Need some encouragement/insight with my race anxiety and recovery

Lizzypb88
Lizzypb88 Posts: 367 Member
edited November 26 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm 5'3 and overweight but I really love running! It has helped my anxiety tremendously, but if I push my body to the limit in 5k races, it does the complete opposite.
My first 5k with zero training I did in 44min, and after completing the C25K on the treadmill only, my first (and most miserable) 5k was done in 36min, and ever since then I've ran 5ks following in 40min, 39min and yesterday- 38min
I was honestly really disappointed because 2 weeks ago I ran 2mi in 22min and it was a fun great run! I just had the energy and thought- if I can run this fast not pushing my hardest I'm sure I can do my 5k at this 11min mile pace!
But yesterday I was at the starting line and with my anxiety, I could already tell I had palpitations, I was so nervous and after the first mile, it was just a miserable run- I don't understand why I have better runs when I'm not in a 5k!
... when I got to mile 2.8, I started feeling VERY dizzy and everything was spinning and I felt I was going to pass out, so I walked for a minute until I felt like I wasn't going to fall over, so I'm no longer going to push myself like that
Right now I can't run outside 3x a week because I assume with my weight, my knees are screaming so I run twice a week and just started adding a 3rd day a week of a walk/run.
I need to lose 50 pounds so my biggest focus right now is just working out 3x a week, and try again running 3x a week instead of 2.5
Does anyone else get extremely anxious/nervous at the starting line? My hubby and I are running a 5k next month, and while I'm not going to push my body to the limit again, but it would help if I didn't have such anxiety at the start line! Does anyone have advice on how to be calm like I am for my regular runs?
ALSO does anyone have any advice as far as recovery? It's the day after and I feel like I just got over having the flu, I feel like inside and out I'm so beat... should I take a week off any activity and then start back with a fast paced walk?

Replies

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    edited May 2018
    If you don't push yourself past the limit, you'll recover better. I encourage you to do a program like c25k that helps you learn to pace yourself and builds up your running endurance. You could probably start at week 3 since you're used to running. This might help with your anxiety too, because you'll have more confidence in your ability. It also depends on what you're feeling anxious about. Sometimes it's helpful to ask yourself "what's the worst that can happen?" This often helps put things in perspective and calm your anxiety. Finally, just tell yourself "I'm going to do this exactly like my practice runs" , or "it's just another practice run." Elite athletes often do that.
  • cleesus
    cleesus Posts: 87 Member
    I have found that the running reddit is pretty great at giving advice and encouragement, I post and read it often. Might want to take a look or make a thread if you have any more questions

    https://www.reddit.com/r/running/
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I wouldn't call it anxiety per sei, but I'm always a little nervous before a cycling event and rarely sleep well the night before...I'd call it more of "jitters" than anxiety.

    As far as recovery goes, I wouldn't think it would be much of an issue with a 5K. My wife runs a 5K most days of the week.
  • only6icecubes
    only6icecubes Posts: 20 Member
    That anxious/nervous is normal. This is how the body prepares you for races or events. Over time it will become easier and just part of your race week/day.
  • Lizzypb88
    Lizzypb88 Posts: 367 Member
    edited May 2018
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I wouldn't call it anxiety per sei, but I'm always a little nervous before a cycling event and rarely sleep well the night before...I'd call it more of "jitters" than anxiety.

    As far as recovery goes, I wouldn't think it would be much of an issue with a 5K. My wife runs a 5K most days of the week.

    I'm nowhere near that fit, my foot is numb and my sciatic is killing my leg from pushing myself... i was almost 300 pounds a few years ago, and Im 200 pounds and never did an ounce of exercise until I was 29! I run 2.5miles twice a week and my slow run can take me 35min to do that, and walk/run the 3rd day for an hour, I would love to build up to that more
  • Lizzypb88
    Lizzypb88 Posts: 367 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    If you don't push yourself past the limit, you'll recover better. I encourage you to do a program like c25k that helps you learn to pace yourself and builds up your running endurance. You could probably start at week 3 since you're used to running. This might help with your anxiety too, because you'll have more confidence in your ability. It also depends on what you're feeling anxious about. Sometimes it's helpful to ask yourself "what's the worst that can happen?" This often helps put things in perspective and calm your anxiety. Finally, just tell yourself "I'm going to do this exactly like my practice runs" , or "it's just another practice run." Elite athletes often do that.

