Tips on what to do (and not to do) on the day before your goal race

Much of what you are about to read is really common sense advice, but as the taper tantrums tart to wind down and the pre-race jitters set in, sometimes common sense goes out the window.    You’ve worked hard, followed your training plan, fueled your body well, sacrificed time with family and friends and rested up all in an effort to accomplish your goals.  Don’t blow it by making some avoidable mistakes!  Here are some pretty basic reminders of what to do (or not) in the day or two before your goal race.
Hydrate.  Everyone knows you want to be well hydrated at the start of a race.  Let’s be honest, you should be drinking lots of water all of the time, but under normal conditions, you can address the early signs of dehydration by pounding a bottle of water or two and go about your day.  Not so easy at the start or in the middle of a race.  Who wants (or is even able) to run with a bottle of water sloshing around your gut with every step.  You need to start the hydrating process in the day or two before the race so that when you wake up on race morning, you can drink a small amount of water and be ready to go. 
Move.  Yes, you should be resting your legs the day before a race but don’t be a coach potato.  You want to keep things moving and loose.  Some people like to do a short shake out run, and that’s fine as long as it is super short and nice and easy.    If you are traveling by car, plane or train the day before a race, try to take frequent breaks when driving, and get up and walk around on the plane or train as often as you can.  If that’s not possible, just doing simple calf raises and glute and quad contractions and releases from your seat can help to get blood moving and loosen things up.
Massage.  That’s a no-no the day before a race.  If you’ve been regularly getting massages throughout your training cycle, it is fine to have a massage on race week, but do it 3-4 days prior.  Exercise, especially of the intensity a race brings, may impair recovery from your massage and increase post-massage (and post-race) soreness, not to mention you may arrive at the start line sore from your massage!  If you’ve got some tightness to work out, stick with some light foam rolling and stretching the day before your race.
Carb loading.  Put this in the same category as hydration.  You need to be loading up those glycogen stores for days, not hours, before your race.  We’ve all used pre-race carb loading as an excuse to gorge on a big delicious carb-laden bowl of pasta, myself included.  Many of us run so we CAN eat things we otherwise wouldn’t allow ourselves.  But when it comes to the night before a race, be smart.   Eat earlier, keep the portion reasonable, and avoid heavy cream and cheese based sauces that may have you making more visits to the porta-potties than your race plan accounts for.
Lay out everything you need for race morning the night before (or a few days before if you’re packing for a destination race).  Check the weather forecast for both start time and finish time so you know if you’ll need layers to drop off as your race unfolds.  Make a list of what you need, including what you plan to eat and drink on race morning, fuel for during your race, undergarments, socks, clothes, sunglasses, hat, warm weather gear if it’s a winter race, running belt, bib pins (if the race venue doesn’t provide them), sunscreen and everything else you normally run with.  And please, do not forget your sneakers!  Yes, I have a friend that went to a race without sneakers, really.  It actually is not hard to do, especially if traveling to a race, and you leave your sneakers for last minute packing to avoid stinking up everything else in your bag.  That’s why making a list really helps.  You can double check the list before you leave the house or hotel, and ensure you’ve got everything.
Nothing new on race day.  Nothing, not clothing, not sneakers, not pre-race food, not racing fuel, nothing.  The only exception would be out of necessity if you forget something because you haven’t followed my advice above in making a list and checking it off before leaving for your race.
And finally, have fun!  We run because we love it.  Goals are great, they keep us motivated but don’t get so wrapped up in numbers that you forget to enjoy the run.  It is a privilege to be able to run, and not something that everyone is able to do.