- Approach the race as a personal challenge, use competition as motivation, and give your best to the finish line.
- Maintain clarity through managing emotions and anxiety, trust your preparation, and approach the race with confidence and determination.
- Break the race down into three phases: start slow, keep a steady pace and save some energy for the final sprint.
Running for the sheer joy of movement, the sensations, the company, and overall well-being, both physical and mental, is one thing. It helps us feel more present, relieve daily stress, and connect with ourselves and others. The reasons why each of us started running and decided to keep going are endless. However, choosing to participate in a race changes everything. It stems from an inner drive, a desire to face a challenge that will never be the same, just as we will never be exactly the same. It doesn’t matter whether you’re competing against yourself or others: this is the moment to test yourself. To make the most of this new experience, focus on these three key goals.
1. Competitive goal
If you have decided to enter a competition, it is because you want to challenge yourself. You don’t need to aim to do something above your ability. The goal you need to set for yourself is to put into practice everything you have learned in preparation, training after training. Use competition as a motivation and not a reason to get discouraged, perhaps because you are being overtaken by someone running faster. Leverage your inner fire and keep the momentum going, however things go. And if you get to wondering “Why” know that the answer will be waiting for you once you cross the finish line.
2. Awareness goal
As human beings, we are made of flesh, bones and emotions. Sometimes emotions are difficult to manage and control. But in the race, it is crucial to learn how to maintain lucidity. Think of the race as one of the many exams you will have had to take throughout your life: having spent late nights in books would be of little use if in front of the professor you panicked. To avoid being clouded by agitation, you need to gain a strong awareness of your abilities: if to get to that moment you have done everything in your power, so in addition to training you have devoted the right amount of time to rest and nutrition, you will have nothing to worry about.
3. “Tactical” goal
This is not about strategizing to play for one of the top spots in the standings. We are not at that level nor is that the reason why you entered your first race. However, we would be liars if we said we did not want to get a good result, to attribute meaning to the effort put in over the months of preparation. In other words, the goal is to try to run a good race, run well from start to finish. To achieve this, break it down into 3 phases: don’t rush and use the initial phase to figure out how you are and study the situation a bit, after which you assume a “cruising” speed that will allow you to get to the last kilometers with some energy to cross the finish line in a push but above all with a smile.