For those who decide to compete in charity marathons, ‘fun runs’ or community walks, there is far less pressure to perform than for professional sportsmen and –women. However, it is natural to feel nervous and to want to do your best on the day. If these feelings get the better of you, they can easily hinder your performance and cause you not to enjoy your day and event. Considering that such functions are generally held in the spirit of fun and goodwill, it would be a shame to let yourself become distracted by technicalities and concerns.
Concern about not doing one’s best in a sporting event is referred to under the broad umbrella of performance anxiety. While you may have practiced and trained sufficiently, performance anxiety arises as a result of various aspects of the day. However, the two main causes are:
1. There is an audience.
2. You, as the participant, have unreasonably high expectations of yourself.
In both of these cases, it is your own thoughts and ideas that are preventing you from success, not your readiness, fitness or capabilities. Here are some hints and tips in order to assist you, as the participant, to handle 1) pre-event stress, 2) nervousness at or during the event and 3) feelings of failure following the event:
- Expect to be reasonably nervous. By doing this, you will not begin to panic when the pre-race jitters set in. Rather, you will be more able to recognise them for what they are and work through them. The adrenalin that you feel beforehand will actually help you to do better in the run or walk.
- Arrive for the event early, so that you can relax, become familiar with your surrounds and do any last minute preparations.
- Warm up properly and take deep breaths.
- Be familiar with the course or route.
- Purchase the correct clothing so that you are comfortable and not too hot or cold.
- In preparation, close your eyes and imagine yourself doing really well in the race. This kind of visual reinforcement is vital to settling your mind and, therefore, concerns.
- Devise a strategy for the event. Will you start out slowly and conserve your energy for the latter part of the race? Or will you immediately try to get to the front and then steady your pace while you maintain that position?
- While participating, do not worry about how far you have to go or what time you will get. Rather, keep your attention on the matter at hand.
- If you are having negative or disquieting thoughts during the event, put all of your focus onto your breathing, so that you are again centred and assured.
- Smile at the spectators. Even forcing a smile is effective in getting you to relax.
- Acknowledge that, no matter how you do in the race, it really is not the most important thing to win. You should be participating for a good cause or to have fun.
- Once the race is complete, try to feel content in your achievements, whether they met your expectations or not.
- Concentrate on what you were successful in doing, rather in areas in which you did not do as well as expected.
- Design a program that will help you to improve your fitness so that, next time, you will do even better.
Photo Courtesy of Birmingham Mail
