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Picker uppers for after the bad race

Pretty Young Runner

We all have bad races. It happens to the best of us even after putting in dedicated efforts during workouts. Having a bad race can be devastating. By all logic, months of commitment should get you somewhere and when you don’t see the results you expected, you can be caught off guard and majorly disappointed. You’re allowed to be bummed after a bad race but if you need a little boost, we’ve got you covered with these tips:

Don’t dwell, get a new goal: Try not to overthink what just happened. Give it the necessary thought to figure out if there is anything you can change next time but try not to think more than that. Shake it off, pick a new goal (it might not be about racing at all) and start getting excited about what’s going to come next.

Change up the workouts: Right now you might need something to look forward to with your running. Pick a workout you’ve never tried before that includes some of your favourite elements of running. Plug it into the week and get excited to nail it.

Sign up for a new race: OK, so that race wasn’t so great. Get a new race to occupy yourself with. When training, think about that course and figure out how you will approach it. Don’t sulk over this failed race when there’s still a whole season ahead of you.

Take your mind off it, go out with friends: Don’t even think about how bad your legs felt or how the effort exerted today didn’t really pay off. You had a bad race. Now it’s time for friends. You kept fit all season, put in hard, honest work and now it’s time to party to celebrate that.

Think “It’s just one race of many”: There are so many races you will run over the course of your life as a runner. How many races (other than the good ones) can you actually recite your exact time for? Some of these are forgettable and that’s why the good races are so rewarding.

 

 

 

 

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