Competition Day Routine

I have been asked to give a little overview of what I think is the best considerations for what to do/eat/drink on the day of a meet, game, etc.  This is vital to performance maximization, so I am going to give you a short list of you what you need to do think about and do so you can be your best.

1) Set out all your items such as uniforms, shoes, warm-ups, etc., the night before and place them in a bag, except the items you will wear when you leave your house.  Setting your clothes out the night before allows you to prep when you are aware of items you will need rather than shuffling around in the morning, half-asleep.

2) Don't eat a huge meal the night before a morning race or a morning game because you may not have enough time to flush everything out of your system.  Eat a normal, healthy meal and get plenty of fluids (because we lose fluid during our sleep).  Make sure you wake up with enough time to do your normal morning routine (i.e. don't wake up late and rush to get to the meet).

3) Count back 8 hours from when you plan on waking up and go to bed at that time.  Unless you plan on waking up at some ridiculous hour like 3 A.M., this shouldn't be too much of an issue.  It is well known that teens need a lot of sleep, yet don't get enough.  Don't cost yourself a victory because you were too stubborn to go to bed at a reasonable time.

4) Start taking in fluids as soon as you wake up to replenish what you lost, but the closer you get to the race, slow it down to a sip here and there to avoid cramps or the need for last minute bathroom breaks.  As far as eating, don't eat a bunch, and know your stomach!  If you can't handle a whole sandwich in the morning, eat half of one, but never attempt to race off of eating nothing.  You spent a lot of calories at night, and you don't even realize it.

5) Don't eat heavy items.  Stick to foods that will either digest while not upsetting your stomach, or foods that you know won't bounce around when running.  Items such as peanut butter on a whole wheat bagel, thicker racing gels, or some non-sugary cereals can be good.  Try to avoid lactose (milk), fatty foods (fast food), or large amounts of food.  Also, never try to eat something new on race day that you haven't tried before such as drinking coffee if you aren't a regular coffee drinker, or trying any type of food with ingredients you normally don't eat.

Follow these rules and you will be set on race day.  But always, know your body and make adjustments when necessary.