Race Day Essentials
IT’S MARATHON MONTH!!!!!
The marathon I originally signed up for has been postponed until June. As soon as we were notified, I hopped on the internet and found a small (and LIVE) marathon that is in a few weeks- YEAH!
It appears this event is taking super safe precautions- which I am here for.
I have been putting in the work for 4 months. I didn’t come this far, to only come this far. I am ready and excited.
I want to push myself and celebrate this training cycle with other athletes who want to do the same.
Do I hope earn an epic PR? Yes, I do. Am I expecting it? If it were any other distance, I’d say yes, but I cannot predict or control the beast of the marathon…yet.
What I do know is that we can control certain things that will help us feel successful and prepared to crush a race.
We can control:
The training runs
How we fuel our bodies leading up to the race and on race day
Listening to our bodies
Preventing an injury
Preparing ourselves for race day (this took me a long time to learn- stay tuned for next week’s post)
Making sure we have all of my essentials with us at the race
I always bring a disposable bag of important items.
Besides my phone, headphones, hand sanitizer and some cash….
I have 5 go-to essentials that I bring to each race.
Breakfast/snacks- I eat 60-90 minutes before I start a race, but I always bring extra snacks incase I get hungry before or during the race. I bring snacks that are easy to digest and that I’ve had before (banana, gummy bears, crackers/pretzels)
Depending on the weather, and time of year, I bring extra clothes. I get cold easily, so I like to layer up and shed before it starts or shortly after. Most races welcome the extra clothes because they donate to those in need. <3
Water and electrolytes- I bring disposable water bottles, and nuun tablets (again, nothing new)
Toilet paper- sounds funny… and maybe strange-- but I always bring a roll with me… to every race…. There is nothing worse than not having any when you get to the porta-potty. I got this from my mom, but I get a little creeped out by touching the public bathroom TP. I don’t take the roll with me on the course (that would be funny). I usually leave it behind or pass it on to the next person in line. Sharing is caring.
My hydration backpack- THIS IS NEW FOR ME--I haven’t brought this to previous races, but I definitely am this year. With new restrictions, and to prevent germs from spreading and getting too close to others , I want to make sure I have my own water. This will be helpful for me, because I need to get better at staying hydrated.
What are your go-to essentials? What is your favorite snack to bring? I’d love to hear from you. Share your ideas here or send me an email.
