10 Must Haves For Running Your Race

I just finished my first half marathon and it was AMAZING!!  I had the best time and know I'll be planning another one soon!  When I first signed up I wanted to hear the BEST things to gear up with so I had a comfortable race.  I was clueless and had 12 weeks to prepare so I was all ears!  I posted about it and got a LOT of suggestions and advice which lead to me trying a variety of different things during my training.  These were my favorites that I continued to use and had with me on race day.  I  wanted to post them here so if you're planning on running a race you can be prepared too!  =)  Click the name for a link to purchase or see pricing!  Let me know if you have any questions!

1.  Beachbody Energize-  I drank this in the wee hours of the morning before each training run and I put an overflowing scoop in my shaker cup on race day!  It wakes you up, gets your blood pumping and those feet ready to MOVE and perform your best!!!!  Just the energy I needed because some mornings I was TIRED!  The entire Beachbody Performance line has nothing artificial, is NSF certified and the official supplement of all IRONMAN so you know it's going to do it's job!  

2.  Feetures-  They have 2 kinds of socks...one is for comfort and extra cushion, the other is a thin wicking pair.  I knew it was going to be cold and rainy on race day so the wicking pair worked perfect for me!  I would buy both but if it's supposed to be rainy or if you're doing a mud run than use the wicking ones! After you read #3 you'll see my feet had no problems despite the weather conditions and I think the glide and socks had everything to do with that!!  These socks are also super cute and come in tons of colors which is fun!  =)  

3. Body Glide-  Rub this on any part of your body where your clothes or skin rub so you don't get a burn.  Usually under your arms, thighs, booty...you know, the personal places where chafing could occur.  Since I knew it was going to be raining, I rubbed this magic ALL OVER my feet and after running in puddles to my ankles with wrinkly feet I still had not 1 blister!!  Amazing I tell ya!!  

4.  Flipbelt-  I don't know about you but when I run I don't want to hold anything in my hands and I don't want anything bouncing around on me!  I liked this belt because it could hold my nutrition, phone, mace, keys, etc. and it wouldn't move so I didn't even know it was there!  Great way to hold your belongings comfortably!

5.  Wireless Headphones-  These headphones are wireless, waterproof and stay put while you run!   I can't stand continuing to push buds in my ears or having a wire bouncing around my arms so I highly recommend these!  Very reasonable price too which is always a plus!

6.  Gu Energy Gel- Oh how I love this stuff on those long run days and race day!!  Perfect dose of nutrition to give you that boost so you don't feel so drained!  My favorite flavor was Strawberry Kiwi and then Sea Salt Chocolate!  Delicious!!!!

7. Running Headband- Clearly I wouldn't wear this in the Summer but when I run in the wind and cold I HAVE to wear something over my ears or they hurt! I wore this one from the CALAI line during my practice runs and through the rain on race day and loved it!  It doesn't fall forward or backwards so I didn't have to mess with it and it kept my ears cozy without being hot!  

8. Foam Roller- Runners often have knee problems but sometimes it's actually just related to tight muscles and needing to stretch better!  Foam rolling relaxes your muscles and is kind of like getting a deep massage.  I really focused on my IT Band (you can search YouTube for moves) and it helped tremendously with my knee pain!  After I starting doing this the pain was GONE!!!  (Until after my race that is but more about that on #10!)   

9.  Beachbody Recover- After my runs I always drink some Recover!  It's chocolatey and delicious, gives me a huge dose of protein to refuel after a workout plus speeds muscle recovery and combats soreness!  It was a lifesaver!!   I prefer chocolate but it's also available in orange!  

10.  Stretching-  I felt great during my race!  It was fun and I didn't have any pain but the day after... my knees were killing me!  A friend suggested I go get stretched from a place in town and I was skeptical but the pain was bad so I gave it a shot!  He stretched me for an hour (IT Band moves and more!) and I got off the table and immediately could tell a huge difference!  When I got home I iced my knee and the next day I had absolutely NO PAIN!  I went from barely putting weight on it to working out again in 1 day.  It was incredible and I am now a believer!  Hallelujah, Amen!!!  If your local the place is called The Stretch Factor but I'm sure there are similar places around you! =)

My best piece of advice is to find a good training schedule so you don't hurt yourself and have fun!!!  I said yes to this not because it was on my bucket list but because I actually DIDN'T want to do it and knew it would be a challenge!  I kept the attitude of having fun and really didn't put pressure on myself to get a certain time but to just train and finish...ME vs. ME!  =)  God is with me and this will be FUN was my motto!  I ended up loving the entire process and will keep on running!  Good luck at your race and let me know if you end up trying any of my favorites!  I'd love to hear all about your training and race day experience so comment below or send me a message!  You're going to do awesome!

You can read about my race day HERE!

Here is the training schedule I used!