The Pre-Race Rituals That Never Fail Me

One of my favorite things about racing is the pre-race ritual that over the years I’ve honed into my own personal piece of pre-race bliss. I love discussing pre-race rituals with other athletes, as I’ve found that everyone has a process that is very unique to them.

My pre-race typically involves lots of caffeine, carb-loaded snacks, classical and techno music, jumping up and down to warm up, and most importantly, getting super pumped up and ready for the race!

If I can leave the house with a smile, filled to the brim with excitement, with caffeine and food in my system, and an eagerness to race full-throttle even though I know it will be tough, then my pre-race ritual was a success.

Read on for an overview of my typical pre-race ritual, applicable to swimming, biking, running, or all three combined.

My Pre-Race Ritual

To start, I like to wake up at least three hours before a major race. Sometimes four, depending on the type and distance. I find that waking up three hours before allows me to complete my pre-race ritual with time to spare, at no rush, and feeling absolutely ready to race. I do the below typically in this order. I’m a creature of habit, and following this process for every race helps me incredibly.

Music

• The first thing I do upon waking up and starting to get ready is to play some music. I love starting the first part of the morning ritual with classical music. I have a playlist I curated literally for this particular time with some of my all-time fave classical pieces. It puts me in a good mood and helps ease tension and the anxiety and nerves I may have about the race. I switch to techno music later to get pumped up and warm up, but for now, it’s mellow easy pieces to get into a relaxed and ready state of mind.

Water

• Once the music starts, and the musical mood is set, nothing beats starting the day with a cool glass of water. I like to typically gulp down a full glass before I do anything else as it helps me wake up (and actually helps coffee taste better… I think). I’ll continue to drink water until about thirty minutes before race time to make sure my H2O reserves are topped up at the starting line.

Coffee

• This is one of my favorite parts of my pre race ritual – the first sip of fresh brewed coffee. This part is also very important to me – physically and mentally – as it literally is the only way I can function in the morning! I’ve learned over time that caffeine no longer gives me an “energy boost”, but rather it simply brings me back to the baseline energy levels (Disclaimer: I don’t think that’s a good thing…) that I need to be at prior to doing anything. While I listen to music, I drink my coffee and typically browse the web. I’ll review the race website to make sure I know where to park, I’ll take another look at previous year results, review the course layout once again, and then simply relax and read the news for a while.

Race Visualization

• While I drink coffee I like to visualize the race I plan and hope to have. I find this critically important especially in races that require more involvement and/or steps, such as a triathlon or a relay. I start by focusing on the start line and how I expect it to be. I can hear the announcer counting down to the start, the beep of my Garmin as I start my run, and the sound of footsteps as the race gets underway. I visualize my first mile marker, thinking of the pace I’m keeping and how I’m feeling. I’ll visualize every three miles both on the bike and run. “How do I feel at mile 3, 6, 9, 12…15, 18, 21, 24? How do I feel after the swim, am I ready for the bike? Of course I am! Let’s go!”.
• I’ll also review my transition plans (helps to practice them during training) and review my overall pace and race strategy, including what and when I will eat and drink. I like to take carbs based on timing, as opposed to distance, as sometimes my pacing might be slower or faster depending on other conditions (weather, terrain, etc.). Timing helps me stay closer to my carb intake schedule as planned. I then visualize nearing the end of the race. I see myself crossing the finish line celebrating another race completion, jumping in the air for the finish line photo.
• Doing all the above has helped me immensely in preparing for a race, as it feels like I go through all the “race anxiety” before the race even starts. By the time I’m at the start line, the nerves are much more quiet since I’ve already “been there and done that”, at least mentally.

Food – Carbs and Calories

• It’s important for me to eat some food before the race too. In a perfect scenario, I’d have topped up my carb reserves in the days leading up to the race, but life happens and the perfect pre-race scenario doesn’t always go to plan. I like to eat a couple of pieces of toast with peanut butter and banana about two hours before race start. About an hour before the race I’ll typically eat a Clif Bar with water or electrolytes. Forty-five minutes before the race I essentially cut off food, and thirty minutes before the race start I’ll cut off water/electrolytes.

Hydration (electrolytes, salts)

• As I continue preparing, I switch from water to electrolytes. At this point I’ll begin to drink my sodium/carb mix, with more or less volume depending on race weather conditions. I’ll try to drink more if I know it will be very warm and/or humid, and worry a bit less about volume if the day is going to be cold.

Stretching

• Ok, so I’ve had coffee, I’ve had water, I’ve eaten, and drank my electrolytes. It’s time for stretching. I try to stick to long, deep stretches of the quads, calves, feet (legs in general), and then go to less long/deep stretches of upper body. A loose body – I feel – runs more efficiently, so stretching is a critical part of my pre race ritual. I tend to take about 20-30 minutes here as a good, deep stretch can also help prevent injuries.

Warm Up

• My second favorite part of my pre race ritual – warm up! This is the point I switch to my specially-curated hard techno playlist, and start jumping up and down to the beats as a warm up. I’ll jog in place, grab some resistance bands and warm up the legs, and try to get my heart rate going a bit faster. Doing this to my favorite techno beats helps me prepare too by getting me absolutely pumped up and ready for race time. This is the point where you’ll catch me running around the living room at 5:30AM to the beats of my favorite techno tracks before I drive to the starting line.

Gear Check – for current gear click here)

• Alright, time to check gear and make sure I’m not missing anything. (Doubly important for multi-sport events since there’s more to forget).
  
• Running
  • run shoes
  • bib
  • race belt
  • sunglasses
  • hat
  • headphones
  • HR monitor
  • watch
    
• Triathlon
  • Swim
    • swim cap
    • goggles
    • wetsuit
  • Bike
    • bike (bike sticker – typically)
    • bike shoes
    • socks
    • bike computer
    • hydration bottles
    • gels/salts
    • helmet (helmet sticker – typically)
    • gloves
    • extra tube, air, patching kit, etc.
  • Run
    • run shoes
    • sunglasses
    • hat
    • race belt
    • bib
  • Other Gear
    • HR monitor
    • watch
    • trikit
    • air pump
    • extra socks
    • towel for transition
    • transition bag

I’M SET! TIME TO GET PUMPED UP AND READY TO RACE – LETS GO

• I tell myself “You’ve trained for this and it will be fun! At the end of the day you’re racing against yourself, so enjoy the race!!”

A few parting thoughts

Ultimately this process is very personal, and over time you’ll find what works best for you. By practicing the above many times, I’ve noticed my pre-race ritual not only gets me incredibly well set-up to race, but also gives me long-lasting energy and excitement to help carry me through it.

By the time I’m at the start line, I’ve been getting ready for a few hours. I have caffeine and am carb-loaded, and most importantly, I am mentally prepared for the challenge ahead. I know it will be tough, but I remind myself that I get the opportunity to do this… I am lucky that I can run and race for fun, and so, I’m determined to enjoy it.

I hope this helps you create or adapt your pre-race ritual to the one that best suit your needs! Of course, you can always skip the routine and just wake up and go directly to the start line (done it before, and personally, it was rough!). I just find the above process to be an enjoyable routine for each and every race I participate in.

Do you have a pre-race ritual you live by? Drop a comment to chat about it!

Thank you very much for reading. I appreciate you being here. 🙂

Fortitudine Vincimus

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