Professional runner Nell Rojas shares her pre-race evening routine, including what she eats for dinner and.
Will the weather behave?
Do you know exactly where the starting line is and where to park?
Will your breakfast be enough to help you push through the miles?
saysNell Rojas, who is a professional runner and run coach.
Part of what helps is having a pre-race evening routine.
Nike-sponsored long-distance runner and former triathlete
Taking action to prepare the mind and body for the next day prevents scrambling around in the morning.
What does a pre-race evening routine look like for a professional runner?
Three and two days before race day, she says she rests up.
Then, the day before shell go for a nice easy runnothing too strenuous.
Rojas says shell do a short run at whatever pace she wants to maintain the next day.
Then, shell finish with somedynamic stretching.
Getting your body moving is a good way to shake off some of the jitters too.
One example of what this looks like is chicken and ricewith no veggies.
She also makes sure she eats early in the evening, too.
Nike-sponsored long-distance runner and former triathlete
To do this, she says she focuses on process goals instead of outcome goals.
Theres so much pressure, especially with social media, to have these great finishing times.
This, she says, can take away from what the race should be about: having fun!
For her, thats typically oatmeal with honey and peanut butter.
I also verify I have what Ill want for after the race, Rojas says.
On her list are a jacket, a banana, and a protein bar.
Ive done too many races where Im freezing and starving after I finish, she says.
So now I come prepared.
At 10 p.m., its lights out.
If I go to bed any earlier, I just end up lying in bed awake, Rojas says.
For her, this is the perfect sweet spot for getting enough sleep before the big day.
And with all her prep done, she can wake up cool and confident, ready to race.
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