Racing Day! It's Racing Day

If you are running in the Bass Pro, ING New York, Manchester, Indianapolis, Harpeth Hill Flying Monkeys, Seattle, Mississippi Coast, Gobbler Grind, Philly, Mesquite, Valley of Fire, Outer Banks, Pensacola, San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll, Savannah Rock 'n' Roll, Fort Worth, Malibu, Rim Rock, Santa Barbara, SunTrust Richmond, Soldier, Charlotte's Thunder Road, Chickamauga Battlefield, Stone Cat, Lithia Loop, or Stinson Beach marathon, then you need to be ready for game day!

Today is the day you have prepared for. Emotionally and physically, you have put heart and soul into lacing up today’s shoes and finishing a marathon. Congratulations! Though the best is yet to come, think about what you have already accomplished.

1. You have run distances you probably never imagined before.
2. You have pushed your body like it has never been tested before.
3. Mentally, you have endured the solitary confinement of the long run, which is an emotional marathon itself.
4. I expect you have lost a little weight. If you haven’t, no big deal. That wasn’t necessarily your goal.
5. Your heart and vascular system are stronger. That counts for something!
6. Most importantly, you have gazed deep into the wishing well of your heart’s desire and pulled out your life’s dreams. You now know how to get it. You’ve proven it by preparing for – and by the end of the day, finishing – a marathon!

You should be so proud of yourself at this very moment, but as I stated, the best is yet to come. So buckle up.

Last Night

Dinner last night should have been pretty light and almost exclusively carbohydrated. DO NOT stuff your gullet with a pot full of pasta expecting it to perform like nitrous oxide on race day. Eating too much, especially a slow digester like pasta, will cause bloating and running discomfort.

Eat breads and fruits. Pasta is fine, but just a little. Remember, you’re not gorging yourself before winter hibernation; you’re just fueling up for tomorrow morning. Besides, there will be breakfast too.

Race Day

5:30 a.m. - Wake up! Or at least begin the process. The starter’s pistol usually pops round 8:00 a.m. You need time to wake up, eat, get to the race, take care of biznazz, and be ready to go when the race starts.

6:00 a.m. - Eat. You should eat a light breakfast 2 hours before the race. Try a bagel with jam, a banana and juice. This will give you the carbs to turn over your engine.

Paul’s Tip: A cup of coffee ain’t gonna kill you. Yes, coffee is a diuretic, which by definition means it dehydrates you; however (a) you’re not spending the day trekking across the desert in search of water, (b) you are going to hydrate with gusto the rest of the day, and (c) lighten up, would you? A cuppa joe might be exactly what you need this early. Don’t over do it though. One cup only. Otherwise, you’ll cramp up and crap out. Don’t test yourself on this.

6:10 a.m. - Hydrate.

6:45 a.m. to 7:30  a.m - Get to the race. Give yourself enough time to arrive comfortably. Make sure you (1) Know where you are  meeting your friends or ride home after the race, (2) Find the tent or a location to store your gear, and (3) Find the Port-o-Lets.

7:30 a.m. - Pin on your totally obsolete but iconic race number, and lace up the tracking chip you either own or are borrowing.

7:20 a.m. to 7:55 a.m. 

1. Pee
2. Jog around the site for 5 minutes to warm up. 
3. Pee & whatnot 
4. Stretch
5. Pee 
6. Stay warm by jogging in place or walking around the race site. 
7. Pee & whatnot 
8. Hydrate 
9. Pee
10. Repeat

7:55 a.m. - Get in line. Assimilate into the glob of humanity amassing at the starting line. You are now one (at least for the first two miles).

7:59:59 a.m. - Suddenly realize that you need to pee one more time and allow it to burden you for another two miles.

8:00 a.m. - YAHTZEE!

8:02 a.m. - Ask yourself why the hell this mob isn’t moving.

8:05 a.m. - Ask yourself how you expect to finish a race in 4 hours when the scrum of runners shuffles at a pace of 2 m.p.h.

8:10 a.m. 8:30 a.m - Marvel at the shamelessness of elite athletes peeling off the course in 5s and 10s to sneak behind a crowded bush or squat beside the path to pee and whatnot. Ask yourself if you have it in you to get it out of you.

8:31 a.m. - Surrender to Mother Nature.

8:35 a.m. to 1:00 p.m - Run! Run like the wind! Only, run like your grandparents. Slow and steady is what wins this race.

Be sure to:

1. Take advantage of every water, sport drink, bagel bite and Goo station. You need it. And it’s free!
2. If you need to walk, walk. In fact consider stopping at every water station and walk for one minute. 
3. Thank the spectators. They are actually doing more for you by cheering than you will know.
4. Resist the temptation to speed it up. You can save this for the finish line.

FINISH LINE - Veni, Vidi, Vici! Put on your medal and Mylar and get out of the way. Nothing is uglier than the entangled nastiness of fatigued runners clogging up the finish line.

POST RACE - There will be snack tables with bananas, energy bars, sports drinks, bagel

bites, and other good stuff. Go straight there and replenish your body with the carbohydrates and nutrients it is ravenous for.

Stretch. Stretch ever so delicately. Your body is vulnerable. Be tender.

Walk around the race site if you can. If not, Go home or to your hotel room and clean yourself up.

Take an ibuprofen and walk around for an hour or so. Walking is necessary to help your body repair. Otherwise, if you sit and stagnate, rigor mortis will take over and you will be doomed. if not, you’ll at least be very stiff and feel it for a few days.

THAT NIGHT - Just soak it all in. You did it! You did it, you baad mother-(shut yo mouth!)!

You rock! In my book, you are the one who rocks. Congratulations.