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Melissa K.
Melissa K. Sendmail

Nervous about upcoming race

posted about 1 year ago | Report

I have a 5k coming up and feel oddly nervous. This will be my 4th 5k since starting running last year. I was slower at my last 5k and it shook my confidence a bit. I tried to keep it slower for the 1st mile to keep from feeling like I needed to walk like the previous race (where I was a minute faster) and ended up not PR. The mental part of running gets in my way, including worrying that I will have to walk.

What can I do to just run and enjoy (and then hopefully get a PR)?

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14 posts

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  • Jim
    Jim Sendmail

    Have fun and don't throw up! That's what I tell runners of all abilities before a race. In part, it is a reminder that you're running because it's fun right? So have fun!! But the nerves do still come and the only way around them is to keep racing.

    Nerves are normal, but remind yourself that you've done the training so you have nothing to fear or be nervous about.

    To run a fast 5k and PR, you've got be ready to go when the gun goes off. That means you need a good warmup so you don't spend the first mile warming up. A light jog for 1/2 mile to a mile and some stretching before the race starts will do wonders.

    And there's nothing wrong with a short walk break if you need it. If you are running a 9 minute pace and stop to walk for 15 seconds at a 15 minutes pace, you are only giving up 60 feet. If the walk break allows you to finish running the final 1.5 miles at an 8:50 pace, then you've made up the 60 feet plus more!

    Good luck!!

    posted about 1 year ago | edited about 1 year ago

  • Morey B.
    Morey B. Sendmail

    In checking your logs, seems to me that you've done the work and will have no problem running a 5K. Heck- you ran a 10K last week in a training run.

    remember- you do this for fun. no pressure

    posted about 1 year ago

  • Melissa K.
    Melissa K. Sendmail
    in reply to what Morey B. said:In checking your logs, seems to me that you've done the work and will have no problem running a 5K. Heck- you ran a 10K last week in a training run. remember- you do this for fun. no pressure

    That's where the mental game comes in. I know I can run the distance, but if I can run it faster than my best 5k is where I start getting anxiety. I know I need to just relax.

    posted about 1 year ago

  • Melissa K.
    Melissa K. Sendmail
    in reply to what Jim said:Have fun and don't throw up! That's what I tell runners of all abilities before a race. In part, it is a reminder that you're running because it's fun right? So have fun!! But the nerves do still come and the only way aroun... read more

    Great advice. Thanks!

    posted about 1 year ago

  • Lauren S.
    Lauren S. Sendmail

    I understand how you feel.. 5k make me feel like I need to PR too but I guess you just have to decide what you want more, to PR or to have fun. If its about fun, then you have to forget about setting a PR all together.. Just get out there and do your best.. :)

    posted about 1 year ago

  • Sang Y.
    Sang Y. Sendmail

    You have put in the work to run a great race! Just go out and run! Figure out a goal time and what pace it will take and just run that pace. What is your goal?

    posted about 1 year ago

  • Melissa K.
    Melissa K. Sendmail
    in reply to what Sang Y. said:You have put in the work to run a great race! Just go out and run! Figure out a goal time and what pace it will take and just run that pace. What is your goal?

    Well, my last race in April, well-meaning friends were sure I'd break 30. I didn't. While that would be awesome, I would be happy if I got better than 31:30.

    posted about 1 year ago

  • Ram N.
    Ram N. Sendmail

    Your timing is always better in a race in comparision to training runs.I guess running with other race participants tends to make us go faster than we would in training. You should be able to better our existing PR. Enjoy the race experience :)

    posted about 1 year ago

  • Karyl-Lynne T.
    Karyl-Lynne T. Sendmail

    Don't get too hung up on your finish time compared to a different course at a different time of year -- terrain and temperature can make a big difference! Make detailed notes about the course and the weather for each of your previous races, along with how you felt and if you needed any walk breaks. Compare your perceived effort (and recovery) to get a more accurate feel of your progress.

    Jim's exactly right about walk breaks -- don't completely discount them as 'failure'. You've run 5K with no breaks so you know you can do it. 15 or 20 seconds is not going to have much (if any) impact on your overall time, and it can be beneficial.

    My 5k PR (slower than yours!) is from a race in early December, and the 5K I ran this past Sunday (hot, humid, and a flatter course) was almost a full minute slower. Heat and humidity really wear me down, but I'm looking forward to a new PR when it cools down in the fall!

    posted about 1 year ago

  • Melissa K.
    Melissa K. Sendmail

    Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I really appreciate it!

    posted about 1 year ago

  • Jim
    Jim Sendmail

    So how did it go? Did your race happen yet??

    It's very normal to be nervous before a race if you are planning to do well. That is, it just isn't a training run. The nervousness is how we know we are alive!

    I completed an Olympic Tri on Sunday that I'd been targeting for a year (the last time I did it). I had trouble sleeping beginning on the Wednesday before and was fighting nerves. Mostly, I just wanted to get into the pool and start swimming. But I got through those days by reminding myself that I'd trained well and that I was prepared. In the end, I made 3 of my 4 goals, missing my overall time goal by 61 seconds in large part due to a stride stopping cramp in my quad in the last 50 yards. I literally limped over the line. Although bummed about missing my time goal, I immediately started analyzing why I didn't make it and started planning my next goal.

    It's a long road, you have to trust it.

    Good Luck!

    posted about 1 year ago

  • Melissa K.
    Melissa K. Sendmail
    in reply to what Jim said:So how did it go? Did your race happen yet?? It's very normal to be nervous before a race if you are planning to do well. That is, it just isn't a training run. The nervousness is how we know we are alive! I completed an Olympic T... read more

    Hasn't happened yet, Jim. It's next Saturday. I did have a mock 10k for my running class this past Thursday that I was a bit nervous for, but since I don't do 10ks, I didn't have a PR to worry about.

    Sorry to hear about missing your goals. How awesome that you were in an Olympic Tri (I have a friend who is training for her first Ironman)! Sorry you didn't meet all of your goals. As weird as it is to say, it's nice to see that even seasoned athletes get nervous and don't always meet their goals. I'll remember that.

    posted about 1 year ago

  • Mike D.
    Mike D. Sendmail

    Sometimes the best strategy is to find somebody running a comfortable pace and stick with them. It takes the pressure off of you. Don't be discouraged if you have to take a walk break, this is a common occurrence. Just pick a point ahead where you will resume running (like an intersection or a tree) and then get back into your pace.

    posted about 1 year ago

  • Kristi O.
    Kristi O. Sendmail

    I remind myself that the voice in my head that says "I can't" is wrong. It's hard to push through the mental stuff and I find it much harder than the physical aspects of a run. Develop your own mantra and scream it in your head over the doubts. And I have run 25 5K, some come easy and I glide, others are hard and I go slower than I want or think I should - keep running, it's all part of the beauty of being an athlete!

    posted about 1 year ago

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