When you are heading to a race, there are a lot of things on your mind: Did I train enough? Did I taper enough? Is it going to be too hot? Too cold? What pace should I run? Where can I park? A lot of factors can make or break a race. There are some things you cannot control but many things you can.
Someone smarter than me once said, “The devil is in the details.” While any of the above, if not taken care of, could ruin your race, what about the smaller things? Many of us have been there, stressing out moments before the gun goes off because we don’t have safety pins to attach our bib. We might be wincing in pain the final miles, not because we are overextending ourselves, but because we forgot our Body Glide and our inner thighs are on fire.
The good news is that it is easy to take care of the details. You’ve done the training, so let’s not have a bad race day because you forgot something that seems small but is ever so important. Alexander Graham Bell said, “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” What are we talking about here? In a few words: a race-day survival kit. This is a pre-packed “go bag” that you grab every time that you are headed to a race. It should contain all of the essentials that you may not need, but you will be glad that you have them when you do.
Here are 12 suggestions to get you started on your personal survival kit. Let us know, in the comment section below, if we have forgotten anything.
Race-Day Survival Kit:
- Pain Reliever & Anti-Inflammatory – For post-race recovery
- Gel/Nutrition Bar – For energy before, during and after
- Body Glide/Vaseline – For anti-chafing
- Sunscreen/Lip Balm – For protection from the sun
- Band-Aids – For protection from nipple chafing
- Blister Kit – For protection/treatment (spenco.com)
- Safety Pins – For your bib, just in case the race runs out
- Water Bottle – For pre-race and post-race hydration
- Hand Sanitizer – For use after the porta-potty
- Toilet Paper/Tissues – For use in the porta-potty (or woods)
- Road ID – Every runner should have one
- Tampons – Because when you need them, you really need them