Photo by billacOne of the more aggravating problems of warming up is when you get your race clothes wet. Standing at the starting line when you have wet feet or a sweaty singlet does not help to put you into the correct frame of mind for a race.

Bring an extra set of running clothes to a race with you. In fact, wear those extra clothes to the race and be sure to bring your racing singlet and shoes with you. Primarily, you will want:

1. a fresh pair of socks,
2. your racing singlet,
3. and your racing shoes to be separate.

Outside of rain storms, I have not really had any trouble with wet shorts before a race. Running through damp grass or a puddle can quickly flood your shoes and socks with water, though, and if you jog around on a hot day with your singlet under your warmup shirt, you will discover that your singlet is all wet when you get ready to race.

Wet race clothes at the starting line is not really a big deal. It is just one of those simple things that you can avoid, though, and that can help put you in a much better mood at the start of the race rather than being the cause of another annoyance. I prefer to avoid distractions when I can, so I generally wait until I am ready to race to change into my race shoes, clean socks and racing singlet.

This is a lesson that I have taken for granted for years, but I was reminded of it last week after jogging to the starting line with my wife at the Beach to Beacon. We both had backpacks, but she was wearing her singlet under her warmup shirt and the humidity was hovering somewhere in the 85-95% range. There was not much that she could do other than to have me remind her next time we race together that she shouldn’t wear her singlet to the race.