I am a very nervous and fidgety person – always worried that something will not go according to a plan (though it is not as bad as it used to be) so my first races were pretty neurotic experience from the night before to the point I actually started to run. As with everything else, practice makes perfect so more races I did, more I got used to the whole thing.
What to wear? What to eat? When to go to sleep? When to arrive at the start? What if I forget something? What if the weather is really bad? What if I’m not able to finish? These are just few of the questions constantly floating in my head the night before. Most of the time I can tame the practical ones – I prepare my gear and nutrition the day before, I make sure I know how to get to the start and what time I need to be there and always add 30 minutes extra just to be on the safe side. I check the weather forecast and pack an extra layer if just in case something goes terribly wrong in the atmosphere. I also prepare my post race bag with dry clothes and snacks that I leave in the baggage tent. Then I recheck everything about five times. I admit I am slightly OCD when it comes to races but it helps me to fight the nerves and over the time the process has become a ritual. Though sometimes the nerves still get the better of me.
Eva Marasca 