Forums >Racing>Dress Rehearsals
I'm doing a dress rehearsal for my upcoming marathon tomorrow. But, I can't do everything that I'm going to do on race day. So, I'm thinking about the most important things to test out. I was curious about what other people do when they do a "dress rehearsal" for a race - any race. (And, it's been a while since we've had a poll.)
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On every one of my 17 marathons, I've worn something new (not everything, just one piece at least). It works for me. I do a dress rehearsal with similar clothing (same type of skirt, different color,e tc.)
To me, the most important part of the dress rehearsal is the socks. I have an issue with my toe and if the sock bunches, it's a no go since I would have to stop a gazillion times during the race. If the feet are happy, the rest are too. Good luck.
Damaris
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Half Fanatic 12680
I do a run in the clothes I am planning to wear at the time that the race starts after eating what I plan to eat on race day. I have learned the hard way that trying out socks is crucial.
At some point in training, I test gear and food and try to mimic parts of course if I'm not close enough to the course to run it. I may test food night before and morning of. They may not all be on the same day and may be a month of more before the race - in case the gear doesn't work or needs to be tweaked. Most of these issues have generally been resolved over the years, but occasionally I'll have new gear (vest) or try some new food that needs to get added to the mix.
I don't have a dress rehearsal for a marathon unless you call the previous marathon i ran a rehearsal. I have my regular race gear that i will wear for any of the important races I wear and so i will end up running in the that outfit I wear for the marathon several times before. When one of the items needs to be replaced usually try to get the same item (shoe, shorts, etc) and I will usually wear the new item at least once before a marathon just to make sure it feels all right. However I have had to replace items at the last minute and didn't test them first. In fact i once ran a marathon in a brand new pair of shoes, they were the same brand and style as ones I had run in but my first run in them was the marathon.
I don't do a dress rehearsal per se. I however, race in clothes that I know are comfortable and won't casue me problems. I make sure my eating habits are the same as I've done (successfully) on training runs, especially the long training runs. I make sure that I have run on the course and/or trained on similar terrain. In short, I try to make there are as few surprises as possible...trying to eliminate ALL of the surprise that I myself can actively control!
Funky Kicks 2019
I race with the same food I train with, always race in clothes/shoes I have worn before, and scope out the course online but not in person. And in my head I run the race a few dozen times, usually at 3 am on race day.
Leah, mother of dogs