I’m in the middle (really just the start) of crazy work, race, wedding, birthday, work, travel, race, travel, work something or other, but wanted to chime in on today’s Tuesday’s on the Run hosted by  Erika, Marcia and Patty. As Patty so delicately said, “Race shirts: wear TO the race or is this aheeeeelllll no in your book.”  

I was so unprepared for cold Dopey temps that I wore a race shirt (the red one) under the  marathon race jacket, while Ricky wore the same one under a different Dopey Jacket! Probably one of the best runDisney races we’ve ever had.

My answer is simple. Wear whatever you want. Do you. Do you the best you can do. Wear the race shirt. Wear another race shirt. Wear whatever the hell you want. Run with no shirt. None of it bothers me in the slightest.

As for me: I don’t wear the race shirts not because I don’t want to or think it will jinx me, but because I wear tanks. Sleeves kill me, even singlets are annoying most times. And I can’t stand long sleeve shirts, and don’t understand why runDisney gives them out in Florida ever. So with all that, I’ve never gotten a tank from a race. Not one. If I did, I would probably wear it. I would probably wear it to other races too if it was comfortable. As it is, I don’t even look at the race shirts from most races before I shove them onto the bookcase we use to hold race and concert shirts.

There was a time I thought it was poor form to wear a band’s shirt to a show, but that’s when I was like 14. I got over that at some point.

I know many of you follow the adage: Nothing new on race day. Since I tend to break all the rules, I have worn brand new (unwashed) tanks, brand new (unwashed) skirts and tights, and even brand new shoes for races. I don’t follow those “rules” that people keep telling me exist about running. If you want to avoid anything new, think the race shirt will jinx you, or just think its crazy to wear a finisher shirt to race you might not finish, then so be it.

I have worn charity singlets for a race–singlets that I was handed the day before, or the day of the race. I think I also yanked a race shirt on once when I was too lazy to walk back to the car to put it in there; it was a charity 5k. And it was actually pretty cool to see the sea of whatever color that shirt was; I’d say 75% of the runners and walkers were wearing it, probably for the exact same reason I was–the parking lot was so far away…..

What about you, have you ever worn a race shirt on race day? Would you? Does it matter?