Nerves

If you are anything like me, just about everything causes stress and nervousness.  A simple quiz causes me to break out in sweat, and an exam causes a near heart attack.  Why? Because I want to succeed and do the very best I can.  Performing brings out the best of my ability, but also a huge amount of stress that I somehow need to manage.

Running anxiety applies to any level of running from a race to a workout.  It is a quite common problem with lots of runners.  When I run, if there is pressure from either my team or myself, I freak out.  Like anything in life, pressure if hard to control.  Trying to meet the expectations we set for ourselves or the ones others set for us can be downright unpleasant and stressful.  Naturally we want to do out best and meet the goals and expectations to fulfill ourselves.  

Nerves can effect all runners, from the most casual to the hard core marathoners.  As Competitor.com puts it, "If you’ve been in the sport long enough, however, you’ve undoubtedly had a running friend who was scared to race, or you’ve been stricken with racing anxiety yourself."  While we might not all be racers, all runners suffer from nerves at different times.  I generally throw up before every race in pure fear of failure to reach my goals, and both of my roommates secluded themselves for hours before the start of the race.  In racing, this was normal for us.  Doing that first 5K that you spent weeks training for can be an overwhelming feeling.  

Even just running for fitness or beginning the sport is daunting.  Underachieving and not hitting your time goals or weekly mileage creates nerves.  Another frequent problem all runners get at some point is focusing on the watch and becoming demoralized by their poor performance.  Even basic factors like feeling embarrassed of your pace of running shape can cause runner anxiety.  The point is, like most things in life, running can cause anxiety, especially when we become more serious about the sport.  

The key as always is to manage the stress.  Personally I just accepted the anxiety and realized that it meant I cared and it truly made me more focused on performing my best.  Livestrong.com recommends controlling breathing while running and just staying relaxed.  Alleviating your stress could be as easy as just getting rid of the watch and moving the focus to having fun rather than obsessing.  

There is no one true way to relieve runner's anxiety.  Like stress in other parts of our lives, we constantly need to find ways to deal with it that work for us.  

http://running.competitor.com/2014/02/training/four-strategies-for-overcoming-racing-anxiety_49812


http://www.livestrong.com/article/176070-how-to-overcome-anxiety-while-running/