Article written by Coach Brant Stachel
You can be fitter than you’ve ever been, but if race morning starts in chaos, you’re already on the back foot. The runners who show up calm, focused, and ready? They’ve rehearsed their routine until it’s second nature.
I’ve seen it with pros, BQ chasers, and first-timers. The runners who own their morning tend to own their race.
This part of the marathon mindset series, based on my IGNITE Method for coaching, is all about building your pre-performance routine so you arrive at the start line already in your best headspace.
Why Race Routines Work
On race day, there are a thousand things you can’t control, such as the weather, the crowds at the start line, and the competition. But your pre-race routine? That’s yours.
A clear, repeatable routine helps you do three big things:
- Activate your competitive identity. (Read more on that in part 2.)
- Reduce anxiety by taking the guesswork out of the morning.
- Direct your focus to what matters most.
Without a pre-race routine, you’re rolling the dice on how you’ll feel when the gun goes off.
Chaos Versus Calm
One of the athletes I’ve worked with, named Emma, was a talented collegiate runner who crushed workouts, but she would unravel on race day. She’d forget gear, rush her warmup, and line up at the start line already frazzled.
We built a simple, consistent routine, which included the following:
- The night before the race: She would lay out her uniform, pin her bib, pack her race bag, and write down her race plan.
- On race morning: She would eat a pre-planned breakfast, do the same warmup as in training, sit for 10 minutes of visualization, and repeat her mantra of “calm, steady, strong.”
- Race time cue to focus: She would adjust her watch before stepping to the line.
Emma’s next race wasn’t perfect, but she ran a personal best and felt in control from start to finish. That routine became her anchor every time she competed.
Build Your Race Routine
Think about your race morning as two parts: the night before and the morning of. The goal is to show up with as few decisions left to make as possible.
What to Do the Night Before:
- Get your gear and nutrition ready (clothes, shoes, watch, gels).
- Prepare your bib with safety pins.
- Pack your race-day bag (extra socks, nutrition, water).
- Write down your race plan (key splits, mantras, reminders).
- Set your alarm.
What to Do the Morning of Your Race:
- Have a familiar breakfast and hydration.
- Do your warmup sequence (dynamic stretches, drills).
- Spend some time visualizing. See yourself running strong at key points in the race.
- Do an emotional check-in. Name what you’re feeling, then use a breath or mantra to settle.
Don’t Have a Race Routine? Try This…
If you don’t have a routine yet, experiment with building one during your training. Pick a tune-up race or a long run and treat it like race day:
- Follow the exact breakfast and warmup you’ll do on the morning of your goal race.
- Use your race-day mantra or cue in the workout.
- Notice what feels smooth and what needs tweaking.
The idea isn’t perfection, it’s familiarity. By the time your marathon comes, your routine should feel as automatic as tying your shoes.
Why This Matters for Your Marathon Mindset
A solid pre-performance routine doesn’t just prepare your body, it primes your mind to run as the best version of yourself. When your morning is scripted, there’s no mental energy wasted on small decisions or unexpected hiccups. You start the race already in control.
Next up in the Marathon Mindset series: How to Stay Focused and Reset When the Race Doesn’t Go As Planned
There are factors on race day you’ll be unable to control, but controlling what you can — your mindset — means the difference between unraveling and keeping your cool. We’ll go over the steps to reset mid-race and stay focused on your goal.
Brant Stachel is a mental performance coach, registered psychotherapist, and former professional triathlete. He has coached more than 25 athletes to international teams, including six with Olympic Trials-qualifying times. He works with endurance athletes, from high schoolers to Olympians, helping them train the mental side of performance through his IGNITE Method. Brant is the author of Fast & Free. He coaches runners through TeamRunRun.com and is a mental performance coach through CEPmindset.com.