    I did C25K last year and I went from zero running to a 40min comfortable 5k, so I had used that to learn to run for a longer period of time... should I restart th C25K and run faster at the intervals?
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Lizzypb88 wrote: »
    lorrpb wrote: »
    If you don't push yourself past the limit, you'll recover better. I encourage you to do a program like c25k that helps you learn to pace yourself and builds up your running endurance. You could probably start at week 3 since you're used to running. This might help with your anxiety too, because you'll have more confidence in your ability. It also depends on what you're feeling anxious about. Sometimes it's helpful to ask yourself "what's the worst that can happen?" This often helps put things in perspective and calm your anxiety. Finally, just tell yourself "I'm going to do this exactly like my practice runs" , or "it's just another practice run." Elite athletes often do that.

    I did C25K last year and I went from zero running to a 40min comfortable 5k, so I had used that to learn to run for a longer period of time... should I restart th C25K and run faster at the intervals?

    You could restart it, lots of people do, or do bridge to 10k. It starts running less than 5k intervals and you increase from there. Building distance helps you go faster on the shorter distances they say based on many threads I’ve read. Personally I’m not interested in putting in more volume, that’s why I can’t speak from personal experience.
  • edmudman
    edmudman Posts: 58 Member
    edited May 2018
    Lizzypb88 wrote: »
    Does anyone else get extremely anxious/nervous at the starting line?

    I s!!t myself prior to pretty much every race. If it's a Ironman, I start to withdraw as the race day approaches, the night before I'm almost mute. The second the gun goes off, it all disappears.
    I always remind myself of something I saw at Challenge Roth , a huge Iron distance race in Germany. While I was putting on my wetsuit and getting ready I spotted one of my favourite female pro triathletes. This is a woman who makes her living racing, she races alot and is very, very good. She was about to get into the water and her boyfriend had his arm around her, comforting her. The look on her face was the same fear that I was feeling. I now take great comfort that the Pros s!!t themselves too.

  • rj0150684
    rj0150684 Posts: 227 Member
    If your goal is to lose weight, and you want to focus on your regular daily exercise, you love running outside of the competitive 5ks, and you hate doing the 5ks, is there a reason you keep doing them? If it’s a personal goal or there’s some other driving need to do them, more power to you, but if you hate them and they obviously aren’t necessary for your stated goals, why not just stop signing up?
  • kjauthier
    kjauthier Posts: 24 Member
    I used to be anxious, but I realize now that was because I was putting unrealistic expectations on myself. I go into every race now with the intent to enjoy the moment realizing that just to be able to compete is a gift in and of itself. Ive found that with that approach Im more relaxed, make better decisions and not get so hung up on results.
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
    Unless you have placed a sizeable bet on yourself to win the race, or there is a great deal of prize money at stake that you desperately need, or some kind of harm will befall you, or your family, should you not do well, there is absolutely no reason to feel anxious at the start of a run, be it solitary or in a group. What's the best thing that could happen in the run (race)? You post a personal best and go home. What is the (realistically) worst thing that could happen? you post a person worst and you go home. In either case you go home and continue with your life as if the run(race) hadn't occurred. Excitement, exhilaration, enjoyment, sure. Have fun. Anxiety? Why?
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,401 Member
    Lizzypb88 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I wouldn't call it anxiety per sei, but I'm always a little nervous before a cycling event and rarely sleep well the night before...I'd call it more of "jitters" than anxiety.

    As far as recovery goes, I wouldn't think it would be much of an issue with a 5K. My wife runs a 5K most days of the week.

    I'm nowhere near that fit, my foot is numb and my sciatic is killing my leg from pushing myself... i was almost 300 pounds a few years ago, and Im 200 pounds and never did an ounce of exercise until I was 29! I run 2.5miles twice a week and my slow run can take me 35min to do that, and walk/run the 3rd day for an hour, I would love to build up to that more

    With the changes you have made in the last couple of years, you should just remove the pressure of the racing and enjoy the positive of the progress you have made. Well done young lady!


