It’s Friday so I’m linking up with Running on Happy & Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five 2.0 linkup! Join in! Don’t forget to link back to your hostesses and visit some other bloggers.
My topic for today is: Tips for Getting Over a Bad Race
I just returned from Florida where I ran a half marathon (and no, it wasn’t really a “bad” race.)
We have all had races that didn’t go as planned, what should we do?
- Analyze what happened BEFORE the race.
Was it your training? Were you injured or sick? Did you walk too much the day before the race? Was it what you ate?
If you can figure what went wrong before, you can avoid some of these mistakes during the next race. (Though I think I have repeated my mistakes LOL)
2. Analyze what went on DURING the race.
Was it your shoes or your outfit (over or under dressed)? Was it the weather? Was it the course? Did you go out too fast? Did you not hydrate or eat enough?
Some of things cannot be fixed. But if you can’t control these variables, such as the weather or the course, you should feel better about your race results.
3. Focus on what was GOOD about the race.
Did you meet some new runners? Did you race with friends? Was the medal awesome? Was there amazing post race refreshments? Was the course scenic?
4. Sign up for Another Race.
The quickest way to forget about a bad race is to train for another.
5. Vent to your Running Friends.
Face to face and virtually. They can relate. Your spouse or non-running friends will not understand your disappointment. But your running friends have all been there and will say the “right” thing.
Happy Running! Any other tips for recovering (mentally) from a bad race? Please Share.
Great advice! I feel like this can be applied to many things we want to get over in life
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Yes. It can.
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Fortunately I can’t remember when I had a bad race, but it is always nice to share with others about your accomplishments whether it is good news or bad and only other runners can relate.
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I agree. And as Wendy said Bad is relative.
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Bad is a relative term these days! I ran my personal worst half at Mercedes in February but the weekend was so much fun that it balanced it all out. Or maybe as I’ve gotten older, it doesn’t bother me as much.
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I know. I feel the same way. My recent time was slow and normally I would have been disappointed but I found a different kind of joy in the experience.
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There is always some good and something to learn from a less than stellar race even if it takes a while to figure it out
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Yes. Sometimes it takes a while. But we eventually shake it off and run another
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Volunteering at a race after a bad one can definitely get you back in the mood.
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I haven’t tried that one. But you are probably right.
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I think talking to running friends really is one of the best ways to get over a bad race. They really do understand and can commiserate (or tell you to just move on 🙂 ). Because of my exercise induced asthma I have had many bad races over the years. You just never know what’s going to happen.
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You never do. They rarely go as planned unfortunately but there’s always some good in every race
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These are all good tips! My last race didn’t go well at all and I’m trying to shake it off before my next race in April.
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Good for you. I’m sure you will do find. If not, there will be others.
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Sometimes just taking some time to be upset about it is okay! That worked for me last year. Also, taking time away from social media after a bad race can be helpful.
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Yes yes. Everybody asks about the race and you just want to forget.
I just say “fine”.
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I love #4! that is a good way to deal with almost anything in life.. just sign up for a race!
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Agree 🙂
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Definitely agree with all of your tips! My really bad race was the Chicago Marathon. While I still don’t know really what went wrong that day, I allowed myself a week to be angry about it and then I moved on. I didn’t want to dwell too much on it because I knew it would just be wasted energy.
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Some races go bad for no explainable reason.
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I think what a lot of people don’t always think about is the law of averages. The more races you run, the more variables factor in…especially age and wear & tear from previous years of running. I have learned that bad races happen (often times for no particular reason) and it’s best to just move on, even if you can’t find an answer. There’s usually a great run just around the corner 😉
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I like your attitude
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Timely post for me…I’m hoping that I won’t have to write about a bad race after Sunday!
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You’ll do fine.
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Yup, yup. Agree with all of this. Especially the venting to running friends part!
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Really great tips! I tend to analyze everything when I have a bad race. Venting with fellow runners definitely helps, lol!
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This is such great advice! I like to try to always find something to learn from a negative experience!
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Whenever I have a bad competition or workout, it almost always started way before the warmup. If I don’t fuel properly or get my head right, I’m worthless. These are great insights!
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I love this post! These are all great ways to get over a bad race and I think a lot of the tips can be applied outside of running too!!
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I think so too.
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This is so good! I can apply this to my return to running as well! Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Great. Hope your return is successful
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Thank you! Me too!!
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These are all great tips. Its important to remember that not every race will go exactly as you want it to go. We all have good days and bad days.
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