I’m sitting in a hotel in Pennsylvania, up way later than I’d planned. I thought I’d write this post earlier today, but a week of things like urgent care visits, kids home sick, and soccer practice gone awry led to a day of scrambling to get ready to leave. Thankfully, the traffic leaving DC was only sort of awful and we made good time once we got past Baltimore, so I have a few minutes to write. And I’m not running tomorrow, so it’s all good. ;o)
36 hours from now, I’ll be embarking on one of my crazier adventures. I’ve been a little taper crazy this week, but now that we have started the fun, I’m pretty chill. All that remains is to actually do it.
So, I’m joining the lovely ladies of the DC Trifecta for 5 Race Day Rituals. Stop by Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia‘s blogs to check out lots of other related posts.
1. Shower. Don’t ask me why, but I feel the need to be clean before I get sweaty. I don’t do this before every single race, but it is a frequent pre-race activity. I don’t get my hair wet though – blow drying it takes too much time and who wants to start a race with wet hair? Yes, I’m quirky. I know.
2. Eat an almond butter and jelly sandwich. This is non-negotiable. And yes, I will be sneaking jelly out of the hotel tomorrow to use before my race on Saturday. Shh, don’t tell.
3. Drink a cup of coffee and a glass of nuun. This wakes me up, hydrates me, and umm, clears the system.
4. Coat my face and hands in sunblock (and whatever other body parts might show). Yes, even in the winter. I have super pale skin and sunburn easily, so I put sunblock on before every single race. Somehow I’ve still managed to get tan lines. Oops.
5. Play around on social media. What can I say? It’s my pre-race stress release. I look to see who else is running the same race, check to see if anything interesting is happening on Facebook, maybe tweet a couple of times… Anything to keep my mind off of the impending race LOL.
In between, I’m usually scrambling to find a shoe or second guessing the amount of clothing I’m wearing or trying to figure out where the race is. (Yeah, I’m not very good at planning before race day.)
How about you? What’s your quirky race day ritual?
Quirky pre race rituals are half of the fun ! I always eat the same thing for breakfast … too scared to change my habits before a race ! Might jinx things…
Karen @ Fit in France recently posted…Friday Five : Weird Race Day Habits
I love reading other people’s race day rituals. I’m glad to see I’m not the only one that showers before races. Just helps me start the day better I think.
John @ run. geek. run(disney) recently posted…Five Race Day Necessities | #FridayFive
Your rituals are quite similar to mine (except I go for banana instead of jelly and I don’t shower in advance!).
Kelli recently posted…Friday Five: Race Day Mistakes!
It’s funny that you shower. I make fun of my husband when he showers before going to the gym, seems counterproductive, LOL. I always forget the sunblock, I need to be much better about that one! Hope you have a great running weekend my friend!! Good luck and HAVE FUN!!
Sue @ This Mama Runs for Cupcakes recently posted…Friday Five: 5 Ways to Ensure a successful race day
I never remember to put sunblock on, good tip! Have a great weekend! -M
Well you’ll have ample opportunity to practice your rituals this weekend, huh? Good luck and have fun!
Susie @ SuzLyfe recently posted…Run Pretty: Mother’s Day Running Mom Gift Giveaway (Lilytrotters Review)!
You know I really don’t have too many quirks! I do try to do toast and jam at least an hour before I race. What is this adventure you’re up to this weekend??
Janelle @ Run With No Regrets recently posted…How to Avoid 5 Common Race Day Mistakes
Absolutely, you’ve got to clear the system!! I don’t shower, because I’m seriously getting ready to sweat buckets, but I must shave my pits for that hands-in-the-air finish line picture. TMI. LOL.
HoHo Runs recently posted…Race Day P’s
I don’t sneak food out of the hotel, but I do pack my breakfast with me. I almost lost it when I saw CVS had to-go peanut butter cups. It was like hearing angels sing because I didn’t know what I was going to do about not having my peanut butter.
Lesley recently posted…Routines for Race Day
I also shower the morning of a race. My husband thinks I’m crazy, but it helps me to be more awake and alert for the race ahead.
Kathryn @ Dancing to Running recently posted…Friday Five – May 1st – Potpourri v. 1
I definitely get the sunblock thing. I made that mistake once and ended up with a bit of a burn on my face so I’ve learned that lesson the hard way.
Chaitali recently posted…Friday Five – race day activities
I love reading about everyone else’s race day rituals. Coffee is a must for me on race day too.
Jen @ Pretty Little Grub recently posted…FYI Friday – When there are no words
Erika, I ‘d never even thought about taking a shower before a race until one of the gals from my running team told me that she does it before EVERY race! I’m like, “even when we have to leave town at 4:30am?” And she said, “yes.” Whew! We all have our own little race day rituals, right? I tried it once, though, and I really thought it helped me feel more ready to go, somehow; I’m just not committed to getting up earlier most of the time. I hope you have an amazing experience this weekend!!
Tara @ Running ‘N’ Reading recently posted…Five Songs for Race Day
That cup of coffee is a must 😉 Good luck this weekend!!
Michelle @ Running with Attitude recently posted…Thursday Thoughts – Just a little randomness
you are a shower before the race person, huh? interesting! i always admire you fine smelling folk at the start. GOOD LUCK this weekend. you don’t need it, though. you are so prepared!
Courtney @ Eat Pray Run DC recently posted…Five Blogs I Always Read on Bloglovin
No shower prior to a race for me! LOL.
I’m anxious to see how this weekend turns out for you!!!
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home recently posted…#RunThisYear 2015 April summary
I don’t think the shower one is weird actually! I’ve read it warms up your muscles!