Angela Chen, MPH, Ph.D.
A goal race tends to bring excitement and pressure simultaneously. Corrals are crowded, the weather may shift, and your mind can fill with what ifs. If you experience race anxiety, you are not doing anything wrong. The aim of this post is to help you steady your nervous system, focus your attention, and respond to thoughts and feelings so you can give an honest effort, one minute at a time. It is not to get rid of anxiety altogether. These tools draw on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and can support runners at every level, from the 5K to the marathon. Please note that these strategies complement, not replace, guidance from your coach, physical therapist, or physician.
Begin With What You Can Control To Get Ahead of Race Anxiety
When you navigate race anxiety, it grows as the brain searches for certainty in places that do not offer it. A brief sort helps you invest energy where it matters.
What’s within your control?
- Where you place your attention
- Your self-talk
- When you arrive and where you line up
- How you respond when the plan changes and what your race outcome is
- Your fueling strategy and implementation
- Your pacing strategy and implementation
- Whether and when to head to the port-o-potties
- Whether and how many layers of throw-away clothes you bring
- Your race kit
In contrast, there are many things that are also not within your control, including weather, delays, what other runners do, bathroom lines, course elevation, past workouts, and your official chip time once you cross the finish line.
To help you anchor race day, choose three items from the list of controllables above.
Ten-Minute Ritual to Manage Race Day Nerves The Night Before the Race
If you have wondered how to deal with race anxiety the night before, a short plan helps your brain settle so you can conserve energy for the morning.
- List the what ifs. Write down every worry that comes up and circle three items that you will revisit after the race. Your brain settles when it trusts there is a plan for later.
- Set your A, B, and C goals.
- A goal for the best-case conditions
- B goal for a strong performance for the day/conditions you are given.
- C goal for learning from, participating in , and finishing the event.
- Visualize four moments. See yourself entering the corral calmly, taking fuel on schedule, meeting a hard patch with your skills, and crossing the finish line with composure.
- Use breathing to lower pre-race nerves. Six breaths with a gentle four-count inhale and six-count exhale. Unclench your jaw, drop your shoulders, and soften your hands and eyes.
- Use a shut-down phrase. Say out loud if possible, “All done for today. I will trust my training and run the mile I am in.” You are not forcing sleep. You are signaling safety.
If you want support applying these skills, learn more or contact Dr. Angela Chen through the Chen Thrive Psychology contact page.
Morning-Of and Corral Grounding For Race Anxiety
- Five-four-three-two-one scan. Notice five things you see, four things you can touch, three things you hear, two things you smell, and one thing you taste. This exercise helps you attend to the present moment.
- Physiological sigh three times. One relaxed inhale, a small top-up inhale, and a long, unforced exhale. Doing this helps settle pre-race anxiety and lowers activation.
- Name self-doubt without arguing or trying to change it. Silently label, “I am having the thought that I will not hold this pace,” then return attention to your plan.
- Choose one anchor for the first mile. Breath, effort, cadence, or posture. Simple is better than perfect.
Mid-Race Resets You Can Use While Moving
- When your pace feels off and doubt shows up
Use a sixty-second reset. Notice the thought or feeling, name it in one word such as doubt or urge to quit, and normalize it with a quiet “of course.” Then select one anchor for the next minute.
- When the weather challenges you
Acknowledge the condition and that everyone shares it. Shift from pace to effort cues, such as steady and patient. Soften your face and hands, lengthen your exhale, and return to your anchor.
- When finishing feels uncertain
Shrink the task. One light pole, one song, or one minute. Tell yourself, “I finish by running the mile I am in,” and then act on it.
- When comparison starts
Create a little distance with defusion by saying to yourself, “I am noticing the thought that other runners are moving better than I am.” Do a brief three-two-one presence scan, then return to your body.
Cognitive Tools to Manage Race Anxiety That Pair With Movement
If you are practicing how to deal with race anxiety mid-race, these cognitive skills help you unhook from worry while you keep moving.
Performance self-compassion
Say, “It makes sense that I feel anxious. This is important to me, and other runners feel this too.” Pair this with a longer exhale and a cue such as strong and steady or one foot in front of the other. Kindness does not reduce effort. It reduces friction.
Defusion with a visual
Picture your most persistent worry printed on a passing singlet. Let it move ahead and out of view. You do not have to debate the thought. You can notice it and choose a behavior that fits the race you want to run.
Drop an anchor
All-or-nothing thinking wastes energy. Choose the sustainable middle for one minute. Feel your feet in your shoes, your breath in your ribs, your elbows brushing back. Commit for sixty seconds, then recommit.
Mantras and Movement Anchors
If race anxiety shows up during the middle miles, a short mantra paired with a body cue can keep you engaged without burning extra energy. Select one mantra and one body cue now so you are not searching for them late in the race.
Mantras:
- “Trust your training.”
- “Run the mile you are in.”
- “Strong and steady.”
- “Brave, not perfect.”
Anchors:
- “Quiet feet”
- “Tall and easy”
- “Elbows back”
- “Smooth hands”
- “Longer exhale”
The Final Ten to Fifteen Minutes
When the mind starts to negotiate, expect it and simplify. These brief steps help you finish well, even if race anxiety is still present:
- Break the course into very small segments.
- Re-pick your anchor each time bargaining begins.
- Keep form cues single word. Tall. Relax jaw. Elbows back. Let the words shape movement, not worry.
After You Finish & Before You Check the Clock
- Name three wins. Examples include steady effort, following your fueling plan, or returning to your anchor during a hard patch.
- Refuel and take ten minutes off-screen. Then enjoy your data and photos.
- Pause on big decisions for at least twenty-four hours. Recover first, then refine your plan.
Safety and Scope
- Stop and seek help for red-flag symptoms, such as chest pain, severe dizziness, or sharp pain.
- These strategies are educational psychology tools. They do not replace medical care, individualized coaching, or physical therapy. Follow your coach and medical team’s guidance first.
Quick Reference You Can Save to Your Phone
Night before: List what ifs, set A-B-C goals, visualize four moments, practice 4-in 6-out breathing, use a shut-down phrase.
Start line: Five-four-three-two-one scan, three physiological sighs, pick one anchor for Mile 1.
Mid-race: Sixty-second reset, “I am having the thought that…,” three-two-one presence scan, effort cues.
Late race: Chunk small, pair mantra with anchor, single-word form cues.
Finish: Three wins, food and quiet, no decisions for twenty-four hours.
For Custom Performance Athletes
Your physical therapy and strength programs build capacity in your tissues and movement patterns. Psychological skills help you access that capacity under stress, especially when you experience race anxiety. If a particular symptom tends to show up, pair it with one targeted support.
- Jaw tension: One minute of box breathing, four in, four hold, four out, four hold.
- Chest tightness: Gently draw shoulder blades together and release, then take three slow exhales.
- Stomach knots: Sit tall, hinge slightly forward from the hips, rest a hand on the belly, and breathe softly for two minutes.
Choose the support that matches the body signal you notice, then continue with your plan.
If You Want Support
If you are ready to integrate psychological skills into your running in a way that respects ambition and protects recovery, I would be honored to help. Together, we can choose one practice from above, one concise mantra, and one race-day anchor that fits your goals and your body. You do not have to eliminate every worry to run well. You can notice what shows up, unhook from the spiral, and choose the next step that moves you toward the race you want to run.
Angela Chen, MPH, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and runner who helps adults work through anxiety, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and burnout so they can pursue big goals more sustainably. She provides virtual care for clients in New York. To inquire about working together, visit https://www.chenthrivepsych.com/contact