Love it! PS. Race day is the only day I DON’T drink coffee. Go figure.
My husband acts as Sherpa for me too and that is so useful! I have never had to test out gear check and that is something that makes me very happy.
I love reading how everyone prepares for race day as we all have varying rituals. I occasionally get the BF to act as my Sherpa on race morning. If anything, he’s always at the finish line.
i sleep until the very last minute (unless it’s a marathon – then i’m way too nervous to do things like sleep the night before). i should try your way. it will probably be beneficial 🙂
Whatever works best for you!
My race day rituals aren’t rituals, it seems my habits are always evolving. I used to drink a RedBull in the morning, but recently read a Runner’s World article about how hot coffee helps get things moving because it opens the blood vessels. Makes sense. I even have a rum & diet coke the night before because I found if I don’t I feel off in the morning. Sounds like an alcoholic over here, ha!
I remember your Red Bull ritual! I mostly have coffee to fend off a no-coffee-headache since races take so long.