Really trying to get a weekly blog thing happening.
This one was kind of requested. 'Hannah, how do I prepare to be independent on a competition, especially as I've never been to a big one before'.
This is a multi-stage process. The first stage is TOOLS or I like to call them- 'life hacks'. Some of the obscure ones are hyperlinked to pages where you can buy them. I'll let you know if my team (Team Storey) is sponsored by any of them.
Here begins my list for someone with a kit issue size suitcase (I often don't bring all of these one competition but you can always team up)...
(No. 1 most forgotten item: plug adapters for country you're going to
No. 2 hard cash currency of the place you're going to. Foreign countries still charge a fee when you use your card. On all expenses paid trips you can even forget your bank code...)
1. a mini kettle (actually, I'm not that into hot drinks but your roomie might be and they will love you forever, sometimes the staff will bring a communal one)
2. a big mug (I always need a huge drink of water in the morning and get sick of the plastic bottles, big mugs are great at breakfast time or for hotchocolate time)
3. a porridge bowl sized tupperware with a handle and a lid. Incredibly multi-purpose. Can be both your bowl and your mug and a container.
4. for those that need plastic straws, a lot of plastic straws seeing as they've been outlawed now.
extra info:
KETTLES, or BIG MUGS or BIG MUGS WITH LIDS so someone who walks like me can carry without spilling. A tupperware with a handle and a lid is also brilliant if you're in a buffet style dining area and don't want to rely on someone carrying your food for you every meal or if you want to make up your own instant porridge because you're Scottish and how are you ever going to look like the porage oat man if your morning porridge routine is disrupted.
4. a string bag for washing your clothes AND detergent capsules, usually you can team up with your team mates and go to a laundrette to do washing, usually you don't have enough for one load and usually, you and your team mate have identical kit. Wash in the string bag so you don't confuse your kit. Also if you're lucky enough that a member of support staff gets the job of washing you can hand them the bag and collect it later on.
5. your own pillow or, failing luggage space, pillow spray. This can be any scent that you train yourself with before sleep so that you associate sleep with it. Then, when in an unfamiliar environment a few puffs and you feel at home
6. Ear plugs (silicon swimming ones) and/or noise cancelling headphones and extra batteries. Vital if you don't know if your roomie snores or not.
7. Eye mask, not all curtains are equal and/or your roomie might be scared of the dark
8. All the painkillers/other pharmaceuticals you'll need in case of emergency. Buying pharmaceuticals abroad is not advised by the Anti Doping Agency, even ones like ibuprofen and paracetamol.
9. All the plastic bags or fancy material bags. A lot of times you'll be exhausted or trying to conserve energy. I have a plastic bag packing system of 'all bathroom items' in one so I can just shove it in the bathroom and that's me. One for 'beside the bed' and then one for each type of clothing 'race day clothing' 'leisurewear clothing' etc etc. When you pack up again you always have dirty clothes so you can use them to separate from the clean ones too.
10. Hot water bottle - if you get an injury and need to 'hot/cold/hot/cold' it a hotel will always have ice but not neccessarily something to heat with. Even in hot countries the evening can be chilly. If you have temperature control issues they're a life saver.
11. Leading on from 10 I can never get bloodflow to my feet so keeping them warm and comfy is a must. I also get lots of foot pain. Enter my fluffy slippers which have gone from South Africa, to Rio and now to Italy with me.
12. If you do find standing on a slippy surface like a non-accessible bathroom tricky, try non-slip water shoes or crocs. This means in the absence of a bath mat most falls are avoided. However, my feet often fall out of the crocs and don't even talk to me about flip flops or as I like to call them 'certain death'! Water shoes are the best. If it's a super hot environment (even too hot for my slippers) and everyone else is wearing flipflops, water shoes work too.
13.Treats/snacks and emergency meals. On competition nerves can get to you and stop you eating. You can also feel under pressure eating at certain mealtimes if you aren't hungry and then you get back to the room and you're starving. You can never rely on being close to the shops and the meals at your hotel might be budget or trying to be stereotypically 'health conscious'. Which means no drinks other than water, no desserts apart from fruit and yoghurt and often the same meal every single night.
I have no problem putting on weight but if you have ataxic or dystonic CP you don't need these restrictions. Also, even if you usually do avoid calorie rich foods, competition environments can be extra stressful. Brains and immune systems use glucose as a fuel source; more so in times of stress. Pack treats. Once my friend Rickard (who has trouble swallowing when he's nervous) ate 2 big bags of sweets the day before his race to ensure he had taken on board enough calories. It's not ideal nutrition but some food is better than no food, especially if you struggle to put on weight and maintain muscle (looking at you, CP boys). In the absence of carbs/fats to use as fuel, the body will breakdown your muscles, yes the ones which you use to do your racing with.
