Recently I was reading a thread on the TTP Running Facebook page and someone asked a question about Pre Race Rituals. There are a lot of TTP runner’s that are getting ready to run the Bluenose Marathon this coming weekend so it’s a great place to get some advice right now.
It made me think….what are MY pre race rituals? I really had to think about it. At first all I could think of were my pre game rituals for soccer:
- Thin socks under my shin pads, than soccer socks on top.
- A warm up/stretch.
- A few touches on the ball with someone else or on my own – a must.
Pretty basic. But, if I don’t have thin socks under my shin pads….it throw’s off my game!
After thinking about my running rituals, this is what I came up with:
- Pasta dinner the night before a race
- (More recently) Getting “Flat Anna/Piper” all ready to go
- Charge Garmin
- Bagel with peanut butter and banana for breakfast, maybe a little OJ.
- Pee as much as I can before the race
- Talk the butterfly’s out of my stomach as I line up for the run
- Sandals for my post race drive home 🙂
Some rituals that were shared:
- Left sock on then right sock on. Left shoe on then right shoe.
- Don’t wear race t-shirt before/during race
- Double knotted laces
- Music pumping while you get dressed/drive to race
- Bib numbers with a specific number in it (ie: favourite number)
So what are your Pre Race Rituals ?
Are there any rituals that you don’t think anyone else does?
What is the weirdest ritual you’ve heard of?
Piper's Run 
I don’t really have any rituals, but I have read where people put a lucky penny in their shoe. Which blows my mind because I would develop a major blister from it, I’m sure
Yes, I would think they would get a blister from that!
I don’t know if I have many pre-race rituals but I’ve got this great post race ritual that involves eating all the food 😉
Ahh yes, the post race eating 🙂
Haha, nice! I’ve played sports my whole life, so superstitions are always with me. I like to wear my Ohio University tech shirts when in big races. Now watching sports is a whole other deal – where, what I eat/drink, where I sit/stand, where other people are sitting/standing, if my arm is positioned a certain way…etc….it all affects the outcome of the match! Ha!
Sounds like your into it!!!!
Nice post…I never really thought of it as rituals, but pump’n music is one of them and I usually meet my running friends at Starbucks and get a short whatever I’m feeling latte (not real healthy, but oh well). 🙂
I didn’t think of them as rituals either but it works sometimes 🙂
Oh I definitely have rituals. I am definitely a left sock, right sock, left shoe, right shoe. Try to stop me!
That’s awesome!!!
Breaky is toast with PB, a banana and coffee for sure. Ipod and Garmin charged and ready to go. A change of clothes packed for after the race and my lulu hoodie cause I cool down quickly and get cold. And one last stop for the bathroom before I line up. 🙂
Good luck this weekend. Rock it!
Thanks!
🙂
Pre-race rituals make the world go round, in my opinion. I certainly have mine–I have a whole day-before race/super long run diet that I pretty well follow (and look forward to) and I have my whole stretching ritual that must occur the day of. A lot of that is due to having been injured in the past, but anything that helps you get through it, right?! When I rode horses, I had a ton of rituals, especially when i was younger, and if I missed one, I might not panic (unless I didn’t have my lucky necklace on, then, yes, panic) but it would certainly weigh on my mind. One thing that really helped me one day was that I made the decision that I would “make my own luck” and that really helped. But I definitely developed associations with things and superstitions–like certain socks brought me up or down, etc. We are silly people, us athletes!
Sounds like your pre-race rituals work… I love “make my own luck” – might try that this weekend. We sure are silly people!
Pingback: Post Race Rituals | Piper's Run