I'm not usually superstitious...umbrellas in the house don't faze me; I
don't think twice about walking under ladders; I think Friday the 13th
is actually lucky; and I only avoid black cats because I'm
allergic to cats of every color. The only superstition I follow
regularly (although I don't really believe in it) is to avoid killing
spiders because it causes rain.
Running superstitions, however, are a very different story.
For example, I like to start each run with the same song, even if I've
mixed up the rest of my playlist. For a long time it was 30 Seconds to
Mars's "Closer to the Edge", but lately it's New Order's "Age of
Consent". Hearing the familiar intro creates a Pavlovian effect and I
just feel ready to run when the song comes on!
If I've been having trouble motivating myself to run or have been having
a string of rough runs, I wear one of my Sub-30 Club shirts or
headbands. They always seem to get me out of a funk, and the support of
those friends feels tangible when I'm wearing our logo.
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| It's a good thing I own three Sub-30 shirts and three headbands...I can use them for motivation six days a week! |
One of my running routes seems lucky, too. It's impossible to run it and
have a bad run! The weather is always perfect, my splits excellent, my
shuffled playlist hits all my favorite songs...but I try not to take
that route too often because I don't want to use up the good luck.
(Isn't that weird?!)
I also have a pre-run routine I have to follow or I feel kind of "off"
the entire time. I take everything I'll need out of my running bag and
line them up on the car's armrest in order: inhaler and aerochamber,
headphones (if I'm using them that day), phone, armband, car key, and
gum. Then I use my inhaler and pack it back in the bag, set up my
headphones and put the case away, store my running bag somewhere safe in
the car, set up my phone, tuck my key into a pocket, take a tiny sip of
water, pop in my gum, and then I get out of the car.
If I miss a step in that process, my whole run feels weird.
One last superstition I have is about January races; they just always
seem to be the ones I fall apart during. I broke that particular curse
last January when I ran the Suncoast Half, and then I realized that maybe the bad luck was about one race in particular, the Naples Daily News Half. I've resolved to never run that one again!
Do you have any superstitions, running-related or otherwise?
Do you have a good-luck outfit?
ABK
Like you, I don't think of myself as a typically superstitious person, but I am very weird about a particular pair of socks. I've worn then for all three of my marathons and all of the training runs over 13 miles. I wore them in my most recent half as well. I bought another pair of them about a 6 weeks ago so that I'd have backup in case anything went wrong with them before a race, but they didn't have the same color available. I don't like the new color (which is so dumb, I don't particularly like the color of the old ones either) so I've never worn the new socks. Haha, so silly.
ReplyDeletep.s. - I love that song. so much.
YES, I have special socks to wear for races too!! I'll wear other socks to train in, but I only race in a particular pair. I love that the color of your socks matters! I agree, I have my special socks in two colors and I always pick one over the other.
DeleteLike you, I am not at all superstitious but I have a few running superstitions. I won't run the day before a race, even if it's just 2 miles super slow. I also won't wear the race tee during the race - I don't care if others do it but I feel like I'm just tempting fate by wearing the shirt before I actually finish.
ReplyDeleteI have a pair of Under Armour capris that I could SWEAR make me run faster. I call them my fast pants. I've banged out some great tempo runs in those pants, and I wore them to my first marathon and 2 of my 4 half marathons. I also have a pair of slow pants that I think I run slower in. I save them for runs I don't really care about or know won't be fast/good. They are winter pants, and luckily winter is over so I can say goodbye to them for a while!
I never wear race shirts until the race is over! And if I DNF or DNS, I don't wear the shirt either. I feel like I need to earn it to wear it haha.
DeleteYou need to find those super fast pants in a shorts version for summer!
I don't know if it has to do with superstitions but I am a very methodical person. Like you, I follow the same process for getting ready for a run, and I like doing everything in order. I also get ready for work in the same order each day, do my morning tasks at work in the same order, etc. I like order and processes. If my routine gets thrown off track I definitely get cranky and feel thrown off. I used to get really angry but I've been working on that! :)
ReplyDeleteI like to get ready for work in order too, but I think that has more to do with feeling rushed if I'm eating breakfast in PJs instead of already dressed and ready to go haha.
