“I always drink a cold beer with my dinner the night before a race,” says Jen Correa from Staten Island, NY. Consider a beer or glass of wine to help you relax Professional runner and Polar athlete Molly Huddle swears by pre-race manicures – bonus points if you paint your nails in the official race colors. If you love baths, take a bath (just don’t stay in a super hot one for too long – you don’t want to get dehydrated), and if face masks are your thing, relax with one for a while. “It’s the least I can do for them before they take me through a marathon.” “I like to shave my legs and put on some fancy lotion,” says Kiera Carter from New York City. “It gives me something to look forward to the next day when I’m suffering.” (Just make sure your race allows headphones – many don’t!) 3. “I like to add a few surprise songs to my mix that I didn’t have on there before,” says Beth Meale Risdon of Boulder, CO. ![]() Put the finishing touches on your playlist Photo courtesy of Polar Global Ambassador Sarah Pappusch. “I want to know where I need to be when – and I still show up way too early, just to be safe.” Factor in extra time for traffic, parking, walking to the start, bathroom visits with long lines, and time to warm up. “I always read all the pre-race information in the race packets or on the website,” says Angela Colarusso Boonstra from Hoboken, NJ. (Anti-chafe balm, electronics, directions, something warm to wear before the start, a change of clothes for after the race, etc.) Make sure everything you need is fully charged, and even consider prepping your breakfast and pre-race coffee ahead of time. Lay out your outfit – including shoes, socks, your bib, and safety pins – and every single thing you may need before you leave the house or hotel. Prepare, gather, charge, and organize everything you’ll need on race morning And if you’re not a coffee drinker but all your race buddies are downing iced macchiatos the morning of, consider a hard pass on that one, too.) 1. (If you haven’t had a beer since college, the night before the race may not be the time to test whether a bottle of Bud Light will, in fact, help you relax. Just remember – it’s your race, so always default to what works for you. Here are 12 tried, true, and tested pre-race strategies longtime runners swear by. One night of tossing and turning isn’t going to derail your race.) (So if you’re too anxious to doze off or you wake up every hour afraid of missing your pre-race alarm, don’t fret. Most running pros and race veterans will reassure you that the night before the big race isn’t actually the most important one – and that the sleep you get two nights before you toe the line is the sleep that matters most. Now, your goal race – whether it’s your first 5K or that ultra you’ve spent 12 months training for – is just a few hours away. You’ve logged the miles, you’ve taken the post-workout naps, and you’ve eaten a whole lot of carbohydrates along the way.
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