Race routines and rituals

Maybe it is the Catholic base. But rituals are good. Certain actions, in the right moment and right order, bring calm to chaos. Rituals performed with practiced ease, no matter the environs, breeds a familiarity that places a person in the right space.

Now, ritual should not be confused with routine. Getting up at 5:30 a.m. in the morning like clockwork, that’s routine. Sitting down on the same park bench, pulling out the same ham and cheese sandwich at a few minutes after noon each day and slurping the same brand of pop, that’s routine. Having one dedicated pub/date night, yes, is routine.

And ritual is not superstition, perish the thought. Walking under a ladder won’t bring bad luck, though an object could be dropped on head and that would be an appropriate prize for not respecting why there was a ladder erected in that location. Black cats, again, get a bad rap. And when was the last time Friday the 13^th turned into a personally harrowing day.

Rituals are often associated with athletes and entertainers. Hockey players, especially in playoffs, will get dressed the same way item by item; playoff beards are so ubiquitous they veer into cliché. Other athletes have similar routines/superstitions around first on the court/field and last off. With a season that stretches through three, baseball habits by default become superstitions – like never stepping on a foul line.

And woeful weekend warriors are not immune to routine or ritual. As something familiar, they act as needed crutch for those who would need the aid.

Spurring these reflections on race routine and rituals is the arrival of the BMO Marathon weekend and the fact more than 17,000 people will avail themselves of one of four options (marathon, marathon relay, half marathon or 8K). All with an objective in mind, all who have planned out the journey and now is the time for planning to recede and reality to intrude.

That’s why routine and ritual is so essential.

Take the pre-race meal. For me, routine means that over the course of the last few months the body headed out the door for Sunday long run at 8:30 a.m. so as to mimic when the marathon gun will go off. Each time it was the same meal, taken at the same interval and the same nutrients were consumed on the run.

Here in Vancouver all those ingredients for breakfast were brought over as the routine is meant to ensure that tomorrow the body is used to the hour and to what’s being ingested – with the goal that dedicated repetition should alleviate any tummy troubles.

Routine also leads to caution, as all those hours pounding the pavement have thrown up all kinds of unexpected situations. So in the bag today: two pairs of socks, headphones and backup headphones, short-sleeve shirt and long-sleeve shirt (weather forecasters seem as accurate as economists, just saying), along with blister cushions, full variety pack of bandages, small bottle of Vitamin I and Voltaren and IcyHot just to cover all bases.

And it is clear training is all about habitual behaviour. If it’s Monday, it must be yoga and recovery. If it’s Thursday, it’s speed work. Well, no need to go through the week. But in that schedule lies success. Slowly, surely the results are seen. It’s what keeps motivation high. Today I can go farther, faster than I did last practice.

Rituals, though, are more symbolic. On the surface, they appear as if they will make no difference to the outcome. However, the idea of the ritual when performed fuels the imagination and as any runner knows the mental is as important as the physical (as tomorrow will, hopefully, be first time completing 42.2 kms I’ll confirm then).

The pre-night meal and the idea of carbing up! It literally feeds the body and mind. Pasta is a popular choice for many. Greek – chicken souvlaki to be exact – is my preference. It’s got everything – protein, carbs, veggies and a glass of red wine. It’s comfort nutrition and there’s no way that’s changing now.

Another ritual – purchasing of a new shirt for the race. No different this time, with white the chosen colour. Is it necessary? No. Neither is purchasing new socks for each big race. But it is still done.

(Small diversion: rituals are not for every race, at least for me. They are for those that command the attention and where a PB or another milestone is desired. So BMO qualifies, so will Scotia Bank Half. Races used as prep only get routine, not ritual.)

As the starting line looms large and the finish line seems so very distant, there is a dawning realization that it will be the routine that ultimately leads to success. It’s that routine of putting foot in front of foot in front of foot for short bursts and long sequences that has built the stamina. It’s slogging it out in the rain and wind and knowing you can keep going, even if you have to drop the shoulder and plow through like Earl Campbell.

Rituals make it special, routine make it possible. Tomorrow here’s hoping it was worth it for all runners.