DeleteI'm not superstitious either but I won't set my purse on the floor (or you won't be able to hold on to your money), and I won't mention someone who's passed away without following their name with May he/she rest in peace, just in case calling their name disturbs them from wherever they are.
ReplyDeleteOff to kill some spiders so I can solve the drought problem in So Cal! :)
I just learned the purse thing and now I'm a little more careful about that, which is so silly because it's not REAL of course...but maybe it makes me a little more mindful of my spending, so maybe it does help!
DeleteLining all your running stuff up in the car I'm sure is a great way just to always make sure you have everything you need! Before a race, I lay everything out on my bed. I like to start from bottom to top. So I'll get out my shoes, then socks, then shorts, etc. It's not a superstition but more of something to do to be sure I have EVERYTHING.
ReplyDeleteI love that Michael Scott quote. He was so freaking funny. :) Like you, I don't believe in superstitions either.
I pile all my race stuff up instead of laying it out...I would probably be more prepared and wouldn't forget things if I laid it out neatly so I could see it all.
DeleteI don't really have any superstitions even before I run. I'm trying to think back and can't think of any - sort of weird I guess;)
ReplyDeleteI like your header - it looks different!!!
I updated the header this week...I just felt like things needed a little face-lift!
DeleteI agree....race superstitions - whether running or doing a tri - are serious business!!!
ReplyDeleteVery serious! Once you have good luck, you need to try to recreate it!
DeleteI'm usually a big routine person but when it comes to running, I don't really have any methodology. I make sure I have my watch but I don't really need anything else. I always forget my EPI pen and when I go to the trails I do try to have my water pack out but I always forget to pack something I need--like tissue lol
ReplyDeleteI forget tissues all the time...and the times I forget them are definitely when I need them most!
DeleteThe only running related superstition I follow is my pre-run carb load dinner. For all of last year I had to eat pasta and chicken beforehand. Now I've switched to steak and potatoes, but I always have to eat that the Friday or Saturday before I race. And I like to take pics of myself before I run. That's about it. But I also think Friday the 13th is a lucky day!
ReplyDeleteI like pre-run pics too, but I don't think it falls in to my craziness because I can take them or leave them haha. Having a set meal to eat the night before a race is smart! You know it agrees with your stomach and works well the day of the race!
DeleteI have never heard of the killing a spider superstition! I really don't have any superstitions when it comes to running. I'm a very type-B person, I have to wear my Grandma's pin at every race but that's about it!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love that you wear your Grandma's pin. Actually, when I read this comment, I immediately wondered if I had anything I could carry with me like that, but the only small thing I have from my grandma is a ruby ring and I can't wear that running!
DeleteI never heard of the spider/rain superstition. I do not really have superstitions when it comes to running, just a routine I like to follow :)
ReplyDeleteI wonder where the line gets drawn between superstition and routine. I guess it depends on how freaked out you get from deviating from the routine!
DeleteI'm very weird about other things in life but for some reason NOT running! THAT is what is weird to me hahaha! I love reading pre-race or pre-game routines and superstitions just to see what everyone else does. So interesting!! I do have a pair of running capris that are my speedy pants. I like to save them for hard track workouts because I know I will be comfortable and feel very in the zone in these pants haha!
ReplyDeleteI think saving a certain pair of pants for tough workouts is kind of a superstition...they make you feel more confident and capable!
DeleteLove this post! I think I am most supersittious about the day of the race and wearing certain clothing that "give" me good luck!
ReplyDeleteSame! It's funny because I know the training is really what makes me capable, but the lucky clothes really seem to do the trick!
DeleteI'm not real superstitious either, but on race day (and night before) I am! I have to run with certain clothing, socks, eat certain foods... really, I'm like nuts. And then if I don't do it, I get all weird and upset. Running really brings out the crazy. haha!
ReplyDeleteI'm beginning to see a pattern...I think most runners get a little superstitious on race day!
DeleteI ran all of my XC races in the same pair of socks - washed, of course ;) - that's about as superstitious as I get :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like those are some lucky socks!
Delete