It’s Tuesdays on the Run and the theme is novelty runs, only I’ve never done one and actually don’t really have a lot of interest in doing one. So I’m going to talk about 5 things I bring with me on racecation.

What is racecation, you ask? It’s a vacation planned around a race. I’m trying to run a half marathon in every state, so I do racecations a lot. Not as much as some of you nutty runners. but enough to know what I need to have with me.

Emergen-C
Running a half can lower your immunity, and so can travel. I usually start taking Emergen-C before I even leave.

I also like Traditional Medicinal Teas, Tulsi Tea, and Chocolate Puer-eh tea. All are said to have immune boosting properties. I always take my own tea with me, and this time, I made it a point to start drinking some of the teas with immune boosting properties the week before I leave.

A mini crockpot
I do not like to rely on hotel breakfasts to fuel my race. I try to book hotel rooms with a microwave and refrigerator, but it’s not always possible. I don’t particularly like the taste of microwaved food, either. And I’ve talked about how much I don’t like coffee in the Ultimate Coffee Date

I can just pop my breakfast into my mini crockpot the night before the race and it’s warm and waiting for me on race day. I usually stuff those tea packages into the crockpot during travel, too.

My Foam Roller
If we’re driving, yes, I lug along my really big foam roller. And I use it!

If we’re flying, I usually just bring The Stick, since I can fit it in my suitcase.

I’m really intrigued by the Original Worm, too — one of these days I’ll be trying it out.

Yoga Videos
You really shouldn’t be a doing a lot of exploring before your race, which kind of sucks. The only time I’ve ever bought the monorail pass in Vegas was for my 2 halfs there. Every once in a blue moon I will ride the monorail for whatever reason, but usually I like getting in all that walking and you can get a lot of walking in in Vegas!

Yoga, on the other hand, is the perfect before race exercise, in my humble opinion. I shared a few of my favorite core yoga DVDs here, but before a race I usually stick to Christine Felstead’s Yoga for Runners, Sage Rountree, or my newest yoga crush, Yoga for Pain Relief. I don’t lug the actual DVDs, I either have them on my iPad or use Youtube.

Hammer Recovery Bar or Picky Bar
I would be lying if I said that food wasn’t a big motivator for me in a race. I’ve usually picked someplace to go for a treat after my race before I ever leave my home. Bagels in Vegas? Max Brenner in Boston? Yes, please!

Or there were those lobster rolls at the end of Smuttynose, which you can read about in my 5 Best Race Swag post.

Not all races have great food afterward, so I always make sure my post race bag has either a Hammer Recovery Bar (chocolate peanut butter, of course) or a Picky Bar (fudge, of course).

This is not a complete list, by any means, but I’m hoping some of these ideas might be new to you. Nothing in this post is an affiliate link; all paid for by myself and my own opinions.

What do you have to have if you travel to a race?