Before the Event

The majority of people feel somewhat apprehensive in the week prior to a big event.  To help calm your thoughts I have briefly shared how I attempted to keep pre race anxiety at bay. I also sought a few words of wisdom from a few friends of mine and asked them to briefly touch on how they handled the final week and also Race Day.

I hope you find it useful and benefit from gaining a brief insight into the minds of some of  Australia's best distance runners.

From Stephen Moneghetti...

The race is the final result of all the work done. In contrast to what Stephen John Otwali said it is a fantastic achievement to start a marathon regardless of the outcome because it shows a commitment to achieving a goal.

Your aim is to start the race anything after that is icing on the cake. I congratulate you on putting the time in to be able to get to the start line.

As you are cutting back on the physical work you can spend time focusing on relaxing by reading back over your diary which will show you how far you have come. Or run over the first course you did when you first decided to run the marathon. You will be amazed how short and how easy it seems to you now - this also shows how far you have come and the work you have put in.

Think of the Marathon as a terrific social occasion - it is an outing with thousands of other people after all and aim to make friends with five people during the race. This will help you look forward to the event and not see it as such an arduous task.

Finally be assured by the knowledge that other people have been through what you are about to do, and they have achieved it successfully (maybe you could talk to some of these people this week if you know some) and possibly they will tell you it is one of the most satisfying and uplifting things they have ever done.

I look forward to you joining the "marathon club" too!

From Robert De Castella...

I followed something called "disassociation" or separating out the things I needed to think about, such as drinks, numbers, shoes, uniform, travel to race, recovery (have someone close by so you don't need to walk kilometers to the car!) from those things that you don't need to worry about, like "will I make the distance, am I ready, how much pain will it be, can I run a PB", etc, etc.

Keep the unimportant things out of your mind by saying to yourself "I've got plenty of time to worry about that later", or some such thing. I would start saying that as soon as I noticed myself stressing about the race.

This would start a few weeks before, and I would keep saying it right up to when I was walking to the start line! When the gun goes it's too late to worry, just get on with it!

From Lee Troop...

- Never think about what I could have done differently. What's done is done.

- Don't think about the race. I usually hang out with other guys and grab a coffee or see a movie. (nothing is discussed about the race)

There is plenty of time in the race to think (2hrs+)

- Morning of race go for a 10min walk a few hours before, read the paper and have a cup of tea. Staying in a relaxed frame of mind.

- When on start line I use the tortoise and hare analogy. It is a long way. No need to stress or panic like the hare. The first half of the race needs to be the most relaxed it can be as it usually sets the tone for how well you will run. By going out fast you only dig a hole for yourself and the time you try to make up in the early stages will be lost in the second half two fold. By going out easy and staying relaxed early, you can make up time in the second half.

- Lastly have faith in my own ability. The work is done, so don't worry. The time to worry about the race is when you have crossed the finish line.

From me, Pat Carroll...

I tried not to think about the race at all in the week of the event or even talk much about it. I left all that for when I was in my heavy training phase and the many hours of solitude that came my way.

I found that once I started entertaining any thoughts about the race in the day's prior, all be them positive, that eventually negative thoughts would be also attracted. Negative thoughts create anxiety and you use up a great deal of energy as a result.

Continually thinking about the race could lead to your greeting the start line being emotionally spent and drained. So I would just say to myself "Just stop thinking about it mate, your only going to get yourself worked up and possibly hinder your performance on the day, all the work is done, thinking about it or tossing around the what ifs is not going to do you any good."

I often found the firing of the gun to be a great relief for the waiting was over and I no longer had to control my thought processes.

My final tip is to try and take in a movie the day or night before, it's a great way to relax. Oh Yeah, and if you are staying in a different bed the night before, take your own pillow, it is one that you are used to and will guarantee a great nights sleep.

Cherish the opportunity that you have on Race Day and I hope that you are rewarded with everything you are entitled to.

Pat Carroll

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 e: pat@patcarrollonline.com