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HOW TO COPE WITH PRE-RACE JITTERS
Are you apprehensive going into your first tri
season?
by Daniel Clout,
DanielClout.net
I'm leaving tomorrow for a month of racing in
Europe - Triathlon Worlds in Madeira Island and the Duathlon Worlds in
Belgium and since I still get the jitters, I felt that this would be a great
article for BT'ers.
Doing a triathlon for your first time or even your 100th time can be a nerve
racking experience. I’m assuming your pre-race jitters are most likely
contributed to the fear of doing something unfamiliar. For me it's mainly
associated with the high expectations I put on myself to win. However we all
share similar ties as there’s no difference really between elite triathletes
and newbies because we are all human with dreading failure and
embarrassment.
I want to let you in on some of my secrets to cope with this stress. I’m
keen also to help encourage you as beginners to enjoy the experience so
you’ll stick with your new exciting exploration. Be sure to give yourself a
second chance if things went wrong on your first go. I still am making
mistakes after 3 solid years of doing them yet that’s the challenging and
rewarding concept of doing triathlons.
The number one thing is it’s got to be fun. Everything is attitude!!!
The way you think, perceive and lead your thoughts is crucial. To me
triathlon is as much mental as it is physical. You may think triathlon is
physically demanding yet the brain is the powerful mechanism that keeps you
going. You will get out what you put in! Mental toughness may be a trait
inherited in different degrees from one person to another but I truly think
it’s up to yourself how determined and physiologically strong you decide on
becoming.
Are you apprehensive going into your first tri season? Then I recommend
setting your mind right now to do it purely for fun, simply aim to finish
and to do your best as nothing else should matter. Overpower any
apprehensive thoughts you are having at the moment with strong positive
thoughts and images. Likewise when racing, when negative thoughts try to
tell you to slow down or quit - DON'T ACCEPT THEM!!! Remind yourself why you
are doing this and tell yourself you are having fun no matter what. This
will create a positive reaction in your body as endorphins, adrenalin and
other useful hormones will make you feel awesome. This will take away most
of the anxiety beforehand and during the race lessen the screaming muscular
pains; consequently enhance the experience and race better. With
accepting only one negative thought you could turn your race to custard as
the opposite reaction happens with toxins taking over the body and slowing
you down. Without a doubt, I believe there is a very strong correlation
between how you think and how the body reacts to those thought patterns. So
remember positive, positive, and positive!!!
I have found whenever I psych myself up I race poorly - this is compared to
going to a race with a 'I don’t care how I do' attitude. The races that I
fool/joke around, stay relaxed and going into with no expectations are the
ones I have surprised myself by kicking ass when feeling even terribly out
of shape. I basically play reverse psychology on myself now because of what
I have learned about myself. Basically the more I want to win the less I
have to think about winning. I know I am extremely competitive - once the
race starts I will automatically do my best, so why waste energy working
myself up before? Yet pre-race visualization is extremely important but I
will save that for another article. Everyone has different coping skills so
find out specifically what keeps yourself in the right frame of mind so you
don’t get too nervous.
If you are just starting off you have nothing to lose I reckon. Enjoy the
magnificent experience by staying relaxed, happy and thinking and accepting
only positive thoughts. This way you’re bound to get hooked on this cool
sport and enjoy the journey.
I wish you the best in your new endeavor!
Daniel Clout (Kiwi fella who speaks his mind!)
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