Giiiirl. Historically I’ve been soooo chill. Ask any of my friends in high school and especially college. But to get my big marathon PR I put so much damn pressure on myself! I talk to my one friend Amy whom I raced against in college and we laugh about how much pressure we used to put on ourselves. We don’t have teams or coaches who we are trying to win the race for. The majority of people who are not connected to running don’t even know how long a marathon is, let alone what a finishing time means. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter if you are breaking world records or if you are crossing the finish line in last place, as long as you had FUN! Running is hard. But in the best way possible. Marathons are fantastic but can be a complete mind f%@$. You have been producing some SOLID runs, and look how far you have come in all the years you have been running, and how much better you are with your ankle and everything compared to NYC training! You just dominated your first tri recently too! You have a ton of tricks in your bag! What I mean by this is you need to keep all of those positive experiences you have had this training cycle and use them to boost your confidence now and leading up to race day and ON race day during some of the tougher miles. This isn’t your first rodeo, you KNOW what to do and what it takes to dig deep and finish strong. PR’s are scary. Telling people you have goals and want to PR is really scary. But if you don’t reach your goal, no one is going to disown you or throw you in jail or take away your ability to run. If you don’t reach your PR, you will try as many times as it takes to eventually obtain it! YOU GOT THIS!
Good luck and have positive thoughts about your long run! Also – putting some tape over the monitor of your garmin will help you not look at it, I have totally done this before and produced some of my best runs by running by feel and not staring at the screen the entire run.

PS. I know where you can score some grape Nuun!: http://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpage-N12.html#

Dont stress!!!! When i stress… I try to picture worst case scenarios and evaluate if theyre really That bad. Usually helps calm me down!

Yes, I clearly CLEARLY get where you are coming from. I get so anxious sometimes too, when I have a longer run (I am aiming for 7 tomorrow with a friend and trying to just focus on the excitement of running with her not my inner fears!) and when I have a bad run, will the next be bad too etc. You are probably putting EXTRA pressure on yourself because you have half looming over you and a PR in mind (which I have NO DOUBT you will reach!!), but know this: you will NOT fail. No matter what, you will NOT fail. If you don’t meet the PR for any reason, that still does not mean failure. So jus get out there and run and smile and enjoy it. Harness that fun 5k you did where you PRd the crap out of it! You got this!! (and I need to take this advice too, admittedly!) XOXO

I have HUGE anxiety but rarely about running since I don’t hold it over my head. Take a few deep breaths and know, “You’ve got this!”

Oh girl, I hear you. LOUD AND CLEAR. I had to step away from running after USAF because it was nothing but anxiety for me. It was truly amazing that I PRed that day considering just how anxious I was that morning. Even in my attempt to get back into it this winter was rough – I was all up in this silly head of mine far too much.

A fear of failure is a huge issue for me as it holds me back in a lot of ways. But then “rational me” takes the wheel and talks “irrational me” into getting moving. What’s the worst that can happen if you just give it a try? And on the flip side, think of the possibilities!

Don’t focus on the long runs that haven’t gone as well – focus on taking the positives from those shorter runs and use that mindset to help get you to your goal. Plus it doesn’t hurt that you’re back to being a speed demon!!

I get pretty anxious just before a big race start. Maybe the anxiety will push you further and faster than you imagine!

I get anxious…..I wish I didn’t because it is such an accomplishment to just get through training…..I have to remember that it is a gift to be able to run-to have the time, the legs, the actual space to cover….Good luck tomorrow! Congratulations on training, setting goals and being an inspiration!

I’m the SAME way! Just know you’re not alone with your anxieties. At the end of the day, you’ve done what you could to prepare for this moment. You’re going to rock it! Good luck!

Use the anxiety to your advantage! You will be amazing

Do the best you can and enjoy the ride (run)!!! Stay positive!

Good luck with your race! You got this!

Don’t worry. Come race day, you’ll let it go and you’ll be fine- no training will be perfect. But we do what we can.

Stay positive! You are a runner, you know how to do this, there is no reason for anxiety. Ok maybe over the grape nuun and the outfit but everything else you’ve got. Race day think positive thoughts the whole time. Keep telling yourself to run strong and before you know it you will be at the finish line.

The exact same thing happens to me. I push myself to the point of not even wanting to race because I’ve gotten so worked up about it. In the end, you’re simply trying to better your last time. You are the only person it matters to because everyone else just wants to see you enjoy yourself and have a good race. Don’t forget why you run: fitness, health, enjoyment. I have to remind myself of that as well when I try to go for a PR. Too much pressure. Just let it happen and have confidence in the training you’ve done. You’ve seen those paces. The competitive spirit will kick in on race day and you’ll be SHOCKED at what you can do. Relax. Enjoy.

EXCELLENT plan for your run tomorrow my dear. Just run. Run because you love it. Run because it’s part of who you are. Don’t run for that number. Ignore it. Push it from your mind and just let your body work. That’s what I try to do with every run I conquer – and is a big reason I never run with a Garmin. It makes me anxious. Which is also a reason I never divulge a PR goal publicly – I don’t need the pressure of “everyone” knowing my inner goal. Just in case I don’t make that goal, partially. But mainly because I always want to run for me, not “for the blog” or for “everyone else” but for me. And if I make that PR – it was a PR that I worked for. And makes me even more proud. I know you got this friend, trust yourself!

I think anxiety is a sign of a goal that you are really wanting and to me that’s a good thing. it means this wasn’t some random idea, it is deep down what you want and those are the goals that keep you going when it gets tough

good luck!!!

I used to get awful anxiety where the day before a a race and day of I go to the bathroom like 20x and have a hard time even eating. I’ve realized there’s no point in destroying my insides over a race. And really, it’s all in your head. You can control how you react/act to this… you can chill yourself out. Running is really mind over matter. You have put in the work, now trust yourself. Same goes for long runs. You can do it, don’t over analyze it. Over the past year I have grown to appreciate the ability to run… and when running gets a little tough, I think about all of those that don’t have this opportunity and how lucky I am to be able to run X miles. It really helps take the edge off.

I am all kinds of hard on myself when it comes to running and races. I try to tell myself that it will be what it will be and worrying will not change anything. Of course it is easier said than done, but I try to remember that.

Try not to be so hard on yourself. Take one day at a time and put your training in. Slow down your long run – get the miles in and take care of your IT and you!!

Kim

You will do great lady! Just remember to breathe and you will get there! Stay positive and keep your chin up!

You will rock it! You totally got this – trust in yourself like we all have faith in you.