At least everyone was in agreement about wearing race shirts on the day of the race.
No one should.
With fall racing season upon us, I asked local and national runners how they prepare for race day. The only unanimous opinion — and the right one, I would argue — is that the shirt you get on race day is worn only after you finish the race.
For one thing, it makes good sense: You should never do something new on race day. Go with the traditional. Eat what you have in the past. Go to bed early if that’s your nature. Prepare, or don’t, as you have before.
Besides, wearing the race day shirt is “cheesy,” and “for amateurs,” I was told. It’s “bad juju,” said Lorrie Laplante of Union.
Here’s what I think: Wearing the race-day shirt on race day is like going to a concert wearing the shirt of the band you’re seeing.
Don’t be that guy.
But for other things, do what you like. If it suits you, just wing it. Show up and run.
Or you can plan, plan, plan: Drive the course in the days preceding the race, so you know what you’re up against. Lay out your clothes and your shoes and your itinerary the night before. Get up several hours before the race. Get to the race early. Warm up.
“I have a list,” said Tammy Alverson of Maineville, Ohio, an ultrarunner who is a member of the Runners’ Club of Greater Cincinnati.
“That list includes everything I could possibly need for any race. It includes items for cold weather, hot weather, wet/muddy conditions, and travel. I print off the list and, depending on the predicted weather, travel involved, length of the race, and how good the aid stations are, I cross out what I don’t expect to need, and I begin gathering (sometimes days in advance) everything on the list I think I will need, checking it off as I go.”
She goes on like that for a very long, detailed paragraph. Suffice to say, she is prepared to run for hours — or a full day, which she has — if the race calls for it.
“I guess that’s a little OCD, and I usually end up with way more stuff than I need,” she said at one point.
Others are not quite as detail oriented.
“Early to bed, running-club shirt, oatmeal for breakfast, and plenty of time to hit the porta potty for race time,” said Suzanne Lord Marshall of Cincinnati, who runs with Queen City Running Club.
If you’re not a runner, you may want to skip the next few paragraphs, because it may contain too much information about certain body functions.
We runners tend to obsess about our potty time. When, where, and how we urinate and defecate — or pee and poop, in runners’ lingo — is a constant issue and topic of discussion. I could write entire columns on that topic, and they would be well-read by anyone who has run a mile or more.
Perhaps, for clickbait, I’ll write sometime about the 15 ways to go to the bathroom. Or 12 places to find a bathroom. But I digress.
It’s an issue for us. Finding a bathroom, waiting in line, making sure you’re really, really cleaned out before the race starts, is a concern we all have.
Andrea Robinson, also with the Runners’ Club, said she’s easy-going before a race — with one exception: “(I) get there with enough time to pee and line up.”
Susan Jones, from Cincinnati, said she’s starts revving herself up when she picks up her race packet, with her bib and timing chip.
“Then (I) go home (and) get everything ready for the next day; what to wear, race bib, water bottle, music,” she said. “Go to bed early. Wake up early. Always eat the same thing. Get there early. Hit the bathroom. Go to starting line and wait. And stretch.”
Briana Smith of Ft. Thomas, who runs with the Tri State Running Company, also has a detailed agenda.
“The night before, I like to lay everything out and pin my bib or attach my chip to my shoe,” she said. “I usually snap a ‘flat runner’ picture of the clothes and post in Facebook so my family and friends spectating will be able to spot me easily at the race. I wake about two hours before the race to dress and eat half of a peanut butter and jelly. I like to arrive at the start line between 15 and 20 minutes early just in case there’s any issues. The bigger the race or farther away I park, the more time I allow getting up in the morning.”
Those early risers, however, have nothing on Jeff and Amanda Laughead of Virginia Beach, Virginia, who post on The Pathetic Runners Group on Facebook. They wake up four hours before a race so they can get there two hours early and watch other people come in.
Doug Arlinghaus of Bellevue is far more sensible and far less worried about getting there.
“I like my sleep,” he said, “I try to get to the race as close to the starting time as possible. I had a race (recently) where you had to meet at the bus pickup area at 5 a.m. I woke up at 4:30.”
But perhaps Julia Meister, an attorney from Ft. Thomas, has her priorities truly in order. Her main goal, she said, is to “figure out where to get good coffee the morning of the race.”
Of course, that brings us back to the line at the porta potty.
Paul Long writes weekly for the NKyTribune about running and runners. For his daily running stories, follow him at dailymile.com or on Twitter @Pogue57
thanks for the mention Paul!