Every marathon runner knows the reality of race day anxiety. It can happen regardless of how well you’ve trained over the past few weeks or even months.
During training days, it was probably just you on the trail, along with a few other runners who may take the same route. On the day of the Chicago Marathon, you’ll be running with 45,000 other participants. Beyond the sheer number of people around you and the pressure to finish in 6 and a half hours or under, if you want to be officially timed, fearing that you will need to leave the course to use the bathroom can also add to the stress you already feel.
What’s worse is that the more you worry about needing to go to the bathroom mid-run, the more your body will react to the stress and mess with your stomach. Blame it on the gut-brain axis, which is the communication system between your digestive system and the brain. Allow yourself to give in to the stress, and your body will punish you with all sorts of gastrointestinal stress, including diarrhea.
How a Portable Lavatory System Helps Calm Your Nerves on Race Day
Most racers arrive extra early to ensure they get the chance to use the porta-potties before the starting gun. Unfortunately, because this is often the plan for most marathon participants, you’ll end up battling the crowds and standing in line for a long time. Worrying if you’ll make it before the race begins will only add to your anxiety.
Just knowing you will have a bathroom within reach on race day can significantly reduce your stress. Bringing a personal lavatory system with you is like having a portable bathroom stall. The RESTOP Portable Lavatory System comes complete with a privacy tent, commode with full-sized seat, and supply of waste bags. Waste Bags use specialized gelling technology to create unique waste alleviating solution.
You can set up the personal lavatory system on any flat surface. The privacy shelter is a sturdy, collapsible shelter that sets up and breaks down easily and quickly. For your comfort, the commode is the height of a standard toilet. The RS1 and RS2 waste bags are odor-free, puncture-resistant, and spill-proof. They contain a special blend of polymers and enzymes that convert your wastes into a deodorized gel. Because RESTOP waste bags are made with non-toxic materials and seal securely, they’re safe to throw away in any trash receptacle.
If you worry about the need to use the bathroom mid-race, you can ask your supporters, such as family and friends, to meet you at specific mile markers. They can easily set up the personal lavatory system next to the porta-potties. So while other racers are losing precious time waiting in line, you can go straight for your private lavatory system to release all that race day anxiety.