Marathon Mise en Place (Meeze-ah-ploss)

For those of you that don't know, my day job is related to the foodservice industry. On a recent visit to the Culinary Institute of America one of their Master Chefs talked to us about the most important thing to learn as a Chef. Simply put, his answer was Mise en Place.

Mise en Place, for those that don't know, is a french term meaning 'everything in place.' In the fast paced, zero tolerance for error, and high pressure environment set for top notch chefs, you can not afford to have things out of place. That plate that's late getting out or that corner you cut, might just end up in the hands of a food critic that could make or break you.

While getting ready for my first ever marathon, I couldn't help but feel I was practicing Marathon Mise en Place. Okay... I MAY be romanticizing it a bit (some do just call it a check list). But imagine setting out on your run without a crucial piece of equipment. No compression shorts, or sports bra, Glide stick, or Ipod?

Another important part of pre-race preparation is sleep. The key is to get a good nights sleep two nights before the run. I failed to do this. I had a long week. An emotional week. An exhausting week. I thought I'd be different. I thought, as tired as I am, I'll be able to sleep the night before the race. I could not have been more wrong.

Mise en Place, people! It's simple. Everything in it's place. And your butt's place, two nights before race day, is in bed.

The hardest part about running is that our harshest critic is always present for our runs.