How a Final Exam Day is like a Race Day

So, I've been reading a lot about people's pre-race day and race-day schedules. Today, being my first final exam of the semester I noticed that there are quite a few parrallels between exam days and race days:

• You have to make sure you don't forget anything important

There is a lot to remember to pack! Especially if it's open book or aid sheet. When you cram on as much as possible on an aid sheet you got to take extra care of it. Especially to make sure nothing spills!

 Just to give you an idea of how tiny I actually write on these aid sheets, look at the comparison of it beside my original notes:

You also can't forget the essentials: pens, pencils, student identification, and public transit money!!

• You can't drink a litre of water right before the event

I learned this one the hard way. There is nothing worse then sitting through a 3 hour exam with a bladder thats about to burst. 

You can however have a nice caffeine boost. Here is my favorite pre-exam caffeine boost: Coffee-CokeZero. Just don't have too much - because the bladder thing still holds 

For some reason this combination has some amazing froth action going on, and it's not the type of bubbles that disappear like plain soda - they're the kind that stick around right till the end :)

• You have to eat properly beforehand

Just like on race day this means no strange new foods. Perhaps there is something worse then having a full bladder: that would be having a bowel thats about to explode. 

Sitting a three hour exam also means that you must eat enough to tie you over! Especially when you have to tack on an hour to the beginning and end for transportation. 

Today this meant a filling early lunch with lots of veggies and sheritaki noodles, and pistachios mixed in.

And a big bowl of puffed kamut, puffed millet, hemp hearts, protein powder, almond breeze, and strawberries.

As well as all the other things such as almonds, and an apple I grabbed going out the door!

• You got to get in the mindset

Especially if it's the type of exam, where they are testing whether or not you have your thinking cap on. I always go for a run in the morning if my exam is in the afternoon. Here is how todays turned out:

I think I have to calibrate my Nike+ sportband, because according to mapmyrun it sensed it wrong. Also the sensor seemed to do something really strange on the big downhill part of my run, but I'm going to do another post on this run later so stay tuned!

Do you have any 'day of exam' advice?