Friday Five: race day rituals

Every Friday, three DC area bloggers Mary at Mar On the Run, Cynthia at You Signed Up For What?! and Courtney from Eat Pray Run, DC to host the Friday Five linkup.  Anyone can join with their own Friday Five post (yes, it must be a Friday Five!!)  They encourage you to visit other blogs on the linkup, comment, share and engage!

This week, the theme is Race Day Rituals.

Here are the 5 things that I do before every race:

1. Check the weather forecast over and over.

I look at weather.com, accuweather.com and many more to try to figure out what to wear. Of course, although I can’t change the weather, I keep checking for a better forecast.

2. Plan my outfit the night before.

I need to make sure I don’t forget anything.  I always include my Garmin, my RoadID and my race belt.

3. Eat a Pre-Race meal.

I always eat hot oatmeal or cream of wheat.  I used to drink coffee.  Now I drink tea.  When I’m not at home, I bring my breakfast with me.

4. Bring fuel and water to the race.

Even at short races, I eat a GU before I start.  I also bring water to water before the race since sometimes it is not available. For longer races, I bring one GU for each 4 miles.

5. Bring extra clothes for before and after.

I may need a jacket and pants for before and/or after the race when it is cool out.  Or I may need dry clothes if I am sweaty or rained on.

Happy Running! What are your race day rituals?