The morning of a race can feel like an emotional roller coaster—equal parts excitement, anticipation, and a creeping sense of dread. Even for seasoned athletes, the moments leading up to the starting gun can trigger sweaty palms, racing thoughts, and a pit in the stomach. This is pre-event anxiety, and while it’s a natural physiological response to competition, it can sabotage performance if left unchecked. The good news? You can train your mind just like your body, using specific mental preparation techniques to channel nervous energy into focused confidence.
Kevin Morgan of Pittsford explores three powerful tools—breathing exercises, self-talk, and visualization—that can help you stay calm, centered, and ready to perform at your peak.
Understanding Pre-Event Anxiety
Pre-event anxiety stems from the body’s fight-or-flight response. Your brain perceives the race as a high-stakes event and floods your system with adrenaline and cortisol. This can be beneficial in small doses—heightened alertness, quicker reaction times, and increased blood flow to muscles all aid performance. However, when anxiety spirals, it can lead to tight muscles, shallow breathing, and mental fog.
The key is learning to manage the stress response rather than letting it manage you. That’s where intentional mental preparation comes in.
Technique 1: Breathing Exercises for Instant Calm
The simplest, most portable performance tool you have is your breath. When anxiety kicks in, breathing often becomes shallow and rapid, signaling the body to stay in a heightened stress state. Conscious breathing flips the script, activating the parasympathetic nervous system—the body’s “rest and digest” mode.
How to Practice Box Breathing
- Inhale through your nose for a count of four.
- Hold your breath for a count of four.
- Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of four.
- Pause for a count of four before repeating.
Doing this for just two minutes before a race can lower heart rate, relax tense muscles, and sharpen mental clarity. Some athletes prefer a longer exhale (e.g., inhale for 4, exhale for 6–8) to deepen relaxation.
Pro tip: Start incorporating breathing drills into training runs or rides. By race day, your body will associate the rhythm with control and focus.
Technique 2: Self-Talk to Shape Your Mindset
What you say to yourself in the minutes before a race can either fuel confidence or feed doubt. Negative self-talk—I’m not ready, I’m going to fail—creates a mental spiral that magnifies anxiety. Positive self-talk, on the other hand, reinforces your preparation and ability.
Three Steps to Effective Self-Talk:
- Identify Your Triggers: Notice the moments when doubt creeps in—often while waiting at the start line or during warm-up.
- Replace with Positive Scripts: Choose simple, believable phrases like:
- “I’ve trained for this. I’m ready.”
- “Strong body, focused mind.”
- “One mile at a time.”
- Repeat with Conviction: Say your chosen phrases silently or even under your breath as you wait for the start. The repetition acts as a mental anchor.
Why it works: Your brain responds to consistent verbal cues, shifting focus from uncertainty to execution. Over time, this creates a default mental pattern for high-pressure situations.
Technique 3: Visualization for Mental Rehearsal
Visualization is essentially a workout for the mind—mentally running through the race in vivid detail. Elite athletes in every sport use visualization to prepare for competition, because it primes the nervous system as if the event were actually happening.
How to Build a Visualization Routine:
- Find a Quiet Space: Sit or lie down comfortably, close your eyes, and breathe deeply.
- Engage All Senses: Picture the course, the sounds of the crowd, the feeling of your shoes on the pavement, even the scent of the morning air.
- Run the Perfect Race in Your Mind: Imagine starting strong but calm, finding your pace, overcoming challenges, and crossing the finish line with energy to spare.
- Include Adversity: Visualize handling unexpected obstacles—fatigue, bad weather, a slower start—with composure and resilience.
When you’ve mentally “seen” yourself succeed, your brain begins to believe it’s possible, and your body is more likely to follow suit.
Combining the Techniques for Maximum Effect
While each technique is powerful on its own, their real strength comes from combining them into a pre-race ritual. For example:
- Spend two minutes doing box breathing while in the staging area.
- Repeat your self-talk mantra during warm-up strides.
- Close your eyes and visualize the first mile and final push before the race begins.
This sequence can be adapted to your sport—whether you’re lining up for a marathon, triathlon, cycling race, or even a short-distance sprint.
Shifting from Anxiety to Readiness
It’s important to remember that pre-race nerves aren’t a bad thing—they’re a sign that you care and that your body is gearing up for peak performance. The goal isn’t to eliminate anxiety entirely, but to transform it into a state of focused readiness.
With regular practice, breathing exercises, positive self-talk, and visualization will feel as natural as lacing up your shoes. By race day, you’ll have the tools to step to the line not with fear, but with calm determination—ready to meet the challenge head-on.