Examples: soreen loaf, tubs of rice pudding, protein bars, energy bars, protein gels, oatcakes, sesame seed snaps, just add water soups/noodles, if you're a meat eater dried meat, popcorn, nutella, treats of choice etc.
14. Protein
Especially if you're a veggie/vegan or a pescatarian like me and are going to a country where that's not really a thing, bring your own protein. I always bring ready to eat lightweight tuna pots for meals where there's not an option for me or peanut butter or protein powder to supplement with (Storey Racing gets sponsored by Secret Training who also do protein gels, yum). When I started eating fish it was easier.
Liquids
15. Diluting juice, hotchocolate sachets, hydrotabs. Always a must in case the water doesn't taste nice or you are in a hotter climate.
16. Coffee/tea bags- most places won't have your fav type of tea bag. Overpack these because other team mates will have forgotten their ones (easy way to become 'team legend'. I'm not a tea drinker but I am a coffee cretin. Coffee is harder to get. Either ween yourself off coffee (good to do if you want the max effect of caffeine for your race) OR invest in 'coffee bags', vaccuum sealed coffee bags that you just add water to. Storey Racing gets sponsored by Black Circle coffee who make these. I'm one lucky cyclist.
15. Nutribullet- I know a teammate who blends all her food (like literally her chicken and veg) due to swallowing issues and won't go anywhere without her nutribullet. Remember to also pack a mini bottle of detergent and a cloth to wash it with, if you bring it! I don't do this because I really struggle to wash out stuff in hotels. It never seems to get clean and can stink a room out.
17. Kindle. Go electronic for books. I've done a muscle trying to haul a bag with 3 books through hand luggage. In stressful environments, your brain might want something totally different to what you normally read and you can have fifty options on something that weighs next to nothing. If you have a kindle with a light you can also read under the duvet so you don't disturb your roomie.
18. The cable that connects your laptop to a TV (everyone always forgets). You need a VGA cable and they are different for different laptops but the TV connection is always the same and a 3.5mm audio lead. You'd need a laptop for this too obviously.
19. Download films from netflix or from elsewhere. The wifi is always bad. Always download or bring a portable DVD player.
20. If you're lucky enough to have a portable sound system, bring it. Music always changes a tense atmosphere. At the commonwealth's, in their goodie bags Team England athletes got one for free! Mentioned headphones in the sleep section but in case your roomie does not care for every episode of Love Island, bring them.
21. Cards! Get back to basics and get your team together to play old school card games (shout out to Beth on Storey Racing).
22. Adult colouring books and pencils. Very stress relieving (shout out to Beth and Monica).
23. If you have school/uni work, download it and ensure you won't need internet access.
24. A sharpie. Most kit is the same and to stop bottles or items getting mixed up this is always a go to. Also you can doodle on your kitbag in times of boredom or label your plastic bag organisational system. Or you can draw instructional phrases to remind yourself of things you might forget in the heat of a race.
25. A plug extension cable so you don't have to argue over plug access to all the electronic devices.
26. A swimming costume/trunks (unless you're on a swimming competition then you'd have one, right?). Some fancy hotels have hottub/sauna access, way to decrease spasticity or what...
27. Suncream. One of my coaches once bought glitter suncream on purpose (cyclists love making their leg muscles look shiny) and then I also brought some along and we had great fun without getting skin cancer, yayyy. I actually favour sprayable suncream (ie an aerosol type so you can spray it upside down) so you can do your own shoulders but not need to reach anywhere tricky.
28. Sunglasses This was hard to rememeber when I lived in Scotland and it was always grey and cold but now the UK has turned into Spain maybe this'll be a silly reminder.
29. Tampons!!/period product of choice Nothing more stressful than forgetting these, hey gals.
30. Plug adapter (saying it twice so we don't forget)
31. Foreign currency (did you know you can pre-book to pick up foreign currency when you get to the airport? Super quick and easy and cheaper than the post office)...(and again).
32. Scissors! So many things are made easier with scissors but put them in your main luggage...
33. Plasters. Those of you whole fall a lot like me (the downside to being ambulant with CP) or who get a lot of blisters/rubbing from wearing splints. Your team'll have some but maybe not the amount you need.
Phew. Did you make it to the end. Think reading this is hard...trying packing it all into a suitcase!
Till next week...
