{"id":645515,"date":"2026-05-15T22:25:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T22:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/645515\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T22:25:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T22:25:09","slug":"pre-race-anxiety-doesnt-have-to-slow-you-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/645515\/","title":{"rendered":"Pre-race anxiety doesn’t have to slow you down"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pre-race anxiety is one of the most common experiences for runners. Even professional runners experience it and have to learn to deal with anxiety. Many runners think they need to get rid of it completely and to be calm and focused on race day. What many runners don\u2019t realize is that anxiety isn\u2019t necessarily a bad thing; it\u2019s natural, and there are ways to use it to improve performance. Although many athletes deal with it, and understanding how to manage it can turn your pre-race nerves into a performance booster.<\/p>\n

What is pre-race anxiety?<\/p>\n

Pre-race anxiety is the nervousness you feel before a race, usually one you\u2019ve been training for months to run. When all that preparation comes down to one moment, it can feel overwhelming, especially if you don\u2019t know how to handle the worrying thoughts. Anxiety tends to trigger a physical reaction: your heart rate rises, your muscles tense up, and your breathing becomes rapid, triggering a fight or flight response and causing you to panic.<\/p>\n

\"person<\/p>\n

London, Ont.\u2019s Natascha Wesch, who is a certified mental health professional specializing in sports psychology, says there are two reasons why your anxiety surfaces on race day: the importance of the event to you and the uncertainty of the outcome. \u201cIf it\u2019s important to you, you are going to experience anxiety; that\u2019s just natural,\u201d Wesch said. \u201cThen there\u2019s uncertainty, not knowing what\u2019s going to happen after the race starts (which can be scary).\u201d<\/p>\n

Anxiety is natural<\/p>\n

Anxiety is an emotion<\/a> tied closely to excitement, which gives you energy. Runners usually think anxiety is something negative that needs to be eliminated, but Wesch wants athletes to know that the way you perceive anxiety can determine whether you use it to your advantage or jeopardize your performance. \u201cAnxiety gets a bad rap,\u201d Wesch said. \u201cIt is 100 per cent natural to feel anxious before an event because it is alertness to something about to happen, your body is getting itself ready to perform.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can use the adrenaline and excitement that arise from your fight-or-flight response, and by slowing your breathing, you become more relaxed, confident and ready to run. Anxiety is preparing your body for the race, so take advantage of the excitement and channel it into your performance.<\/p>\n

\"runner<\/p>\n

Mind and body connection<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t completely erase anxiety,<\/a> but you can learn how to use it. Train your mind just as you would your body. When you want to get faster, you run more. When anxious thoughts arise, Wesch recommends shifting your perspective and confronting the two reasons they arise: importance and uncertainty.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s make the importance of your race realistic. If you don\u2019t hit your goal time, it\u2019s not the end of the world, you\u2019re going to be okay,\u201d Wesch said. \u201cDon\u2019t undermine the race; it is still important, but make it more realistic.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t control everything, so focus on the things you can control,\u201d she added. \u201cYou\u2019ve done the training, you\u2019ve prepared and done all the work. You ran way more kilometres in training than you are going to in the race.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"woman<\/p>\n

Staying ready is central to managing your anxiety. There are many things you can\u2019t control on race day; the best way to be ready for the anxiety ahead is to learn to focus your thoughts on what you can control. While training physically, you should also work on your mindset. \u201cWhat can you do? What are you good at? What have you done?\u201d Wesch said. \u201cThis is training your focus, so that you can direct your thoughts vs. allowing your brain to jump all over the place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, you can take advantage of the race-day adrenaline and focus on performing rather than on everything that could go wrong. Managing your anxiety requires practice, just like sports. Spend time understanding what your mind is racing about and why, and use that awareness to focus your thoughts on the task at hand, to help fuel your race-day PB.<\/p>\n

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