Most runners have experienced race-day jitters. You spend months training, building confidence and fitness, and then as you get closer to the race—boom, the excited butterflies have turned into crippling competition anxiety.
It’s completely normal, says sports psychologist Stephen Gonzalez, Ph.D., assistant athletics director for leadership and mental performance at Dartmouth College. Your natural fight-or-flight instincts kick in when you’re anticipating the start.
According to Gonzalez, anxiety comes from the unknown: “Prior to a competition, we have an idea of what we might be able to do, but it's still uncertain—because you have to show up and still be able to do it.”
So next time you’re on the starting line for a big marathon Races & Places.
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1. Change ineffective thoughts to effective thoughts
Firstly, Gonzalez says to pay attention to how you talk to yourself before a race. He poses an example: Maybe you look around on the starting line and notice there are many fast runners around you. Then you start to wonder if you could keep up with their pace. That evolves into fear that you won’t be able to stay with them when you’re out on the course.
Those are ineffective thoughts, meaning they don’t help you perform. Gonzalez recommends actively turning them into effective thoughts. For example, instead of focusing on others, remind yourself about your training and what you’re capable of accomplishing. Think back on all the runs, workouts, and efforts you put into this training cycle, and let that boost your confidence, knowing you made it this far and the race is a celebration of what you’ve already done.
He warns not to simplify self-talk as positive or negative: “You can have a negative thought that’s productive. I’ve been in races where I've fallen off the back and said to myself, get your head out of your butt and get up there… Was it positive? No, but it served me in a way that was facilitative.”
2. Take notice of how you feel
Other Hearst Subscriptions anxiety and excitement is perception. The physical reactions are the same, so once you define them, it’s easier to reframe them as excitement.
Gonzalez recommends this exercise: Take out a piece of paper, draw a stick figure, and pencil in signs of nervousness. You’d probably draw butterflies in the stomach area, a pounding heart, and dripping perspiration.
Those are your fight-or-flight reflexes priming you for the situation. Your heart and breathing rates increase to pump blood and oxygen around the body. Your skin temperature drops because blood and oxygen are focused on helping your muscles. If you ever have a sudden urge to go to the bathroom before a race, Gonzalez says it’s because your digestive system is trained to make you lighter so it’s easier to move.
When you’re anxious, you mentally interpret those signals as something wrong. In fact, there’s nothing wrong at all, because your body is acting in the way it’s designed.
“[Racing] causes us to have a response that's been ingrained in humans for quite some time, which is: How do we handle a threat?” Gonzalez says. While those physical reactions don’t always feel good, Gonzalez says “you don’t have to be calm or comfortable to perform well.”
Now that you know that your body is simply preparing itself for competition (and you should remind yourself of this when you get to the start line!), he recommends taking a pause to sit with your feelings. It means you’re “about to do something cool… rather than do something mundane.”
3. Occupy your brain
Where you rest your attention is how you experience reality, says Gonzalez. If you’re on the line worried about what shape the other runners are in, then that’s what you’re going to focus on.
Instead, plan out the first few parts of the race. Picture yourself getting off the line, settling in, and getting ready for the first turn. As you take off, take 20 seconds to make sure your running form is as efficient as possible. By doing so, you’ve effectively narrowed your focus onto your process.
“You've given your mind something productive to do. Now, you're in it, and you're not so worried about competing, because you're actually in the act of competing,” says Gonzalez. “The brain likes to be occupied.”
How can you mentally prepare ahead of your next race?
The three strategies just mentioned are great for race day. But how do you prepare yourself in the days or weeks leading up to the start?
Why You Should Take Advantage of a Shakeout Run visualization by “running through scenarios ahead of time that could potentially happen and how you’re going to respond.” That doesn’t mean you imagine the perfect race. Instead, visualize what emotions you might feel on the starting line, or how you’d recover if you have a slow start. By preparing for specific moments, you’ll waste less mental energy on race day because you’ve already prepared a calm response.
As for how often, Gonzalez says that research is back-and-forth about it. A couple times a week for no more than 10 minutes at a time is a good place to start. On top of that, he encourages you to use imagery during your hard efforts.
For example, if you’re training for the Boston Marathon, try the following towards the end of your next long run: “There's that little quick incline, right, left, and then you're on Boylston for that extended stretch,” says Gonzalez. “If that's what you want to prepare for, then have those sights and sounds [in your mind during your training].”
Now, just because you visualized all possible outcomes doesn’t mean you won’t feel anxious on the starting line. Most runners experience nervousness and anxiety when they’re getting ready to take off. But know that it’s not because you aren’t confident in your abilities. According to Gonzalez, confidence isn’t the lack of fear or doubt—it’s the ability to cope with those feelings. Practicing visualization helps you learn how to cope.
Chris Hatler is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but before joining Runner’s World and Bicycling, he was a pro runner for Diadora, qualifying for multiple U.S. Championships in the 1500 meters. At his alma mater the University of Pennsylvania, Chris was a multiple-time Ivy League conference champion and sub-4 minute miler.