Hannah xx
This one was kind of requested. 'Hannah, how do I prepare to be independent on a competition, especially as I've never been to a big one before'.
This is a multi-stage process. The first stage is TOOLS or I like to call them- 'life hacks'. Some of the obscure ones are hyperlinked to pages where you can buy them. I'll let you know if my team (Team Storey) is sponsored by any of them.
Here begins my list for someone with a kit issue size suitcase (I often don't bring all of these one competition but you can always team up)...
(No. 1 most forgotten item: plug adapters for country you're going to
No. 2 hard cash currency of the place you're going to. Foreign countries still charge a fee when you use your card. On all expenses paid trips you can even forget your bank code...)
Section 1 - food/drink vesicles
1. a mini kettle (actually, I'm not that into hot drinks but your roomie might be and they will love you forever, sometimes the staff will bring a communal one)
2. a big mug (I always need a huge drink of water in the morning and get sick of the plastic bottles, big mugs are great at breakfast time or for hotchocolate time)
3. a porridge bowl sized tupperware with a handle and a lid. Incredibly multi-purpose. Can be both your bowl and your mug and a container.
4. for those that need plastic straws, a lot of plastic straws seeing as they've been outlawed now.
extra info:
KETTLES, or BIG MUGS or BIG MUGS WITH LIDS so someone who walks like me can carry without spilling. A tupperware with a handle and a lid is also brilliant if you're in a buffet style dining area and don't want to rely on someone carrying your food for you every meal or if you want to make up your own instant porridge because you're Scottish and how are you ever going to look like the porage oat man if your morning porridge routine is disrupted.
Section 2- Bed time/clothing themed items
4. a string bag for washing your clothes AND detergent capsules, usually you can team up with your team mates and go to a laundrette to do washing, usually you don't have enough for one load and usually, you and your team mate have identical kit. Wash in the string bag so you don't confuse your kit. Also if you're lucky enough that a member of support staff gets the job of washing you can hand them the bag and collect it later on.
5. your own pillow or, failing luggage space, pillow spray. This can be any scent that you train yourself with before sleep so that you associate sleep with it. Then, when in an unfamiliar environment a few puffs and you feel at home
6. Ear plugs (silicon swimming ones) and/or noise cancelling headphones and extra batteries. Vital if you don't know if your roomie snores or not.
7. Eye mask, not all curtains are equal and/or your roomie might be scared of the dark
8. All the painkillers/other pharmaceuticals you'll need in case of emergency. Buying pharmaceuticals abroad is not advised by the Anti Doping Agency, even ones like ibuprofen and paracetamol.
9. All the plastic bags or fancy material bags. A lot of times you'll be exhausted or trying to conserve energy. I have a plastic bag packing system of 'all bathroom items' in one so I can just shove it in the bathroom and that's me. One for 'beside the bed' and then one for each type of clothing 'race day clothing' 'leisurewear clothing' etc etc. When you pack up again you always have dirty clothes so you can use them to separate from the clean ones too.
10. Hot water bottle - if you get an injury and need to 'hot/cold/hot/cold' it a hotel will always have ice but not neccessarily something to heat with. Even in hot countries the evening can be chilly. If you have temperature control issues they're a life saver.
11. Leading on from 10 I can never get bloodflow to my feet so keeping them warm and comfy is a must. I also get lots of foot pain. Enter my fluffy slippers which have gone from South Africa, to Rio and now to Italy with me.
12. If you do find standing on a slippy surface like a non-accessible bathroom tricky, try non-slip water shoes or crocs. This means in the absence of a bath mat most falls are avoided. However, my feet often fall out of the crocs and don't even talk to me about flip flops or as I like to call them 'certain death'! Water shoes are the best. If it's a super hot environment (even too hot for my slippers) and everyone else is wearing flipflops, water shoes work too.
Foooooood
13.Treats/snacks and emergency meals. On competition nerves can get to you and stop you eating. You can also feel under pressure eating at certain mealtimes if you aren't hungry and then you get back to the room and you're starving. You can never rely on being close to the shops and the meals at your hotel might be budget or trying to be stereotypically 'health conscious'. Which means no drinks other than water, no desserts apart from fruit and yoghurt and often the same meal every single night.
I have no problem putting on weight but if you have ataxic or dystonic CP you don't need these restrictions. Also, even if you usually do avoid calorie rich foods, competition environments can be extra stressful. Brains and immune systems use glucose as a fuel source; more so in times of stress. Pack treats. Once my friend Rickard (who has trouble swallowing when he's nervous) ate 2 big bags of sweets the day before his race to ensure he had taken on board enough calories. It's not ideal nutrition but some food is better than no food, especially if you struggle to put on weight and maintain muscle (looking at you, CP boys). In the absence of carbs/fats to use as fuel, the body will breakdown your muscles, yes the ones which you use to do your racing with.
