It's all in the bag

Do you have a race-day-go-to-bag?

I have been running for almost 11 years, and have been racing (a lot) in the past years. There have been  many race-day mornings spent running around my house in a frantic last-minute search for my "stuff."

Living in small-town Iowa, most of my races are at least an hour's drive from my house. If you do the math, that means I have to set my alarm an hour earlier than a lot of the racers and don't have any extra time to be searching for what I may or may not need for the morning. More often than not, things would get forgotten or I'd get a late start hitting the road.

Finally, it occurred to me that my system (or lack thereof) was not working. I also had an assortment of drawstring "swag" bags(from previous races (go figure) just begging for a purpose. So, I made a list of all those race day necessities (and potential emergency or first-aid items), and came up with my very own Race Day Go-To Bag.



Why have a  Race Day Go To Bag?
 Here's my five favorite reasons to have one:

1-It's always packed and ready so there are
2-No last-minute searches in the dark and
3-Nothing is forgotten, which will give you
4-Peace of mind - with may lead to
5-A good night's sleep

So, what's in my bag?


Little things...
These are small items that will easily get lost and buried, so I keep them in various small bags (usually acquired from expos)...things like bandages, Aquaphor, Biofreeze samples (also from expos), and mints. Not pictured are also lip balm and moleskin.

Then, there's medium-sized items that can hold their own...deodorant (travel size), Body Glide, diaper wipes.
 

Finally, there's a few "large," last-minute items that I also throw in ..... a spare pair of socks to change into (in cold weather), flip flops (also to change into, but for warm weather),  and gloves (keepers & throwaways). I'll usually toss in a fuel belt as well, because I don't always know if I'll be using/needing it until start time.



Need a list to copy/paste? Here you go...

-moleskin
-wipes (for a mini-towel bath)
-flip flops (to replace the sweaty running shoes & socks)
-lotion (for after I've wiped myself down)
--granola bar(s) (in case they don't have any that I like)
-socks (to change into when it's too cold for flip flops)
-PlowOn gum (because I'll forget it if it's not already in the bag)
-tissues
-lip balm
-hand towel(s)
-plastic grocery bag (for sweaty clothes)
-dry cleaning bag (rain cover)

last-minute throw-ins (ideally the night before):
-Ipod
-sunglasses
-gloves (keepers and throwaways)
-fuel belt (sometimes I just don't know if I'll be wearing a belt or not until the start line)

Having a go-to bag (almost) always packed and ready has saved me a lot of frantic searching in the wee hours, especially when I'm already stressed about the commute and possible delays out of my control (traffic, parking, etc.). A lot of races have a bag drop area and typically the ones that don't will have parking close by; either way  I'll have all this stuff available at or near the finish line. Also, using a draw-string bag makes it easy to carry my gear on my back.

Another strategy? Leave the bag on the door knob (the night before your race). Yes, there have been times when my bag has been left behind on the kitchen counter, next to my phone charger. (#truth #beentheredonethat)

 Do you have any race day strategies that help get you out the door? Have you ever used a go-to bag?

I'm linking up with the DC Trifecta gals ( Mar on the Run   Eat Pray Run DC  You Signed up for WHAT?) for the Friday Five. Go check it out...lots of favorites are being featured!