Hello! My name is Jenn, and I suffer from anxiety. As I get older it seems to be getting worse, not better, which strikes me as unfair. Alas, we must deal with the mental struggles we are given.
I will be using Fear from Inside Out as my avatar during this post. Yes, I know Inside Out 2 features an actual Anxiety character. Unfortunately I have not seen this movie as the idea of confronting Anxiety gives me anxiety. Someone alert Joseph Heller!
I HAVE HAD PRE-RACE ANXIETY… BAD
Specific to the topic of this blog, I have found myself in the midst of pre-race anxiety a lot in the last couple of years – anywhere from general unease up to and including panic attacks. Oh, and there’s a new twist; sometimes I suffer digestive issues now too! It’s great. I love it. Haha!
Haha indeed. Anyway, after too many really bad instances of pre-race panic across multiple runDisney race weekends, I began to wonder if I could stand the stress of runDisney challenge races. (If you’re new to runDisney, that means you run more than one or even all of the races in a given weekend.) Not a great question when you’re staring down a four-race Dopey weekend.
Thankfully, after my worst pre-race freakout of ALL TIME, I started to get a handle on my triggers. This is partially thanks to Becky of Disney In Your Day, who bore witness to part of my spiral. As a fellow citizen of Anxietyland, she was able to provide me with some insight into my struggle – and this in turn encouraged me to dig deeper into the underlying causes.
My last couple races could have easily gone the same terrible way. But! Thanks to my shiny new coping mechanisms and improved understanding of the catalysts, I’ve battled back the demons… and even gotten some sleep.
In need of similar victories? Read on to steal some of my strategies, plus pick up more tips from fellow runners.
TIPS FOR COPING WITH PRE-RACE ANXIETY FROM ME
Don’t drink sugary sports drinks before bed. Okay, this is very much a Your Mileage May Vary piece of advice, but if you find yourself suffering from race-eve digestive jitters, you may want to try cutting your sugary drink supply off early in the day. I used to have a habit of downing a Powerade with my pre-race dinner, until I figured out that it didn’t agree with my nervous tummy. Get your bonus electrolytes in the morning, or try sugarless electrolyte alternatives.
Replicate your at-home bedtime setup where possible. I always bring a blanket from home. I also like to hug a pillow as a stand-in for a stuffed animal, although now I think bringing a stuffed animal from home might be worth the suitcase space. A sleep mask has also become a must. They even come in Disney form! (That’s an affiliate link, kids.)
Remind yourself that the call is coming from inside the house. This is my NUMBER ONE piece of advice.
As you well know, anxiety is a battle fought within your own mind. Sometimes your brain convinces the rest of your body it feels keyed up and/or it’s dying. I’m not saying it’s impossible that you are, in fact, suddenly sick, but don’t dismiss the possibility that you are, in fact, fine. Do you freak out before the race a lot? Then there’s your Ockham’s razor. Your nervous mind is playing tricks on you. Just reminding myself of that fact can stave off panic.
Have a go-to daydream. Perhaps this is not a universal experience, but I can’t be the only one who likes to tell themselves stories to go to sleep. If that’s you, have a go-to scenario teed up. The moment your mind starts to race or you wake up to your heart pounding, barrel straight past worried thoughts and launch right into your daydream.
Bonus points for incorporating how you feel into said daydream: maybe you’re a character who is also nervous about an upcoming event, and a fellow character from that world is soothing your fears. By channeling your feelings into an avatar, you add a layer of disconnect between yourself and your personal mental and physical state. Those aren’t your feelings! They belong to [insert character name here]!
Get moving before you make any rash decisions. All right, this one requires a certain amount of discretion. If you wake up and know you’re genuinely unable to run this race, honor that instinct. But if your alarm goes off and you’re plagued with doubt – over how you felt last night, over how much you did or didn’t sleep – get up. Get dressed. Maybe drink some tea (see below). Warm up. Get on the bus. Start the race. You can stop at any point. In my experience, once you get going you’ll be just fine. Maybe not in PR territory, but you can do this, and have fun to boot!
Ease in. Corollary to the above, don’t force anything that doesn’t feel right in the moment. Maybe you planned to eat something as soon as you woke up, but you just can’t face your stroopwaffel. That’s okay! Bring it with you. Eat it when you are ready. Maybe break off some tiny crumbs and drink a little water. Don’t wear your race costume if the very thought makes you all itchy. Will just the Minnie ears do? Meet yourself where you are.
