Well runners, one month to go! As you continue to train and ultimately taper, you are likely to experience some pre-race anxiety. Although it is completely normal to experience some pre-race nerves, it’s also helpful to implement some strategies to help manage that anxiety in the weeks and days leading up to the race!
Find some stress-reducing techniques to practice during the taper.
During your taper, you have some extra free time while your mileage is down, but you may also not be getting all the stress- or anxiety-relieving benefits of your normal exercise routine. During this time, try to spend some time during some other activities you enjoy – read a book, do a puzzle, spend some time outside. You want to focus on rest and recovery during this period, but you also don’t want to spend too much time focusing on your pre-race anxiety.
Practice imagery
One of the best things you can do to manage pre-race anxiety is to “practice” the race. You’re certainly not going to go out and run the marathon in the weeks leading up to the race, but you can mentally rehearse the event. Get yourself in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and imagine, with all of your senses, what it will be like to run the race. If you’re familiar with the race course, imagine the whole course! Imagine yourself executing your race place successfully, pushing through when things get hard, and enjoying the experience of running the race.
Practice diaphragmatic breathing techniques
One of the simplest and most effective pre-race anxiety techniques is breathing! Sit upright or lay comfortably with one hand on your stomach and one hand on your chest. Take a slow breath in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold it for 2 seconds, exhale slowly out of your mouth for 4 seconds. Repeat 6-8 times. Focus on your chest and shoulders staying relatively still while your stomach rises and falls with each breath. Try different breath counts but focus on your inhale and exhale being slow and even. This is a very effective technique to manage anxiety that can be done anywhere!
You’ve done all the hard work runners, you’ve got this!
This article originally appeared in the The Connection, TCM's weekly e-newsletter. Subscribe here.
Hayley Russell, PhD, is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant, runner, and professor of health and exercise psychology at Gustavus Adolphus College. She is one of the team of Motion Experts TCM has gathered to help its subscribers and participants get the most out of their running. Have a question for Hayley: [email protected] or visit psychologyofrunning.com.