For those of you who play a sport, you know what it’s like to have certain superstitions. Usually, it’s a certain granola bar you eat before a game or a lucky pair of socks, but I don’t think I’ve met an athlete that doesn’t have some sort of routine or superstition before a big competition. I know I definitely have my fair share of things I ALWAYS do the night before a track race. I realized that as my routine has changed throughout high school, so I thought I’d write about it for my blog this week. Here’s my night-before-a-race routine.

Team meeting: 

Obviously, we have the weekly team meeting where our coaches go over the meet schedule, what our goals are, and give some sort of inspirational speech; however, my favorite part of these meetings is what our team calls positive mental imagery. During this, we all lay on the floor in a comfortable position while one of the coaches reads through a guided visualization that rehearses the events in which we will compete. This helps us picture ourselves at our best so that we have something to turn back to during the race if something doesn’t go as planned. It allows us to slow down and remember all the hard work that we have put in, along with reminding ourselves that we are prepared to accomplish our targets and goals. I also love this part of the meeting because it forces me to slow down and remember all the things I have to be grateful for within the sport, even if things aren’t going one hundred percent my way.

Dinner:

Obviously after a long day of school and practice, I love coming home to, what we runners like to call, carbo-load (it’s basically just an excuse for us to eat a ton of pasta the night before a race so we have plenty of energy). This is where my specific routine begins. I always get spaghetti with parmesan-crusted chicken breast and a side of mac 

and cheese from Noodles and Company (by far the best pre-race meal out there. I highly recommend it). I usually eat this while watching some sort of Disney show or movie (if I don’t have homework to work on). I like something that’s light-hearted to help keep my nerves down.

Shower:

After some homework or TV, I like to take a warm shower to calm any nerves that I have. I usually listen to a playlist that has a bunch of throwback songs, so I can get excited for the race to come. 

 

Bed time:

Finally, I’ll pack all my stuff for the next day. This includes laying out my jersey, making sure my running shoes are packed, checking that all my spikes are screwed in correctly, and picking out what kind of braid I want to do in my hair the next morning. I have a hair tie with blue and orange ribbon on it that I have worn for every track and cross country race I have run in high school, which is definitely something I have to have before I race. Then, I head to bed and usually do a little more positive mental imagery to really solidify my vision for the next day to get ready for a good race!

 

Overall, I have come to love my pre-race routine as it helps keep me grounded and excited for an opportunity to push myself to accomplish new things, even if they make me nervous. Over the years, I have tweaked the routine to my liking, and I definitely plan on replicating it as I go onto compete in college. What are some of your athletic routines or superstitions before a competition?