Pre-Race Nerves: Distraction and Your Mood
This is the fourth installment in my series on Pre-Race Nerves.
In this series I outline the strategies that helped me navigate anxiety, extreme nervousness and dread leading up to races to compete successfully at the highest level. Read Part I: Race Plan Part II: Self Talk Part III: The Best Version of Yourself
So far in this Pre-Race Nerves series I’ve gone deep into “intentional thinking” which simply means you can decide what to think about instead of letting your doubts and anxieties run free.
But intentional thinking requires energy and focus! At a certain point before races I just didn’t want to think anymore - I wanted to rest my mind and relax without constantly policing my own thoughts. So here are a few more strategies that I used before all my races to manage my nerves.
Games
There is a little phone game called THREES that is mindless, easy and distracting and I played this game on the way to every race in recent memory. It may seem silly but this game was a big part of my pre-race routine and helped me remain calm and distracted from nervous thoughts.
THREES - an easy, mindless & slow paced game.
Things to keep in mind while choosing a distracting game: Make sure the game isn’t too challenging. You’re trying to rest your mind and take a break from focusing.
Choose a game that is not stressful or “on the clock” Don’t add any pressure to yourself, even in something very inconsequential like a game. If taking a break from the game requires you to “pause” a timer, it probably isn’t the right game. Pick an easy and chill game so you can stay relaxed and calm.
Deep Breathing
One of the reasons to pick an easy phone game is to help stay relaxed and calm, and deep (or slow) breathing can help with this too. On the start line, it makes sense to have an elevated heart rate, but if your race is in a couple hours (or a couple days) it’s not ideal if your heart is racing due to nervous energy.
There are many different techniques and I personally was taught to aim for 6 breaths per minute if I felt I was over-stimulated. I would simply breathe in for a count of 5 and out for a count of 5 until I sensed my HR go down. Our nervous system is closely related to breathing, and since we can control our breathing this is an effective strategy for many people. Here’s an interesting article on breathing (not running related).
Laugh!
Before races I would often get quiet and serious. “On edge” is an accurate phrase - this was normal for many of my fellow competitors and as a coach I notice some of the athletes I work with get very serious before races too. Leading up to races I would purposely seek out people that seemed to be happy, in a good mood and very importantly who could crack some jokes and help me laugh. Definitely not people who were just as serious and nervous as me!
My baby nephew playing with the door stop♥
I would also look at cute and funny pics or videos on my phone. For me, videos of my little nieces and nephews and my cat always made me smile and laugh. I highly recommend cat videos. (Click to watch Spot surrendered to sleep!)
Smile on Purpose
Smiling does not have to be natural. You can smile on purpose, even when you don’t feel it and I encourage you to do so. Forcing a smile is something my sport psych taught me to do - not just a little smile but a full teeth baring grin. When my nerves were getting the best of me I found it helpful to look at myself in the mirror and smile as big as possible. Often this would cause me to laugh too! On the start line, I made sure to smile even if I didn’t feel like it.
On Monday I’ll close out this series! Stay tuned for one final perspective on intentional thinking - Unproductive Thoughts: Just because something is true, doesn’t mean you need to think about it right before your race.
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Nicole Sifuentes is a former professional runner and 2-time Olympian, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and full-time Running Coach for adults of all ages and abilities. Read more about her services, and schedule your free consultation today!