    As for race induced anxiety, not a lot I can suggest there other than to treat the race like a large group run. If you want to build up to longer and faster, do it for you and not for that time or ranking in the race. I've only run a few organized races and that's what I did. Even when I was much younger and reasonably quick it was much more fun to just run in a group with friends and not worry much about pace. Adding pressure, along with the excitement of the crowd and such, often makes people sprint out and then lag in pace early on.

    The last 10k I ran was with three others. One of them was the obvious slower of the group, and we all started in his pace group staging. We just had fun and let him set the pace, and the last mile or so after everyone confirmed it was ok we broke up so some could pick up their at the end. The "slower" guy finished 8-9 minutes ahead of his expected time and said it was due to never feeling pushed at all. The one true speedster in our group ran in with him that last mile or so, and said it was a lot more fun than he ever had running solo chasing a PB or high finish ranking.



    Just run for you and your goals. There will be people ahead of you and behind you. But the very last finisher in that race will still be leaps and bounds more fit than the people that never got off the couch.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,748 Member
    At the moment your goal should be to increase your distance rather than your speed. Your pace will pick up as you run more miles and lose more weight. If you are dealing with heat where you live, then running really fast right now isn't going to be possible.

    Getting anxious before a race is normal. I usually sleep badly, if at all, for several days before a race. Visualizing yourself doing well, finishing strong and smiling, can help. Being comfortable with the distance, by training well and being able to run much farther than race distance, also helps. (i.e. if you're running 25 mpw, 5k is easy. When running 40 mpw, a half marathon is easy.) Before a short race I usually do a mile or two warm-up jog, slow and easy, which allows me to start strong and relaxed.

    5ks are hard because if you really race them, you are pushing yourself hard the whole way. Longer distance races are run more slowly so mentally and physically can be easier, in some ways. On a HM or marathon, the first miles should feel really easy. That's not the case for a 5k, where it never feels easy if you are trying to do well. I end up puffing and panting the whole way - which is why I rarely run them. I was shocked when I ran my first 5k at how long it took before I was able to eat again afterwards. My stomach was upset with all the heavy breathing, and just didn't want to accept anything but fruit and water. If you run in the heat, that is likely to be even more true.

    If you want to enjoy your 5ks, then don't try to run fast, just run them for fun. That will also take a lot of the pressure off, so you may feel less anxious beforehand. Just look at them as social runs rather than races. Alternately, skip the races if you really don't enjoy them.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,085 Member
    I'm not a runner, and I do not race on my own two feet (physically cannot run) so I have no feedback on the training part - but I do race (motorcycles) and had this question for my coach a couple years ago re: racing jitters and focus.

    Basically what he suggested (and I have done ever since), is to have a pre-race routine. It can be whatever you want, but it's your routine, and you do it every time. Then, when you're out there ready to start (on the grid in my case), have some physical action you do that is your "trigger." In my case, as I'm rolling up to my grid, I pop open the face shield on my helmet - closing my shield just before the flags start is my way of "shutting out" the rest of the world and just focusing on me, my bike, and what I'm doing.

    That action, again, can be anything - perhaps a stretch, or something you memorize and say out loud to yourself, or whatever. The point isn't so much what the action is, but that there is something. And it has to be something that you physically DO. And that action triggers shutting out everything else, everyone else, and just focusing on you, your body, and what you are doing. Nothing else matters.

    Works pretty well for me and a number of much higher levels racers than I will ever be. Might be worth a try.
  • Brabo_Grip
    Brabo_Grip Posts: 285 Member
    I run for cardio and have never done a race. However, have done over 15 grappling competitions and recently had my first cage fight. I noticed that each competition the anxiety of competing was lessened. It never completely goes away, but it is definitely easier to handle. All the grappling comps also made my first MMA fight easier to handle - though they are most certainly different in scope.

    I’m short, keep running, keep doing the races, and I bet your anxiety will become much more manageable.
  • georgieamber2
    georgieamber2 Posts: 229 Member
    Someone once told me that's it's not how out of breath you get or the time it takes but it's the time you take to recover straight afterwards that will improve. Maybe write a running plan and don't push yourself to do 5k or to do it in a certain time... maybe give yourself an hour to run it or run 4k. I also find exercise helps my anxiety so much. x
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