Race Day Outfit

One of the worst things a runner can do is trying out something new on race day. And by something I mean anything new: a different breakfast, a new gel, new shoes, socks, underwear, shirt, pants, glasses, pouch to hold iPod, ear-buds, hat, etc.
I have a story for almost every single one of the items above. Last year, for the Scotia Half race, some one that trained with us decided to give it a try to one of the gels that are offered in the fuelling stations throughout the course of the race. You never know how your body is going to react to a new element, and you definitely don’t want to find out on race day. Well, it seems that the gel was not good on his stomach and it made him dizzy and sick. He had to finish the race walking! Another friend decided to use a new pair of bras for the race. As Murphy’s Law dictates, they moved a little, rubbing against her skin while she was running and cutting the skin under her breast!!! Someone else had a new pair of running pants and they happened to not sit fit at the waist but fell down with the running movement. I have heard stories of new socks that have caused blisters, and new breakfasts that have caused indigestion and several bathroom stops. The list is endless, and by now we all know that on race day nothing should be new, nothing.
Being this said, and knowing that next Sunday is my next race, I tested my whole race outfit today. This morning we had a 10k race pace run. Since race pace is definitely different form the pace we do on our regular Sunday long runs, it is good to test your equipment because you can know how it will behave with the speed you will be doing on race day. My clothing outfit has been tested several times already but I had three new pieces that I needed to test today: ear-buds, a new IPhone holder that goes on my arm and a new water bottle (bigger, different grip). I wanted to know if the ear-buds actually stayed in the whole time (I hated my old ones that kept falling off!), that the IPhone holder was going to stay in place and was not going to be too tight and difficult to handle, and finally, I wanted to know how much water my new water bottle could hold so I can plan my water breaks throughout the race. I also placed my fueling blocks on the little pocket of my shorts to check if they did not move a lot or felt heavy.
Everything has to be beautifully crafted so, during race day, you just worry about performing and giving your best, not about other things that could have been tested before. My three new things worked out perfect and they are now part of my official running outfit.

My Animal Lover Note: Look at their faces, eyes and mouths, aren't they suffering? Why do we kill them if there are so many ways to eat healthy and good with out causing pain and distress?