Pre Race Checklist

In the 24-hour period before a race I have a fairly consistent routine. Over the years I’ve figured out what works for me. I have a check list of items to get ready, a diet I follow and am careful with my physical activity.

I avoid the gym and running in the days before a race. For a marathon this usually involves a week or two of taper. For a 5K my last run may be a day or two before the race.

I’ve learned to cut out high fiber foods before a race as my gut usually doesn’t need any help on race day. I don’t go crazy carbo-loading. Some people swear by it and eat huge amounts of pasta and bread and enjoy some beers. Instead of making a point of carbo-loading I try to relax and enjoy an extra slice of French bread, an extra slice of pizza or maybe an extra beer.

Packing and preparing

Like many runners, by the time a big race is 24-hours away, I’ve packed my bag several times all ready! You can never be over prepared, but you sure as hell can forget something.

I usually pack several pairs of socks, different shirts, hats, gloves, and jackets. I can’t control the weather on race day, or any other day for that matter, but I can be prepared for any conditions within the 95th percentile. Beyond that and they normally cancel the race.

If I’m driving I’ll print out a MapQuest or Google Maps map and directions. If you are going to a new location a good tip is to print a detailed map of you final destination. It’s great to have a map with your last highway exit, but it might be more helpful to have a map showing the cross streets on the way to your parking destination.

I’ll do the map even if there is a GPS in the car and everyone has MapQuest on their phones. Technology can really suck when it doesn’t work.

I always plan ahead for my race day food also. For me it’s usually a bagel with butter and lots of coffee. I also bring food to eat in the last few hours before the race while we are waiting around. Usually a banana, maybe another plain bagel or a power bar. At my last race I tried carbo-loading with donuts. A friend of mine swears by them. So instead of two bagels, I had two donuts. My race was okay but I felt like crap afterwards. No more donuts for me!

Food is one of the things that you can control almost 100%. Bring what you like with you and eat smart the night before. Over time you learn what your body likes. Once you know what works, or kind of works, you can experiment. A few weeks ago I tried donuts.

For The Great Bay Half Marathon I’m trying a few new things. I’ll still eat my bagels and I may have my pre-race Cliff Bar. But, I’ve decided to try Gatorade G-Series 01 Prime Pouch.

This 118ml drink has 25 grams of carbohydrates, 100 calories, and several B vitamins that are supposed to help your body turn carbs into energy.

My stomach is pretty strong and this product is made for high endurance activities so I’m not anticipating any problems.

For the race I’ll bring along my usual pockets full of GU. In this case, GU-like product; PowerGel from PowerBar. These packs are less viscous than GU and they seem to work just as well for me. To be honest, I

don’t have a preference for either brand. Both have great flavors and ones that are just not.If it’s warm on race day I wont be wearing a jacket or vest so I may have to figure out another way to carry all of these.

When I finished Boston last year they gave us Gatorade Recovery, or 03 Recovery. It was surprisingly awesome! It was a hot day and I was spent, so cold water would have tasted pretty good.

I’ve had it once since then and it was still very good. When I was at the grocery store last night I picked up a carton of the stuff. They only had

one on the shelf! And it was Mango Pineapple. Not my favorite flavor combo but I’m more interested in the “recovery”  part of this beverage. It’s 24% apple and banana juice with 12 grams protein and 14 grams of carbohydrates.

The Gatorade Prime 01 will be new but I’ve been taking GU and PowerGel for years. So the only thing I’m changing pre-race will be the 118ml of Gatorade beverage. I’m trusting that their chemists and nutritionists know what they are doing and that I won’t be hurling in the bushes mid-way through the race.

After the race they will have food available for us. The 03 Recover beverage will be a little something extra for my body. I doubt that trying these products once will be enough to tell if they make any difference. The temperature could be a bigger influence on my performance.

That being said, I did notice an increase in energy the first time I tried a GU. Over the years since then I have continued to feel the energy boost when I eat a GU or PowerGel. Some people don’t feel anything, but it works for me and many others.

Maybe adding these products to my race meal will make a big difference in how I feel. I think Ryan Hall drinks a large coffee before he runs a marathon and doesn’t use any of this stuff. I love coffee but I have to run twice as long as Ryan does to get to the finish line. He just runs twice as hard as I do!

Now that this post is written I need to go and do the final pack. Clothes – Check, Food – Check, Sunglasses – Check, Map – I need to print that out. Who’s driving this week anyway?