Pressure and Running

Many runners tend to put unnecessary pressure on themselves when they run. This may be regardless of whether you are a professional athlete who runs for money or a recreational athlete who is looking to run a new personal best timing.

RUNNING WITHOUT PRESSURE

According to Lara Tamsett, a former World Junior Running Champion and a two time Australia 10,000m champion, she had recently competed in her first run for fun – with no timing goal or placing aspirations, and she ended up having one of her best races ever, savouring the race scenery and support and didn’t experience the mid-race panic that she typically does.

I can testify to that too. When I took part in the 2017 edition of the Gold Coast Marathon, it was my first overseas marathon, so I had simply wanted to soak up the scenery and have fun – and I ended up running my fastest marathon ever, whilst having a great time too.

DEALING WITH PRESSURE

Lara feels that while pressure is an integral part of sport, the way that athletes deal with pressure is important. Pressure can enhance motivation and concentration when it is dealt with in the correct manner.

But a runner who cannot deal with such pressure well, may succumb to it and may end up having a bad race. This may lead to depression, disenchantment and other negative side effects and in some severe cases, may also lead to the runner giving up the sport entirely.

FOCUS ON THE JOURNEY, NOT THE OUTCOME

Athletes who may be unable to deal with pressure could be too focused on the outcome and are too fixated on achieving their goal, for example, to qualify for the Boston Marathon and may become inadvertently overwhelmed by it.

Instead of focusing too much on the outcome, why not focus on the journey instead? By focusing on the process, you are more likely to enjoy the running, for example, the training process for the marathon, instead of being overwhelmed by the outcome.

At the same time, you are less likely to burn out and may end up enjoying running, for a longer period of time, as the outcomes will be secondary. A longitudinal study of 500 runners over a two year period showed that those who had a passion for the activity were more likely to continue and improve in it.

TAKE A STEP BACK FROM YOUR RUNNING GOALS

So Lara urges that while you may get caught up in setting new goals and achieving new personal breakthroughs in running, do not forget to take a step back and remember why you took up running in the first place.

Never lose sight of your passion for this sport. Remember to savour running for what it is and how it boosts your mind and mood.

This has been brought to you by the Gold Coast Marathon.