Pre-Race Routine

I'm not a particularly superstitious person. I can be anal about some things, but I'm not one of those OC people who have to have things lined up a certain way or have to put their right sock on before their left or are germ-o-phobic or anything like that (quite the opposite, actually).

My pre-race routine really consists of having as much information as possible. And I want that information to be extremely accurate. I don't like going into situations blindly; I like to know the 411. I get comfort from knowing, even if none of the things are within my control.

Case in point: last weekend I organized a group training run up on part of the race course so that I could get a bit of a preview. Today, I drove up to get my race registration sorted out and decided to drive the part of the course that I had not seen last weekend. The course is what it is (a few hills, but I can deal with that) and I can't do anything to change it, but I get great comfort in knowing what I'll be up against on race day.

And I guess I'm kind of like that in life in general. I don't like surprises. I don't generally like the unknown, yet I also have confidence in myself that I can adapt to any situation that's presented to me once I'm in it. I think it's more that I don't want to be embarassed or humiliated or ridiculed for being naive or ignorant. I don't want to mess up, so I like to be prepared for things ahead of time.

Having said that, it's not like I won't go to new places or do new things. In fact, I do all kinds of things on my own that many other people wouldn't do (like go to a party by myself, even if I don't know many people there). But I still like to get the lay of the land as much as possible beforehand. I guess it's about having some tiny bit of control when everything else is outside of my control.

That could also be why I am so obsessed by maps and directions. Before I go anywhere new I always map out the route and review it several times so that I know where I'm going at all times. I find maps very comforting. And I'm totally stoked about this new G00gle mapping application that someone developed that allows me to map out my running route and distances anywhere in North America (maybe even in the world, although I've never tried)! It's very cool.

So, I'm going into tomorrow's race with as much information about the course as possible. I have either run or driven the entire course and I've mapped it out so I know where all the kilometer markers are, too.

If only the other areas of my life were like that.