10 Race Day Tips – How To Have A Successful Race Day Morning

race day tips

You’ve done it!  All the hard work is over at this point.   You’re done training for your race and you couldn’t be more excited for race day!  Training for any race takes a lot of time and commitment.  CONGRATULATIONS, you’ve finally made it to race day!

Now, you are wondering how to prepare yourself the morning of the race in order to make it a successful run.  Let me help to give you some tips I’ve learned along the way.

A couple days before race day, make sure you’re hydrating yourself.  I always try to drink a gallon of water each day for the few days leading up to the race so my body is fully hydrated.  Also, the night before your race, have a heavy carbohydrate filled meal.  Your body will be able to pull energy from the extra carbs in your body during the race.  If you’re not hydrated and low on carbs, I can guarantee your race won’t be as great as it could have been!  Hey….carb loading is always one of my favorite parts about running a race.  Who doesn’t love a plate full of carbs?!?!

10 Race Day Tips – How To Have A Successful Race Day Morning

1.  Set A COUPLE Alarms

Make sure to set several alarms on race morning so you don’t end up sleeping past your race like this guy did (who trained a full year for a 140 mile triathlon and accidentally slept through his alarm!)

2.  Listen to Music That Will Pump You Up

The power of music is amazing.  One of my favorite race day tips is to shower the morning of race day while listening to music that pumps me up.  I have the best shower head speaker in my bathroom that actually is a bluetooth radio so I can jam out in the shower while waking up and prepping for the big day.

Here is the KOHLER Moxie Showerhead that I have and LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!

KOHLER Moxie Bluetooth Showerhead

3.  Fuel Yourself

Eating before race day is very important.  You must be VERY careful with what you eat.  The last thing you want to do is eat something that upsets your stomach and you have to go to the bathroom DURING the race.  It’s happened to me and I will NEVER make that mistake again.  I have found that eating a small amount of carbs and protein is my best bet. Eating about 2 hours before the race should keep you satisfied and will allow you enough time to go to the bathroom if needed before the race.  I will never eat anything greasy by any means.  I like to stick with a small bagel and a protein shake before running.

4.  Pick The Right Running Shoes

Shoes are super important for the success of your race.  Make sure you wear a pair that is worn in and you know are comfortable on your feet.  Race day is the LAST DAY you’d want to try out a new stylish pair of shoes.  Don’t risk it!

5.  Go To The Bathroom

Try to use the restroom as close to the race as possible.  Like I stated above, the last thing you want to do is have to go to the bathroom mid-race.

6.  Prepare your MP3 player

If you plan on listening to music, make sure your iPod or mp3 player is preloaded with your favorite running mix.  This will help motivate you during the race and honestly, will make the whole experience more fun!

7.  Wear a Watch

I personally never run a race without wearing my heart rate monitor.  Actually, I rarely ever workout without my heart rate monitor.  I use my Polar FT4 to track my heart rate, calories and most importantly, my time.  As soon as you cross the start line, just start your watch so you can monitor your pace.  It’s always hard to remember to stop it at the end because that’s the last thing on your mind, but do your best to remember to stop it so you know your exact race time (if no timer chips are available at the race).

Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor

8.  Dress Appropriately

What you wear could make or break your race.  Make sure to wear clothing that will wick away your sweat and not chafe your body.  Make sure you check the weather forecast the night before so you know the weather conditions.

9.  Stay Hydrated

Stay hydrated all the way up until about 30 minutes before your race begins.  30 minutes prior to your start time, cut off water.  Don’t try to drink a ton of water race day, but drink whenever you’re thirsty (this is where the few days of fully hydrating before the race comes into play).

Can you tell a lot of my tips are tied to going to the bathroom?! It’s so true though!! You can thank me later 🙂

10.  Stretch

It’s important to get a stretch in before the race begins to loosen up your muscles.  It’s also a good idea to go on a light jog before the race starts (just a very short jog works) to get your blood flowing.  This is especially important to do when you’re running a race in cold weather as your muscles will take longer to warm up.

Do you have any other race day tips?  If so, leave your tips in the comments section below!

As always, if you found this post helpful, feel free to hover over the image and share it with your friends or save it for later!

race day tips

2 thoughts on “10 Race Day Tips – How To Have A Successful Race Day Morning”

  1. Thanks for the tips, seems with winter upon us and spring just round the corner, the marathons, triathalons and the charity runs are fully upon us. Have any tips on how to figure out a good team name? Haha, that’s the hardest part.

    Reply

Leave a Comment