Run Better by Warming Up in Your Spare Clothes Before a Race
One of the more aggravating problems of warming up before a race is when you get your race clothes wet.
Standing at the starting line when you have wet feet or a sweaty singlet does not help to put you into the correct frame of mind for a race.
The solution to that problem is simple.
Bring an extra set of running clothes to a race with you.
In fact, wear those extra clothes to the race and be sure to bring your racing singlet and shoes with you so that you can change into them right before the race.
Primarily, you will want:
Running through damp grass or a puddle can quickly flood your shoes and socks with water, though, and if you jog around on a hot day with your singlet under your warmup shirt, you will discover that your singlet is all wet when you get ready to race.
In the grand scheme of things, wet race clothes at the starting line is not really a big deal.
After all, within a few minutes of starting the race, you'll probably sweat just as much or slog through the same puddles you warmed up in.
Being wet and uncomfortable is just one of those simple things that you can avoid, though, and that can help put you in a much better mood at the start of the race rather than being the cause of another annoyance.
It is always preferable to avoid distractions when ever you can, so I generally recommend that you wait until you are ready to race to change into your race shoes, clean socks and racing singlet any time that the conditions threaten to make you miserable.
This is a lesson that I have taken for granted for many years, but I was reminded of it not too long ago after jogging to the starting line with my wife at the Beach to Beacon, where we usually park over a mile from the race.
We both had backpacks on full of our post-race supplies at the end of this point to point race, but she was wearing her singlet under her warmup shirt and the humidity was hovering somewhere in the 85-95% range.
There was not much that she could do other than to stand around be itchy and uncomfortable for the next half of an hour until the race started when she would be distracted enough to forget.
Standing at the starting line when you have wet feet or a sweaty singlet does not help to put you into the correct frame of mind for a race.
The solution to that problem is simple.
Bring an extra set of running clothes to a race with you.
In fact, wear those extra clothes to the race and be sure to bring your racing singlet and shoes with you so that you can change into them right before the race.
Primarily, you will want:
- a fresh pair of socks,
- your racing singlet,
- and your racing shoes to be separate.
Running through damp grass or a puddle can quickly flood your shoes and socks with water, though, and if you jog around on a hot day with your singlet under your warmup shirt, you will discover that your singlet is all wet when you get ready to race.
In the grand scheme of things, wet race clothes at the starting line is not really a big deal.
After all, within a few minutes of starting the race, you'll probably sweat just as much or slog through the same puddles you warmed up in.
Being wet and uncomfortable is just one of those simple things that you can avoid, though, and that can help put you in a much better mood at the start of the race rather than being the cause of another annoyance.
It is always preferable to avoid distractions when ever you can, so I generally recommend that you wait until you are ready to race to change into your race shoes, clean socks and racing singlet any time that the conditions threaten to make you miserable.
This is a lesson that I have taken for granted for many years, but I was reminded of it not too long ago after jogging to the starting line with my wife at the Beach to Beacon, where we usually park over a mile from the race.
We both had backpacks on full of our post-race supplies at the end of this point to point race, but she was wearing her singlet under her warmup shirt and the humidity was hovering somewhere in the 85-95% range.
There was not much that she could do other than to stand around be itchy and uncomfortable for the next half of an hour until the race started when she would be distracted enough to forget.
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