In the days leading up to a big race, race anxiety is normal and expected. UESCA-certified running coaches share the advice they offer their athletes to help calm nerves.
Race anxiety on the morning of your race and the days leading up to it is normal for most runners. This is especially true if it’s your first time racing a particular distance, you’ve set a goal you’re nervous about hitting, or you’ve dedicated a lot of time and effort to your training.
Instead of allowing anxiety to get the best of you and your race day performance, there are strategies that can help calm your nerves and maintain a positive mindset. A certain level of race anxiety can even be healthy, as long as we know how to refocus it in ways that benefit our performance.
Below, seven professional running coaches, certified through the United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy (UESCA), share advice they give to their athletes on reducing race anxiety. Following some of these strategies leading up to race day and even during will help you stay focused, respond calmly to variables outside your control, and enjoy the experience.
Practice a simple routine before race day.
One of the best things we can do to control nerves and anxiety prior to race day is to create a solid, simple routine. Do the same dynamic warmup before races and workouts. Same nutrition plan for every run. Same socks. Same breakfast. It’s all about what we can control and accepting that there may be things that come up that we can’t control.
Putting ourselves in uncomfortable situations in practice helps us understand how our bodies may react to certain situations. Those reactions become normal and a habit for us. And those habits then become something we can control on race day, so we can learn to cope and understand how to react in ways that are beneficial to us.
Chris Poole, UESCA Running Coach
1-3 years coaching experience
Poole Running Lab
@PoolRunningLab | @CPooleRuns
Reflect on training moments that gave you confidence.
I often remind my athletes that their nerves are an indication that this endeavor matters.
Then, I ask them to reflect on workouts and moments throughout the training cycle that gave them confidence and excitement for race day. Usually, when they comment on these workouts in advance of race day, I ask them to store the memory away to call upon when race day nerves or race day valleys hit.
Finally, I remind them that running is a gift, and leading with joy and an open heart invites others to join along.
Nelle Fox, UESCA Ultrarunning Coach, Running Coach, and Endurance Sports Nutrition; USATF Level 1; V.02; RRCA Level 1; IIN integrative nutrition health coach; NASM personal trainer; RunDNA gait analyst
10+ years coaching experience
Magnum Opus Coaching
@magnumopuscoaching
Believe in your body and your training.
The butterflies you feel in your chest? The fear, doubt, and worry? That means you care — that this race matters to you. You’ve put in the hard work, early mornings, tired legs, and forgone plans. Now it’s time for the celebration.
Your body and mind are strong. They carried you here. The only thing left is to step up to the start line and give it what you’ve got. Believe in yourself and your ability.
Kristen DiFate, UESCA Ultrarunning Coach, RRCA Running Coach
7-9 years coaching experience
Run Fearless
@DiFate | @werunfearless
Turn anxiety into a positive and take steps to prepare.
A week or so before the race, the focus is on changing anxiety to being ready. All the months of work are done. You are ready for this. Nerves are normal, and we need to accept that. Try not to get rid of the stress but to change it into a positive. Anxiety = excitement and energy. It just shows how much it means to you.
Each day, visualize how you are moving through certain race moments, the start line, mid-race fatigue, aid stations, and the final push. Focus on the things you can control: breathing, form, effort, and fueling.
Take away the uncertainty. Print out your race plan, fuelling strategy, and notes for your support crew. Pack your gear early, make sure transport is sorted, and try to cut out small things so that you can start to relax. The more you tick things off, the calmer you will be from the anxiety.
On race morning, get in the zone. Turn the adrenaline into focus. Keep your pre-race routine the same. Before the start, take nice deep breaths, lower the heartrate a bit, and smile — this actually helps. During the race, try to be proactive and respond. Don’t React. The goal is to stay centered, focused, and adaptable.
Claude Truter, UESCA Ultrarunning Coach
7-9 years coaching experience
Apex Rises Coaching
@claudetruter
Visualize your race timeline.
As always, the best advice at the beginning is to do what works for you. However, when I meet an athlete who is nervous, I use this method: I ask them to imagine their timeline in front of them. Now, step onto the timeline at this moment. Try to fly over your timeline and move to race day. Describe what you see and how you feel on race day. Then, move on to after the race. What can you see? Try to summarize and identify what could be useful. Fly back over your timeline to the present.
Rastislav Srnánek, UESCA Ultrarunning Coach
1-3 years coaching experience
@srnanek_rastislav_s_k_trener
Remember why you’re running the race.
What you feel is natural. Having anxiety is good. Learn to control it with awareness, focus, and concentration. Trust your training. If you have been SMART, you will achieve your goal. Remember your motivation to run the race, and be curious about the experience you are about to have. Finally, remember there is a time and place to ‘push’ through.
Andy Pye, UESCA Ultrarunning Coach, UK Athletics Coach in Running Fitness (UKA CiRF), UKA Endurance Coach, with a specialization in Sport Psychology
10+ years coaching experience
Trail Run West Midlands
Find Trail Run West Midlands on Facebook
Relax your mind with a running-themed movie.
I always tell my athletes that, before a race, they should take some time to relax and remind themselves that the training they’ve done is enough — everything will be fine. They can also watch some running-themed movies, like “McFarland, USA,” and visualize the race with a positive mindset.
Nikos Laftsidis, UESCA Running Coach
1-3 years coaching experience
Consistent Runners
@ConsistentRunners | @nikos_laftsidis_cr
This article was originally produced and published by Running Lifestyle Media.
