How I get dressed for a race

I woke up on race day morning at 4:30am! I had set several alarms, just in case, but I didn't need any of them. I woke up on my own just before the first one sounded. Guess I was that anxious because I certainly wasn't that rested!

We didn't have to be in the lobby until 5:30am, but whenever I have a lot of things to coordinate, I like to leave enough time to move slowly and methodically so as not to leave anything behind. What could I possibly need to do besides get dressed? Well, shower for one (helps me wake up), and getting dressed itself required multiple steps.

I had to body glide (to prevent blisters and chafing); then, after the clothes went on, I had to affix my bib/number. To do this, I had to put on my Camelback (water belt) so I knew how much real estate I had to work with. I had to fold the bib to a smaller size, then figure out how to pin it on straight!

As for the Camelback itself, I had to make sure everything I needed was in there: goos, a mini-Clif bar, a pack of pretzels, cell phone, chap stick, my hotel room key, a $5 bill (hey, you never know) and, of course, water, to which I added an electrolyte mix. Filling the Camelback is tricky, so it took some coordination to get all 32 oz. in there without spilling.

After that, I had to check my gear bag to make sure it had pre- and post-race stuff, including sunglasses, PowerBars, my silver thermos (which I would fill with coffee -- it stays hot for 8 hours!) a clean shirt and sports bra (in case I got really cold after the race and needed to put something dry on), and Birkenstocks, among other items. And, of course, I had to make coffee and put in my contacts.


Yes, I'm a bit complicated and I like to be prepared, but that's my prerogative! The only thing I hadn't done by 5:30am was affix my race chip, and that's because I had so much trouble with it when I ran the San Francisco half-marathon in August that I figured I get someone on my team to help me (thanks, Carol!).