packing

So girls, we have almost made it. Only three more sleeps and we will be at the Gold Coast running our hearts out. So I guess most of you have had an awful week filled with anxiety and general pmt, ready to kill something. You can’t stop feeling the niggles, your hungry. Your tired, you may even be sick, but you have your eyes still on the prize yes? Yes.

Marathon day (or half marathon day for some of you…or even 10k day) is fast approaching and Im going to give you some tips for the next few days.

Make sure that you can get some good decent sleep. Go to bed early. Get at least 7-8 hours and let yourself sleep in if you must. Rest. You deserve it. After all, no one feels like getting out of bed in the freezing cold weather anyway.

Hydrate. Now is the time to make sure that you are hydrating. Water. Electrolytes. You MUST do this, especially if you are expecting a hot race. This is extremely important if you are running a marathon. Hydration early means less chance of dehydration on the run. Get it in you now. You feel dehydrated on the day….it is too late.

Relax. Get a relaxing massage (nothing too hard), go see a movie, have some naps, lay in the sun and soak up the rays..whatever you want to do, do it and take on no extra stress. Envisage your race. Dream of you crossing that line with your goal in mind. You know you can do this. Chase away negative thoughts and BELIEVE that you have this.

Eat. Good food. Make sure you have fuelled your body for the long haul. Make sure that you are eating enough for whats to come and storing up the energy supplies your going to need for race day for your muscles. Now is not the time to diet and watch your calories. Just enjoy food for a few days and make sure that there is nothing different that you haven’t tried before that could upset your stomach.

Make sure you know your plan for race day. Check the schedule, where the race starts, when it starts, what the weather is going to be like, where the aid stations are. The lot. Know it, and run it over in your mind.

Pack. Pack your bags! Your leaving on a jet plane, or perhaps a road trip. Make sure you are packed a few days before so that you don’t have to rush to get things organised last minute and stress yourself out. A really good tip if you are flying is to pack a carry on bag with your race gear in it *just in case* something happens to your bag. You don’t want to be running naked on race day!!! 🙂

Pick up your bib. Check into your hotel and relax. Meet up with your running friends and get EXCITED!!!!!