Examples: soreen loaf, tubs of rice pudding, protein bars, energy bars, protein gels, oatcakes, sesame seed snaps, just add water soups/noodles, if you're a meat eater dried meat, popcorn, nutella, treats of choice etc.
14. Protein
Especially if you're a veggie/vegan or a pescatarian like me and are going to a country where that's not really a thing, bring your own protein. I always bring ready to eat lightweight tuna pots for meals where there's not an option for me or peanut butter or protein powder to supplement with (Storey Racing gets sponsored by Secret Training who also do protein gels, yum). When I started eating fish it was easier.
Liquids
15. Diluting juice, hotchocolate sachets, hydrotabs. Always a must in case the water doesn't taste nice or you are in a hotter climate.
16. Coffee/tea bags- most places won't have your fav type of tea bag. Overpack these because other team mates will have forgotten their ones (easy way to become 'team legend'. I'm not a tea drinker but I am a coffee cretin. Coffee is harder to get. Either ween yourself off coffee (good to do if you want the max effect of caffeine for your race) OR invest in 'coffee bags', vaccuum sealed coffee bags that you just add water to. Storey Racing gets sponsored by Black Circle coffee who make these. I'm one lucky cyclist.
15. Nutribullet- I know a teammate who blends all her food (like literally her chicken and veg) due to swallowing issues and won't go anywhere without her nutribullet. Remember to also pack a mini bottle of detergent and a cloth to wash it with, if you bring it! I don't do this because I really struggle to wash out stuff in hotels. It never seems to get clean and can stink a room out.
Entertainment
17. Kindle. Go electronic for books. I've done a muscle trying to haul a bag with 3 books through hand luggage. In stressful environments, your brain might want something totally different to what you normally read and you can have fifty options on something that weighs next to nothing. If you have a kindle with a light you can also read under the duvet so you don't disturb your roomie.
18. The cable that connects your laptop to a TV (everyone always forgets). You need a VGA cable and they are different for different laptops but the TV connection is always the same and a 3.5mm audio lead. You'd need a laptop for this too obviously.
19. Download films from netflix or from elsewhere. The wifi is always bad. Always download or bring a portable DVD player.
20. If you're lucky enough to have a portable sound system, bring it. Music always changes a tense atmosphere. At the commonwealth's, in their goodie bags Team England athletes got one for free! Mentioned headphones in the sleep section but in case your roomie does not care for every episode of Love Island, bring them.
21. Cards! Get back to basics and get your team together to play old school card games (shout out to Beth on Storey Racing).
22. Adult colouring books and pencils. Very stress relieving (shout out to Beth and Monica).
23. If you have school/uni work, download it and ensure you won't need internet access.
24. A sharpie. Most kit is the same and to stop bottles or items getting mixed up this is always a go to. Also you can doodle on your kitbag in times of boredom or label your plastic bag organisational system. Or you can draw instructional phrases to remind yourself of things you might forget in the heat of a race.
25. A plug extension cable so you don't have to argue over plug access to all the electronic devices.
26. A swimming costume/trunks (unless you're on a swimming competition then you'd have one, right?). Some fancy hotels have hottub/sauna access, way to decrease spasticity or what...
Vital and yet such forgettable things
27. Suncream. One of my coaches once bought glitter suncream on purpose (cyclists love making their leg muscles look shiny) and then I also brought some along and we had great fun without getting skin cancer, yayyy. I actually favour sprayable suncream (ie an aerosol type so you can spray it upside down) so you can do your own shoulders but not need to reach anywhere tricky.
28. Sunglasses This was hard to rememeber when I lived in Scotland and it was always grey and cold but now the UK has turned into Spain maybe this'll be a silly reminder.
29. Tampons!!/period product of choice Nothing more stressful than forgetting these, hey gals.
30. Plug adapter (saying it twice so we don't forget)
31. Foreign currency (did you know you can pre-book to pick up foreign currency when you get to the airport? Super quick and easy and cheaper than the post office)...(and again).
32. Scissors! So many things are made easier with scissors but put them in your main luggage...
33. Plasters. Those of you whole fall a lot like me (the downside to being ambulant with CP) or who get a lot of blisters/rubbing from wearing splints. Your team'll have some but maybe not the amount you need.
Phew. Did you make it to the end. Think reading this is hard...trying packing it all into a suitcase!
Till next week...
Hannah xx
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