The day before a race you can bet that I will always be an anxious bundle of energy. I can hardly sit down the whole day, and my mind is constantly pacing through all of the race plan details. I think about exactly what pace I can run each mile at, and waste time mulling over where I can shave off minutes from each mile. I think about exactly when I will drink, what I will drink, when I will eat, what I will eat. I try to picture every hill, every turn, every little detail about the course. Most of all, I focus on the final stretch, over and over again. I picture myself sprinting, think about that final store of energy that is always hidden at the end of a race, picture myself reaching for it, grabbing it, and powering right through the finish line. I even decide on exactly which pose I will take as I cross that line.
This is why I have trouble focusing on any detail of my day before a race. People try to talk to me, hold a conversation with me, and I have to fight to keep my eyes glued to them, to keep some part of my mind present. Race anxiety always hits me like a brick wall. This is why I knew I needed a training race before the marathon this season. I pick the IU Mini Marathon, a 13.1 mile extra-hilly race through Bloomington, IN, almost exactly one month before marathon-day. The race did exactly what I'd hoped it would for me.
Rituals are my solution for this type of anxiety. I have a whole list of pre-race/pre-long-run rituals, most of which are meaningless physically, but ease much of my tension by giving me a mindless activity to feel as though I am making myself more prepared for the next day. I chug Powerade Zero for 24 straight hours to hydrate myself as much as possible. It is really hard for my body to absorb hydration while I am running, so it is best for me to start out at full hydration capacity. I also protein-load. Many runners still carbo-load, but I feel like it is becoming an outdated nutrition strategy. As a vegetarian (or technically an ovo-lacto-pescatarian - someone who eats dairy, eggs, and fish only), I've found that my body demands an extra amount of protein while I'm training. I carry a giant protein shake of Spiru-tein and chocolate soy milk around and chug it all afternoon. For dinner I always eat a veggie burger on spelt bread with hummus.
I keep a bottle of nail polish tucked away that I only apply the night before a race. It's fluorescent pink, which has sentimental significance (see this post). Pink and purple are my power colors, and I am always decked out in them on a race day. I use my foam roller on my quads, my IT bands, my gluteals, my hamstrings, and my calf-muscles for 30-40 minutes before bed. This works out any leftover knots in my muscles and also heats them up enough to be more pliable for a little bit of pre-bed stretching. More importantly, it seems to melt away my anxiety. Let me warn you though, this is a painful therapy if you have tight or overworked muscles. I meticulously select each article of clothing and gear that I will wear, laying out my watch, shirt, shoes, shorts, socks, etc. on the top of my dresser, then stuffing them into my bag made from a Kenyan flag (again, don't ask why this makes me faster. It doesn't, it's silly, but it's a part of my ritual). Then, I lay in bed with an ice pack wrapped around my bad knee while I watch motivational videos on youtube (see post).
I rarely get a good night's rest. This is why two nights before a race it is important to sleep as much as possible. As early as 4:30 AM, I pulled myself out from the warm covers, slipped on the running clothes that I'd so carefully prepared the night before. I lathered on some anti-chaffing creme and laced up my shoes. I prepared my strict pre-run breakfast: a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal with brown sugar and a cup of coffee with chocolate soy milk followed by a package of Cliff Extra-Salt Shot Bloks and a bottle of Powerade Zero to snack on before the race. Adam gave me full rein of the music on our way to the start line. We listened to my running power mix and tried to make small talk before running back through my pacing and hydration plan. Before I knew it we were there, and it was time for line-up, my least favorite part of every race.
Rituals are my solution for this type of anxiety. I have a whole list of pre-race/pre-long-run rituals, most of which are meaningless physically, but ease much of my tension by giving me a mindless activity to feel as though I am making myself more prepared for the next day. I chug Powerade Zero for 24 straight hours to hydrate myself as much as possible. It is really hard for my body to absorb hydration while I am running, so it is best for me to start out at full hydration capacity. I also protein-load. Many runners still carbo-load, but I feel like it is becoming an outdated nutrition strategy. As a vegetarian (or technically an ovo-lacto-pescatarian - someone who eats dairy, eggs, and fish only), I've found that my body demands an extra amount of protein while I'm training. I carry a giant protein shake of Spiru-tein and chocolate soy milk around and chug it all afternoon. For dinner I always eat a veggie burger on spelt bread with hummus.
I keep a bottle of nail polish tucked away that I only apply the night before a race. It's fluorescent pink, which has sentimental significance (see this post). Pink and purple are my power colors, and I am always decked out in them on a race day. I use my foam roller on my quads, my IT bands, my gluteals, my hamstrings, and my calf-muscles for 30-40 minutes before bed. This works out any leftover knots in my muscles and also heats them up enough to be more pliable for a little bit of pre-bed stretching. More importantly, it seems to melt away my anxiety. Let me warn you though, this is a painful therapy if you have tight or overworked muscles. I meticulously select each article of clothing and gear that I will wear, laying out my watch, shirt, shoes, shorts, socks, etc. on the top of my dresser, then stuffing them into my bag made from a Kenyan flag (again, don't ask why this makes me faster. It doesn't, it's silly, but it's a part of my ritual). Then, I lay in bed with an ice pack wrapped around my bad knee while I watch motivational videos on youtube (see post).
I rarely get a good night's rest. This is why two nights before a race it is important to sleep as much as possible. As early as 4:30 AM, I pulled myself out from the warm covers, slipped on the running clothes that I'd so carefully prepared the night before. I lathered on some anti-chaffing creme and laced up my shoes. I prepared my strict pre-run breakfast: a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal with brown sugar and a cup of coffee with chocolate soy milk followed by a package of Cliff Extra-Salt Shot Bloks and a bottle of Powerade Zero to snack on before the race. Adam gave me full rein of the music on our way to the start line. We listened to my running power mix and tried to make small talk before running back through my pacing and hydration plan. Before I knew it we were there, and it was time for line-up, my least favorite part of every race.
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