You Control More Than You Don’t
Race day is almost here and you’re on edge.
You’ve trained hard for this one and expect the finish you want.
But still, you have doubts.
What if your stomach doesn’t cooperate?
Or you didn’t train right?
Or you have a bad day and can’t stay ahead of cutoff?
So many things can go wrong and you’ve got to prevent that.
So you try to control the circumstances. You get a big crew and a pacer, and obsess about the weather and look for other things to lock down.
But the harder you try to make the race turn out your way, the more anxious you feel.
Because the outcome isn't something you control. It’s a result. A result of things you control and…things you don’t.
You don’t control the weather, other runners, the RD’s decisions, whether someone marked the course well, whether someone sabotaged the markings, what volunteers do and say, whether your drop bags make it to the aid station…lots of things that affect the outcome.
But you control more about the race than you don’t.
In case it doesn’t feel that way, here’s a small, random sample of things you control. I stopped listing things to keep it a reasonable length, but you get the idea.
Your race goals, including the secret ones
Whether you’re going to compete
How you expect the race to go
The effort you put into running in the race
The decision to keep going or drop
How you plan to pace the race
Your race plan
Whether you stick with your pace plan
How you think about the miles you’ve covered
How you think about the miles you have left
Whether you get bored or not
What you focus on
What you let distract you
When to pass other runners
How you pass other runners
How much time you spend in aid stations
Whether you add a goal in the race
Whether you allow yourself to use excuses
Whether you beat yourself up for not being a better runner or in better shape
Whether you second-guess decisions
Doing your own navigation or following others
When to run and walk
How many drop bags you have
What you put in your drop bags
Your choice of gear
Whether you follow another runner’s heels
How you think about runners passing you
How you feel about how you’re doing
What you eat and drink on the run
What you eat and drink at aid stations
How often you eat and drink
How and when to take electrolytes
Whether you have crew and a pacer, or go solo
The responsibility you delegate to crew and pacer
The instructions you give crew and pacer
Whether you keep going or drop after losing time getting lost
How you see yourself - as slow, back of the pack, not likely to finish
Whether you let what you think other people think about you affect you
Whether you stay in or get out of a negative thought spiral
Whether you think you can make it or not
Whether you pay attention to the race rules or not
If and how you let fear of cutoff affect you
What you make that sensation in your stomach mean
Whether you dig deep to hit your goal or give up
How you handle the weather
How much you learn about the course
Knowing the distance between aid stations
Letting the course format - loops, point-to-point, figure eight - work for or defeat you
Deciding when to turn your headlamp on and off
Having all mandatory gear
What you carry with you
Whether you copy everyone else or run your own plan
How fast you go out
Whether you run with someone even if it’s not your pace
Whether you compare yourself to other runners
Whether you follow others’ advice
Who you run with
If you take care of the things you control, you don’t need to control the weather.
The outcome will take care of itself.
