You arrive at your Marathon. Why is it that some people are jogging, some are in their own world listening to music and seemingly pondering something, and others, you overhear, are stating how nervous they are?

The first two groups of people are probably preparing themselves for the marathon by getting into their zone. Do you fit into that last group? Do you get really nervous before a marathon? Butterflies? Upset stomach? Increased heart rate? Rapid breathing? The majority of runners will most likely fit in the last group so I am going to give you some tips by helping you find your zone.

Nerves

Nerviness (anxiety) can be either situational: you get really nervous running a marathon but do not get nervous running a 10K.  Or it can be a trait:  you are a generally nervous person about many things in your life. These are good thing to know about yourself because you can learn how to deal with them.

Anxiety comes in two forms: cognitive (your thoughts) and physiological (HR, stomach ache, butterflies, etc). A good routine includes knowing what level of anxiety is too much or too little for you and learning to increase or decrease the cognitive or physiological anxiety through the use of a pre & performance routine including positive self talk, goal setting, breathing and imagery.

Pre-performance routine

Either way, one way anxiety can be decreased is by using a preperformance routine. If something is a trait that you are born with you are starting with a heightened sense of anxiety but using a pre-performance routine can help eliminate further anxiety.

So how do routines help decrease anxiety? It’s one way of implementing control over your environment. It provides a stable environment for something that might be highly unstable (You can only control your skill and effort. Don’t race against others. You have no control over them or whether they are better than you or not). It’s especially helpful for anxious athletes because if you are thinking positively, you can not be thinking negatively (the brain is pretty high tech but it can not do two things at one time) and if you are in your own zone thinking positively you aren’t being distracted. It provides consistency. It readies an athlete for performance.

Routines help you forget about race outcomes and keep you focused on the here and now (but they should not be used in a superstitious way and do not have to go as exactly/precisely the same every time).

A routine for the night before an event

Might include: taking a bubble bath, using some imagery in reference to the event, watching a video of your favorite runner or running event, watching a movie, eating the same food, packing your event bag, etc.

A routine for the morning of the event

Might include: showering first, eating second and eating the same pre event food, getting dressed, using some event imagery, thinking about your goals, talking to yourself positively-trying to eliminate any negativity, taking some deep breaths (possibly meditating), etc.

A warm-up routine

Might include: drinking water at certain times, using the restroom at certain times, walking or jogging prior to the start, stretching, using some event imagery, thinking about your goals, talking to yourself positively, taking some deep breaths, etc.

A routine for during an event

Might include: eating the same food, drinking the same carbohydrate liquid, focusing on some technical aspect of your running, using some imagery, thinking about your goals, talking to yourself positively, taking some deep breaths, etc.

Using routines

Do you all of these routines? Not necessarily. It really depends on you and your level of nerves/anxiety. For some runners nerves start the night before so it is important to start dealing with them the night before.

Whatever you are going to use you need to come up with a solid plan that works and that you should use during training as well as racing. Initially it might feel like a lot of work but this is probably how you felt when you first starting running. It will become more automatic.

Further pre-performance tips:

Positive thinking: I am doing this versus I can’t do this; I am prepared and ready for this versus I haven’t trained enough; I am as good as anyone out here versus everyone else is better trained or prepared than I am.

Using your breath: inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth. And if you are thinking about your breath you are not thinking negatively or thinking about how nervous you might be.

Rubber banding/Magnet (pretending there is a rubber band/magnet around the person in front of you pulling you closer to them).

Key words/positive affirmations:  strong, fast, quick, light as a feather, etc. You see that next hill and begin to think you can’t make it to the top, instead think about how fast you can make it to the top or how many of these hills you have climbed and what makes this hill any worse.

Thinking about your form: stride, relaxing your shoulders, arm swing, turnover, etc.

Imagery: imagine feeling strong throughout the race and finishing strong; your muscles are like the wheels of a train; you are seeing yourself as a bystander and seeing yourself running strong, fast and comfortably relaxed; etc.

Some last thoughts

• Act as if this is merely another workout with friends.
• Remember no matter what, only good will come from the event whether you obtain your PR or you learn something from the experience.
• Mentally separate yourself from thoughts of winning and losing (outcome). Race like a child by enjoying the challenge of the event (process).
• Learn to trust your training experience in order to allow yourself to perform at near maximal ability without undue effort or pain.
• Do not try to foresee or foretell. Take things as they come or as they happen. Don’t worry about the “what if’s”!
• Stick to your physical and mental plan!

Good luck and happy Monday! If you need help developing a performance routine, let me know.