{"id":4388,"date":"2016-04-15T09:00:20","date_gmt":"2016-04-15T13:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/elbowglitter.com\/blog\/?p=4388"},"modified":"2016-04-15T08:06:28","modified_gmt":"2016-04-15T12:06:28","slug":"race-day-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/elbowglitter.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/15\/race-day-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Race Day Anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
geralt<\/a> \/ Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In one of the myriad of Facebook groups I’m in, there was recently a discussion of race day anxiety and whether or not it’s a normal thing.<\/p>\n

It is.\u00a0 It’s a totally normal thing.<\/p>\n

Now, if you’re suffering from more than just race anxiety, if you find you’re anxious a lot of the time or it’s starting to affect your every day life, go see your doctor.\u00a0 While there is a ton of stigma against mental health drugs, that is absolutely ridiculous.\u00a0 We don’t judge a person for needing antibiotics or blood pressure medication, so why would we judge a person who needs an anti-anxiety medication?\u00a0 If science can help you feel better and help your body work better, then why not go for it.<\/p>\n

Yes, it would be great if natural cures worked.\u00a0 And sometimes they do.\u00a0 But sometimes, the problem goes beyond what relaxation techniques and good diet can cure.<\/p>\n

There is no shame in needing help.<\/p>\n

Race day anxiety is a different thing, and thankfully it doesn’t tend to affect every day life.\u00a0 But those few days leading up to your race, man, it can get nervewracking, especially when you’re about to do your first race or you are tackling a new distance.<\/p>\n

But there are some ways to deal with race day anxiety.\u00a0 Here’s what has worked for me.<\/p>\n

First off, I like to be overly prepared.\u00a0 Read all of the race materials.\u00a0 Look at the race’s website, look at the course maps (I don’t memorize them, but some people do).\u00a0 If you’re local, go check out the course.\u00a0 Drive the bike course or ride it if you can.\u00a0 If you’re not local, look online for race reports.\u00a0 See what others have said about the race.<\/p>\n

Oh yes, and train.\u00a0 Training is important.<\/p>\n

Two nights before the race, make sure you get a good night’s sleep.\u00a0 Yes, I said two nights before.\u00a0 Because the night before the race, you may struggle to sleep, or you may have to get up early to get to the race.<\/p>\n

The day before the race, get all your stuff together.\u00a0 Lay it all out.\u00a0 My friends like to make “flat runners” before big running races, meaning that they lay out all of their gear on a surface so that they can see that everything they need is right there.\u00a0 It also makes it easier to put it all on in the morning.\u00a0 If it’s a triathlon, lay out what you will wear in the morning and then make sure that everything you need in transition is packed in your bag.<\/p>\n

Race morning, show up early.\u00a0 Don’t wait til the last minute to get there.\u00a0 Yes, extra sleep is nice, but I would much rather be at the race on time and not be freaking out about how I’m running late.<\/p>\n

If you can, listen to some music before the race.\u00a0 This always helps me.\u00a0 I like to blast music in the car on the way to a triathlon, usually music that’s upbeat and that I won’t mind if it’s stuck in my head for the rest of the race.\u00a0 Sing along at the top of your lungs if you want.\u00a0 It’s even more fun with a friend.<\/p>\n

A lot of people get nervous before getting in the water at a triathlon.\u00a0 Deep breathing helps, but what also helps me is just jumping around and being silly.\u00a0 Laugh.\u00a0 Have fun.\u00a0 Chat with the people around you.\u00a0 Just get out of your head and remember that you’re doing something fun!<\/p>\n

During the race, some people like to have a mantra that they run through their head.\u00a0 I get bored with that, so during a swim, I’m often mentally singing a song to entertain myself.\u00a0 Some people can just focus on the swimming.\u00a0 That doesn’t work so well for me.\u00a0 So I just sing a song.\u00a0 Sometimes I think about what I’m going to eat after the race.\u00a0 This is possibly why I’m not a faster swimmer.<\/p>\n

These seem like silly tips that won’t work, but trust me, they do.\u00a0 The big thing is always to trust your training.\u00a0 You put in the work.\u00a0 You can do this.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In one of the myriad of Facebook groups I’m in, there was recently a discussion of race day anxiety and whether or not it’s a normal thing. It is.\u00a0 It’s a totally normal thing. Now, if you’re suffering from more than just race anxiety, if you find you’re anxious a lot of the time or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[41,42,115],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nRace Day Anxiety - Elbowglitter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/elbowglitter.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/15\/race-day-anxiety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Race Day Anxiety - Elbowglitter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In one of the myriad of Facebook groups I’m in, there was recently a discussion of race day anxiety and whether or not it’s a normal thing. 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