Hi everyone, and welcome back! For this week's post. I will be talking about the art of racing a 5k by diving into my most recent race.
You may have heard of the saying, "mind over matter," and I fully relate to that while racing, or even preparing for a race. Before the race, you have to envision your spot on the line and imagine how the race will go. It is normal to have some pre-race nerves, but learning to work through them is important.
I have found that in the races that I am less anxious about, I am more excited and end up having a better outcome. If I am overly nervous, then any plan I have going into the race could backfire.
I raced with three of my teammates, and before the race, we did our shakeout run and stretched. We took our last few sips of water before heading down to the track to begin our strides. During this time, I like to turn my brain off, and just try to focus on the race and get my teammates excited for it. I have learned, after a very long time of racing, that it is all for fun and there is no reason to get worked up about it before beginning.
"Mind over matter," I tell myself as I step on the track and wish my teammates good luck. I again remind myself that it might be a little bit uncomfortable to go fast but, it will be over before I know it.
Racing is more a mental game than a physical one in my opinion. I have to decide how fast I want to go out, find a pace to stay at, that is comfortable enough to hold, but not too comfortable. And then, I need enough energy to kick at the end of my race.
Sometimes I have more of a kick at the end of my race, and sometimes I do not. Sometimes I go out too fast, and sometimes, I go out at a good pace. This is all part of the learning process.
As I am racing, I am reminded to stay focused and achieve my goals for finishing the race.
The most important thing to me is my teammates. Even though I am racing the longest event for the night, some of them stayed late to cheer the 5k on, and it is amazing to see the camaraderie, and support system all along the race.
No matter what happens, crossing the line is an achievement, and there is always another race with a chance to improve and have fun!
I love this sport, and each race makes me fall in love with running more and more!
Until next time:)