How to Plan The Night Before a Race
The Six P’s: Proper Preparation Prevents Piss-Poor Performance
After months of hard work, the night before race day has finally arrived. Knowing how to plan the night before a race will ensure you have a successful and stress-free race morning. Print out or write down all important race details, lay out the clothing and gear you’ll need for the race, make a detailed schedule for the morning, and then go to bed early.
This plan will serve you well no matter what race distance you are running. Whether you are taking on a Marathon, Half-marathon, 10K, 5K, or a track race, these principles apply.
1. Review Important Race and Travel Details
Read the latest emails from the race organizer. They may contain important last-minute changes.
Check the race’s website for any last-minute details.
Check the hourly weather for the race. Will it be hot, cold, or mild? Sunny or overcast? Windy or calm? Use this information to inform your clothing choices and race strategy.
Don’t waste your time or mental energy checking the weather several days in advance! Obsessing over this will only add stress.
Confirm how you will get to the event.
If driving, review and write down the directions. Sometimes GPS’s don’t work.
Where can you park? Where is bib pickup? Where is the start line?
2. Lay Out Your Clothing and Pack a Gear Bag
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Based on the weather, lay out the clothing (racing kit) you will race in. You want to look sharp on race day!
Also lay out a warm-up kit of a long-sleeve top, athletic pants, warm hat, light jacket, buff, and gloves.
First thing in the morning get that racing kit on! Make sure your warm-up kit on top of it. You will travel to the race wearing these clothes so you can save time by not having to change when you get to the event.
Pack a Gear Bag with runner’s body lubricant, your racing shoes, a water bottle, a pre-race snack or energy gel, a post-race snack or meal. Spare Socks (in case yours get wet before the race), and any other essentials.
Use a backpack or duffle bag big enough to hold your ‘warm-up clothes’ when you strip them down pre-race. You’ll stash this bag in the “gear-check”, with a friend, or in a discrete spot before the race starts.
3. Write Down a Schedule for the Morning
Verify when the race starts and then work backward.
Give yourself some buffer for each step. Things always take longer than expected. There is no need to rush.
Here’s an example: If the race starts at 8:00am then you know you need to be in the starting corral at ~7:50am (earlier for a major marathon or large race). So you need to start your warmup by 7:00am. So you need to pick up your bib at 6:45am. So you need to get to the parking location at 6:30am. So you need to leave your house at 5:30am. So you need to wake up at 4:30am.
In this case, your schedule would be…
4:30am – ALARM CLOCK
5:30am – LEAVE HOME
6:30am – ARRIVE AT RACE PARKING
6:45am – BIB PICKUP
7:00am – START WARMUP
7:50am – LINE UP AT START
8:00am – RACE START
4. Go to Bed Early
You’ve done all you can. Just like on Christmas Eve, the sooner you go to bed the sooner the big day will come 😉
Occasionally athlete’s will struggle to sleep well the night before an important race. Don’t worry. If you have been practicing good habits and getting plenty of sleep in the week leading up to race day, then one night’s poor sleep will not affect how well you do.
Do your best to sleep well the night before and have a great race!
