What it takes to create a Flat Jenna

A few race ready Flat Jenna's.

A few years ago, I saw a friend post a few photos of their race outfit, the night before the race. It was called a Flat person, as there was no body in the outfit. I thought it was a pretty cool idea. A great way to make sure you have all your gear ready to go for the next day and not have to worry about it in the early morning hours before the race. This was the start of a fun pre-race tradition: creating the Flat Jenna.

Most of the time, Flat Jenna is by herself. Sometimes, while at a race out of town, Flat Jenna will have company. Flat Carolyn or Flat Gina usually, but sometimes other Flats will join in. This may be just me, but I usually think about my race outfit in the days leading up to the race. Do I need a new skirt? Do I need a new top? Visor? Is what I want to wear clean? What shoes? The bigger the race, the more I think about it. For the Sarasota Half Marathon, I knew right away that I wanted to wear my Half Fanatics tank top. It was going to be a warm and humid day, so a tank top was a definite. Plus, this would be my last half marathon until the Fall, so I wanted to show off my Fanatic Pride. This would be half marathon #56! The skirt to wear with the tank top, took some thought. I admit, I have a Skirt addiction. Over 30 skirts, which include Gym Girl Ultra, Happy Girl, Lotta Breeze, Race Belt Skirts and Cover up skirts. I decided to wear my newest skirt, the 261 Switzer Skirt. In addition to the pockets on each under short, there is a small zip pocket in the back of the skirt. The black and grey color would go nicely with my bright blue and yellow tank top. I pulled out the blue compression socks, Newtons, race belt, visor, blue hair flower, Gu’s and race bib. I arranged them all on my bedroom floor with the Skirt and tank, to take the Flat Jenna photo. The final step is to post the photo to Facebook. I love to read through all the comments, most of which are wishing me good luck for the race. Love to have those positive vibes with me as I run a race.

So, that’s how I get my outfit ready for race day. Why not have a little fun with all your pre-race gear. Next time you are getting ready for a race, create your out Flat person!