The Hidden Meaning Behind Your Pre-Race Jitters

The “taper crazies” are a well-known phenomenon among athletes in the days or weeks preceding an endurance event. You hyperfixate on the forecast, scrutinize any bodily sensation that could indicate injury or illness, toss and turn at night, triple check your gear, invent impossible worst-case scenarios, and obsess over details that you cannot actually control. Even experienced athletes can be surprised by how psychologically uncomfortable the days before a race can feel.

When you are in the throes of this unique form of anxiety, it can feel distressing and uncomfortable. Many athletes may interpret these experiences as problematic or a sign of weakness. They start to feel anxious about being anxious.

However, anxiety preceding any major event (particularly one involving uncertainty and performance pressure) is a normal psychological response. The more you have invested in the process, the more you care about the outcome.

Instead of wrestling with pre-race anxiety, a more helpful starting point is to ask:

What are these nerves trying to tell me?

This Matters to Me

Anxiety is often a sign that we care deeply about something. A race may represent months of training, sacrifice, and emotional investment. You may have had many pre-dawn alarms set, endured miserable weather, and taken time away from your family or other responsibilities.

You prioritized training above comfort because this matters to you. If you did not care about the outcome, you likely would not be feeling anxious.

With this in mind, we can reframe pre-race anxiety from something harmful or problematic, to something natural, understandable, and expected.

It Feels Vulnerable to Leave the Comfort Zone

Athletes love predictability, but racing involves willingness to tolerate uncertainty. It feels vulnerable to willingly choose an activity where disappointment or struggle are possible, particularly when being witnessed by loved ones.

Vulnerability naturally triggers anxiety. And yet, how can we access joy, meaning, and growth without being willing to risk discomfort?

I’m About to Do Something Risky, So I Better Focus

Any athletic event, particularly endurance events, involve some degree of risk – ranging from minor injury to serious accident.

Humans are hard-wired to experience anxiety as a means of preparing for action and responding to danger. The fight-or-flight response involves specific biological, mental, and emotional reactions that get us ready for action.

Feeling restless and keyed up on race week is not necessarily problematic in itself. It’s just your brain and body preparing to respond at a moment’s notice, if needed.

Some degree of anxiety can actually enhance performance and sharpen focus. The goal is not necessarily to get rid of anxiety altogether, but to keep it within a manageable zone.

This is Going to Hurt

You are about to do something that will elicit physical pain, fatigue, and mental anguish.  

Some pre-race nerves simply stem from the anticipation of discomfort, as your brain foresees what is about to happen.

I Need to Do Something with This Extra Energy

Tapering means that you have decreased your activity volume to be ready for race day, and you likely have much more time on your hands than usual.

As race day draws near, you likely are also experiencing an excess of physiological energy – without your go-to coping mechanism for discharging stress.

With that in mind, feeling amped up on race week is a sign that the taper has worked correctly.

This is Really Exciting

Anxiety and excitement are somatically very similar – both involve restlessness, elevated energy, butterflies in the stomach, and feeling extra alert.

The difference lies in the cognitive interpretation. We tend to evaluate excitement as a positive experience, and anxiety as a problem that needs to be solved.

You are about to do something challenging and significant, perhaps for the first time. Of course you are feeling excited!

Conclusion

Anxiety before a major event that has involved sacrifice, investment, and discomfort is only human. Pre-race nerves are not necessarily problematic, though therapy can help if anxiety becomes so severe that it interferes with performance, daily functioning, or leads to extreme distress. I specialize in supporting outdoor and endurance athletes - schedule a free consultation call to learn more.

Approaching pre-race anxiety with curiosity rather than self-criticism may lead to additional opportunities for self-development and growth.

Author Bio

Dr. Annie Mueller is a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Summerland Psychology, a private practice serving adults in Washington and PSYPACT states via telehealth. Her work focuses on anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, and supporting athletes and high-performing individuals.

This article also appears on Psychology Today.