It was Friday afternoon and I was running lateee to pick up some other Moms and head to OC. I was out all day, didn't finish packing beforehand, and the kids were just home from school. So I was throwing clothes into my suitcase while doing a ballet bun for my oldest and getting snacks for all of the munchkins. Oh, and seeing all of the papers that they were taking out of their take-home folders. Because obviously that needed to happen right then.
Let's just skip ahead and learn that I left for the trip without the bag that had my liquid IV, my Ucan gels, my handheld running water bottle and my flipbelt. I did at least have my shoes, some pop tarts and my outfit. Not the most ideal of situations, but could have been worse.
To add a bit to the situation, this was my first race where I had to be bussed to the start. For those who have done it, you likely know that it changes some things, and for those who don't, I'll help ya out.
At the end of the day everything turned out fine. I likely went a little slower without all of my accoutrements, but I was able to enjoy the race and cross the finish line.
This little scenario did lead me to want to share with you some of the important items that I needed for race day, and either did or did not have with me..
Here are 10 items I needed for race day:
1 - A sweatshirt
It was colder than I anticipated the morning of the race. Being that we had to get on the bus 1.5hr before the start of the race, and then had to sit outside to wait, I needed a sweatshirt to stay warm. I ended up doing bag check last minute which worked out nicely.
2 - Fuel
Oh how I wish I had my Ucan edge gels with me. I did end up getting my hands on two huma gels, but I likely could have used 3-4. Next time I know to pack those in with my regular suitcase and not a separate bag.
3 - Hydration
I like to stay on top of hydration when racing and it is much easier for me to do so when I have a handheld water bottle and my liquid IV. I was fortunate to be traveling with other runners who kindly shared their liquid IV with me the night before and morning of the race. But I did have to result to the old water station cups and spilled more of each sip than I actually drank.
4 - Sunglasses
I think I forgot to mention above, but my sunglasses were in the left-behind bag as well. It didn't change the game for me, but it was a sunny day and it would have been nice to have them.
5 - Flipbelt
Oh I love my flipbelt. It holds my keys, my fuel, my phone. Again, it wasn't the end of the day that I didn't have it but I did end up having to hold my phone the entire race, which is just not as freeing or ideal.
6 - An extra hair tie
One of the last things you want the morning of a race is for your hair tie to break and you to be left stranded. Always have a back-up.
7 - Sunscreen
I didn't think about sunscreen for some reason until the morning of the race this time. A bit late to actually use it. My face definitely got a little red that day.
8 - Arm sleeves
The race was warm enough that I knew I didn't want long sleeves, but cold enough that I could have used some arm sleeves that I then could have either stuck in my flipbelt or thrown away.
9 - Running shoes
My glorious running shoes. I very fortunately did not leave these behind, and I don't know what I would have done if I had. I love my running shoes and highly recommend having a good pair of running shoes for any race.
10 - Two coffees
Okay this sounds excessive, but if you know me, you know I need my coffee. Not only did we have to get on the bus 1.5hr before the start, but the hotel coffee that I had access to was way too small to be able to manage my coffee addiction. So I looked a little crazy but I did absolutely take two to-go cups on that bus with me.
Some of these things I had, some I forgot. While having a list is clearly not fool-proof since I still ended up leaving half of my race items at home, I want to share my race-day checklist with you.
I hope this helps you out and that you head into your race day prepared and ready to go!
Happy Running!
XO
Your Favorite Mess Coordinator,
Teddi
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