Managing Mid-Race Self-Doubt: The Psychology of Pushing Through

When endurance athletes hit the mid-race point they may notice physical and mental struggles. Some physical struggles could be feeling fatigued, experiencing discomfort or cramping, and seeing some shifts in their pacing. Mental struggles could also creep in and impact the rest of their performance throughout the race. A common mental struggle during endurance races is self-doubt, especially as confidence begins to slide. Having a set of mid-race mental strategies to manage self-doubt is extremely important for athletes of any level!

Understanding Self-Doubt

Most endurance athletes establish outcome goals that they’d like to achieve for each race. Even with the best intentions, training, and planning, those goals can sometimes not be achieved during the race for various reasons. Some examples include the pace being slower than expected, encountering fatigue earlier in the race, or even comparing performance to other athletes.

Not meeting expectations can really impact an athlete’s mindset. Sometimes, it can cause an athlete to go into panic mode, where they feel more anxious or threatened by the environment. Other times, it could cause an athlete to question their abilities, leading to more self-doubt. When the self-doubt kicks in alongside the fatigue, it can make pushing through the rest of the race more challenging. 

What Does It Really Mean To “Push Through”? 

Adapting to challenges and obstacles is a component of mental toughness. Implementing strategies to assist athletes in becoming more mindful and recognizing how they are feeling, and implementing strategies can help regulate the self-doubts they might be experiencing.

Here are some examples of psychological skills that can assist endurance athletes during these challenging times.

Self-Talk Regulation

The way an athlete speaks to themselves matters!  Learning to become self-aware is extremely important. When self-talk is negative or unproductive, an athlete can feel out of control, especially mid-race! Athletes can work on shifting these self-talk patterns to be more constructive by implementing anchoring techniques such as mantras, positive affirmations, and breathing strategies to help them feel more present in the moment.

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Reframing Feelings Of Discomfort

When athletes feel uncomfortable, they can quickly become disappointed and view it as a failure. In these moments, they might mentally doubt their abilities to continue racing at their desired pace and intensity. Working on reframing these views can assist athletes in aligning again with their goals.

Breakdown The Race Into Smaller Increments

Most athletes find the length of an endurance race daunting. Rather than thinking about the miles ahead, an athlete can consider breaking the course into shorter sections. Some suggestions would be to break the race into four sections and only focus on one section at a time or to focus on running from aid station to aid station. This chunking strategy assists athletes in managing overwhelming feelings and focuses their attention on the present moments.

Anchoring to your “WHY”

Every athlete has a purpose and reasons for racing. This is known as their “WHY.” When self-doubt and struggles build, it could cause an athlete to struggle with confidence, self-belief, and motivation. Having a clearly defined “WHY” established before the race can help an athlete anchor during challenging times. Re-igniting with their “WHY” can assist in shifting motivation during these moments, enabling an athlete to feel in control, connected, and confident.

Trust the Process

Every athlete experiences self-doubt. It doesn’t mean you’re weak; it means you are human! The most important element is how you respond in the moment. The next time you hear self-doubt creep in, listen to it. You don’t have to silence it entirely; instead, implement these mental strategies to help you continue moving forward through those mid-race struggles!

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