Dumbest thing you've ever done before a race?

When I was in high school running in one of my first 3 mile XC races I thought it would be a great idea to carbo load right before the race, like 30 minutes before to give me extra energy. Well, after about a mile I had severe stomach cramps and ended up jogging in clutching my side.

Guy on my team ate 10 McDonalds cheesburgers the night before running a 1500m at a home meet. He pounded all 10 burgers in 10 minutes while driving back to the dormitory.

Needless to say his colon rebelled against him the next day at about 800m.

It was the Irish Schools cross country championships, 1986 or 87 Dungarvan Co.Waterford. It was the first time we had qualified from our provincial championships and the guys were very excited...plus the school was springing for a hotel which had never happened before...a couple of the guys had never even stayed in a hotel before so there was a lot of messing about the night before the race which culminated in a 2 am kitchen raid.

We made off with a big box of Cadbury Snack bars and another of Club bars with a few cans each of Irn Bru, Cidona and Lilt to wash all the chocolate down.

The entire stash was gone by about 5am....and being the 6th man I definitely had more than my fair share.

Next morning nobody is looking too spritely and about 40 minutes before the gun the coach comes and tells me to get warmed up...a couple of the guys are sick...go freakin figure.

We did manage to get 5 to the line and everyone finished but I think the team was DFL or very close to it...there were ony a handful of finishers behind me.

Coach wasn't very pleased with that effort and we heard about it the whole way home.

some of these things are totally bs. you drunk a two-liter of coke 90s before the race? the fastest ive ever seen someone drink one is a little over 2:00 and he totally chugged the whole time.

I've spent many a pre-race or pre-workout night reading this board. You would think that I would have learned...

Haven't you seen anybody shotgun before? You need to get out more.

Bum wrote:

Have to ask. What the hell were you doing with a bowling ball the night before the Olympic Trials? I've been trying to figure out some scenario were holding a bowling ball the night before a race makes sense, but I have yet to come up with one.

A bowling ball is an implement that one would use to bowl - a game played indoors on a wood floor "alley."

malmo wrote:

A bowling ball is an implement that one would use to bowl - a game played indoors on a wood floor "alley."

I have seen that game...just finished watching the movie Big Lebowski, where it was featured. I believe it would also be the same sport that receives an entire page on Saturday's in the Flint Journal. The drilled ball sport is BIG stuff 'round these parts.

The only person in Flint that might qualify as a bowler and Oly Trials athlete is Paul Baldwin who works for GM.

scotth wrote:

I have seen that game...just finished watching the movie Big Lebowski, where it was featured. I believe it would also be the same sport that receives an entire page on Saturday's in the Flint Journal. The drilled ball sport is BIG stuff 'round these parts.

The only person in Flint that might qualify as a bowler and Oly Trials athlete is Paul Baldwin who works for GM.

Yes, I'd wager money that Flint would be a big bowling town.... just another of my wild hinches.

What about the Leoni's?

malmo wrote:

Bum wrote:

Have to ask. What the hell were you doing with a bowling ball the night before the Olympic Trials? I've been trying to figure out some scenario were holding a bowling ball the night before a race makes sense, but I have yet to come up with one.

A bowling ball is an implement that one would use to bowl - a game played indoors on a wood floor "alley."

Of course. How could I be so stupid? Don't know why I never thought of lugging around 16 lbs by three fingers on only one side of my body as I'm preparing to get the most out of myself for the next days race. I'm sure I missed that paragraph in Lydiard somewhere. Sorry. I'll go back and reread.

So is that the big secret to run fast now malmo? Bowl the night before? Will it take 27 seconds off of my mile time? Hmm.

malmo, if you'll allow...bowling in poorly fitting rental shoes, using a poorly fitting rental alley ball, in a poorly ventilated, smoky building and following a few 'beer frames' can't be beat for a pre-race evening. This 'big secret' has been shown to shave 1 second from a mile race and incrementally more as the distance lengthens (26 seconds per mile for a marathon).

Furthermore, should you play 9 pin w/less talented bowling partners, your ego'll be boosted which is always good. This is what I've heard. No first-hand experience. 'S what my brother, Don, the bowling fool, tells. Dropping the ball on your foot will mess up your average thus affecting the team score. Affecting the team score'll probably cost you tournament money. It's a crummy deal but makes for a first-rate letsrun alibi for a minor detail like an Olympic Trials.

another miler wrote:

So is that the big secret to run fast now malmo? Bowl the night before? Will it take 27 seconds off of my mile time? Hmm.

This is the "dumbest thing...." thread isn't it?

With your post we'll have to start a new thread, "The dumbest post on the 'dumbest thing you've ever done the night before a race' thread"

Great stories guys. The night before i ran my first 5km was my graduation ball. Anyway i got hammered, couldnt remember getting home and woke up about nine the next morning. So prob only got 5 hrs sleep max. Ate a whole large pizza about 2pm then didnt race til 9pm - was almost sick on the way down. Anyway - i ran really well and reckon i coud have gone much quicker. Alcohol is good for running!

Enigo Montoya wrote:

go to an all you can eat buffet the night before, and actually eat all you can. The pucker factor was pretty high by the end of the race

Greg Wenneborg's first marathon was at Las Vegas. He was only planning on running with me, then dropping out about 20 and drinking beer. So the night before he ate fried shrimp and got started on the beer. I dropped out, he finished in the mid-2:20's.

You're my hero. No brains no fear.

Here is my week leading up to the Footlocker West Regionals race, as a senior in high school. My training runs consisted of running with the guys team (who were all in the grade races, I was in sweepstakes), we'd run about a mile or so down the road, play in the orange trees for a while, and run back. Did that all week. Then we(I) insisted that we leave the day before, not the morning of the race. On the way up the evening before, my friend (she and I were the only two girls from our team racing) and I polish off a half gallon of Milky Way ice cream. We arrive at our hotel and go to Chili's for dinner, where I foolishly indulge in a spicy chicken entree. Not one carb on the plate. Now back at our rooms, our coach presumably asleep, the five or so of us are hanging out and merrymaking until all hours of the night, and that includes the guys paying my friend and I 20 bucks to make out for a minute in front of them. Girl-kisses, ice cream, protein-loading and late bedtimes made for a below par performance the next day. I missed qualifying for nationals by 3 seconds.

I'll bet the guys on your team had a "hard" time falling asleep after your little show!

Eeny meeny miney mo...

Joking with the guys on the HS team before the start of the county X-C meet, so I was laughing when the gun went off. Dropped out with cramps because I couldn't get breathing settled down.

Going into my bag before an early Sunday AM midsummer road race and finding NO SHOES. Ran it barefoot, backs of legs hurt for about 3 days, and I was still fairly young.

or:

Arriving late to the race. Don't know which was worse - the time I had to drive off the road to avoid the racers or the time in a big race that I was jogging towrds the line, hear the cannon and need to get up off the roadway to avoid being run down by several THOUSAND runners while working my way to the start. (Must be a slow learner.)

Wayne