Case study: I woke up the morning of the 2024 Marine Corps Marathon with a quivering digestive system. I was briefly afraid I had food poisoning (much as I had been during my worst pre-race tizzy). But instead of leaning into worry, I told myself it was only nerves and got ready to run. I drank a little water and pocketed food for later. By the time we were in the car on the way to the race I was a-okay! I ate my first snack in the bus line and it all came out in the wash.
TIPS FOR COPING WITH PRE-RACE ANXIETY FROM YOU
No need to rely on me for your anti-anxiety advice! I also crowdsourced suggestions from my Instagram followers. Here are some of their trips:
Knock yourself out with meds. Nyquil and melatonin were both mentioned, as was some discussion of cannabis gummies. For myself, I would be afraid I would conk out too well and sleep through my alarm, but many people report success with sleep aids.
Breathing exercises. Taking deep, deliberate, measured breaths helps regulate your nervous system. There are lots of ways to do it – breath holds, in through your mouth and out through your nose, long inhales and repeated short exhales, etc. Play with different methods and see what works for you.
Drink some tea. Most herbal tea has little to no caffeine, and a warm beverage helps many relax. I’ve also turned to tea upon waking in an effort to channel calm.
Use checklists. As a spreadsheet queen myself, I can attest to the power of checklists. If supply readiness is what scares you, a checklist might be just to ticket to calm your nerves. I like to consult pictures of flat lays past in case I see something I’ve used in prior events I realize I haven’t laid out yet.
Take a warm shower or bath, possibly with epsom salts or similar. Not every Disney hotel room offers a bath, but warm bathing of any kind is a good way to quiet your nervous system.
Unwind with some comforting media. A favorite book, movie, or television show might be just the ticket to help you unwind before bed. I watched Cloverfield before the 2024 WDW Marathon if that tells you what kind of person I am.
Sleep well the night before the night before the race. Easy for you to say if you’re not doing a runDisney challenge; Dopey comes with four potential sleepless nights. But if it works with your race schedule, focus on getting plenty of sleep in the week leading up to the race and simply accept that race eve will be sleepless. If you are in the throes of a runDisney race challenge, make sure you get those naps in.
TIPS FROM THE PROFESSIONALS
Don’t trust me or the kinds of people who have bad enough judgment to follow me on Instagram? Fair enough! Here are some articles on handling prerace anxiety from the professionals.
Of course there’s a Runner’s World article on this topic! Highlight: Recognize that nerves are your body’s way of preparing, and “you don’t have to be calm or comfortable to perform well.” Mentally bookmarking that phrase for sure.
Or perhaps you prefer Outside. Highlight: Fear makes pain bearable, which is what enables you to push yourself.
Here’s a reddit thread for people who like to turn to reddit for answers. Highlight: remind yourself the only reason you’re nervous is because you care, and that’s a good thing. You’re not nervous, you’re excited!
Precision Fuel & Hydration introduces the concept of the anchor, which is when you attach a gesture to a positive image. It’s a sort of cheat code for putting your brain where you want it. I plan to think about my best runDisney race ever.
And that’s just a few articles I dipped into over the course of 15 minutes. The internet is vast, and I even pre-Googled it for you! Keep searching until you find the strategy that resonates with your brain.
IN CONCLUSION
As is so often the case, I can’t tell you what of the above advice will work for you personally. But if conquering your pre-race jitters is on your to-do list, give some of the above a try. Don’t lose heart if the first couple don’t work. It took me literal years to get to the point where I can manage. We’re looking for progress, not perfection. And if I can make progress, anyone can! Trust me. 😅
Disclaimer: I am not a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a therapist, or any other kind of professional. The above is nothing more than a series of suggestions, although I do hope helpful ones. If you’re really wigging out, I suggest seeking credentialed help. No shame in that; I know I could use some!
Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!
Great write-up and resources! Anxiety can truly be a vicious cycle, but we do the best we can. I’ve gone from pre-race anxiety to “close to the end” race anxiety. Like, around mile 10 or 11 of a half marathon, or mile 5 of a 10k, I start to feel like I’m going to have a panic attack. So that’s a great new thing to tackle!
Also – watch Inside Out 2! I had a lot of anxiety about watching Anxiety as well. And I won’t lie, it gave me feels… but it was the kind of feels that help you understand yourself a bit better so I found it more than worth it. Just choose a day when you know you’re having a better anxiety day 😉
Sounds like we need to do an Inside Out 2 group race costume >D