Think About These Things“I’ve been through a lot of terrible things in my life… and a few of them actually happened.” My dad said this jokingly, but it resonates, doesn’t it? At least for those of us who aren’t natural born optimists. We worry about the unknown. Pre-race anxiety comes from thoughts like: “what if I hit the wall… what if it’s rainy/windy/snowy/windy, too hot or too cold, what if I just have an off day…?” This isn’t uncommon, even at the highest level. As a pro runner I would often battle a sense of dread before a big race. I remember commiserating over pre-competition dread with my Canadian teammates in the Olympic village! One of them went on to win Olympic bronze the next day. As a busy virtual race season is coming to a close, I reflect on many pre-race conversations where I told runners that same thing I used to tell myself: “Yes, something [insert any freak accident here] could happen, or you might randomly have a terrible day. But we don’t live our lives expecting those things to happen! Instead, ask yourself “what if something really good happens? and “what if I have my best race ever?” Envision yourself doing exactly what you want to do.” “Thinking one set of thoughts actively precludes attending to other worrisome thoughts because of the limiting capacity of working memory. This human shortcoming can be used to advantage.” -nsca official
I would argue this isn’t a shortcoming, but rather a divine gift we can leverage to calm not only our pre-race anxieties, but many of our worries. We can opt out of imagining the worst case scenario. We can choose to dwell instead on the possibility of a favourable outcome, on our strengths, the things we’re grateful for, and the little wins along the way. Whatever is good, choose to think about these things. Sincerely,
Nicole
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