Be honest - do you get yourself "looking good" when you are racing

Hell no. I wake up, don't comb my hair, and sometimes don't even brush my teeth. I'll throw on whatever has floated up to the top of my clothes drawers, and I'm out the door ten minutes after the alarm goes off.

This backfired one time though for a local 5K when none of the really good runners showed up and I wound up winning unexpectedly. They interviewed me and took pics and I looked like hell.

I always look good when I race. I have the best threads for race day (Nike, Puma kits in really cool colors), and I wear Nike streaks to go with my Nike kits. Plus, I am an 18:30 guy and have been told I look a lot faster than that, and people are surprised to learn how slow I run. Plus I am just an overall good looking guy, so additional work to "get myself looking good" on race day is not really necessary. I'd say I look good when I race.

I admit that I do.

I shower, shave, etc and have my best gear on for race days. I think it stemmed from playing high school basketball and having to be clean shaven and wearing dressy clothing prior to each game. It became part of competitive routine and I got used to it.

Ain't no jive turkey ever looking better than this

http://joggingjeans.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/dannydenim.jpg

Of course I do. Half the race is how you look.

I do my nails team colors. It makes me feel confident.

I make sure I wear my favorite pair of half tights that makes my package look nice. A favor to the ladies at the race.

I always do interesting braids in my hair on race day, with a ribbon on put on light mascara. Shaved legs is a must. The goal is to feel beautiful fast and powerful. Not overly dressed up, or terrible looking. I always think of a track race as a performance in a way, might as well look good!

Only the best apparel. Bright shoes, compression socks, and name brand shorts to go over my running tights on cold days like today.

JohnnyYoYo wrote:

Do you get yourself "looking good" when you are racing? Men, do you shave and put a little wax/gel in your hair? Women, do you do your nails, shave those armpits a little closer than normal, style your hair...

I'll admit it. I try to look my best.

Man, I have never thought about looking good while racing ever. I'm so far away from thinking that way that I never would have considered that anyone who was serious about racing would ever give a crap.

Let me guess, you run 18:00 for the 5k,and #loveyourteam. SO predictable. My suggestion, spend that time you would braiding your hair, foam rolling before the race.

I do wear my favorite gear and I usually shave. I do not shower or put any product in my hair though.

I used to wake up and shower before races in college. I didn't like having coffee before races because it speeds up the old bowels, so a cold shower was the next best thing. It also helped me sober up and mask from my coach the smell of booze from Friday night's escapades.

Never shave race day or the day before. I shower before and try to wear my least smelly running gear, but that is about it.

I always try to look good at the race. Basically it's just a habit that my Dad (former Marine) instilled in me. I was taught to look neat and take care of my racing uniform and other equipment. Keep in mind the uniform was actually school property, and this was at a time when you were supposed to treat school property, teachers, officials, etc. with respect.

I coach soccer and basketball now, and I always make the kids on my team tuck in their shirts, remove all silly bands or whatever the latest thing is, etc. I won't have them go out on the court looking like a bunch of slobs.

Josh Hamilton's Addiction wrote:I didn't like having coffee before races because it speeds up the old bowels,

Emptying yourself out before a race is the whole point. That's why you have a cup of coffee a couple of hours before a race.

I like the ritual of a nice clean shave the morning of a race. It takes my mind off of the race, which I find helpful. I also just enjoy shaving; a freshly shaved face puts me in a good mood, which is a good state to be in going into a race.

I tend to shower before racing as well, but that's because I like the hot water on my muscles as much as anything else.

I wear deodorant as well as cologne, because I wear that normally for work/school, and I prefer to keep everything as normal as possible on race day.

I'm not too picky about apparel to race in, nor what I warm up in. I don't really try to match my training apparel, so I don't see any sense in matching on race day. The closest I do to that is I wear a singlet and matching shorts that I was given by the running store where I work. If I race for free due to working there, I always wear the gear from the store.

I'm not picky about shoes; I stockpiled 8 pairs of Nike Katanas when they stopped making them, and am working my way slowly through them still. I like current stuff too (been enjoying the Flyknit racers, putting some cash aside for some Adios Boost soon, also enjoying Pearl Izumi's N zero racer right now) but I just can't find anything to beat the way the Katana fits my foot.

You sound (and apparently smell) like someone I know.

Ted Underhill wrote:

You sound (and apparently smell) like someone I know.

You commented on some interplay between another frequent poster and me on the female hair style thread... if you think you know who I am, you're probably right (and a quick search for my username in the letsrun archives would make it less-than-difficult to puzzle out my identity if you were really curious haha). Do we know each other?