Controlling the Chaos – How to Channel Race Day Anxiety into Peak Performance
You’ve trained hard. You’ve logged the miles, hit your power numbers, and fine-tuned your race strategy. You should feel confident—yet, in the days and hours leading up to the race, a familiar feeling creeps in: anxiety.
For a Driven Competitor like you, this isn’t surprising. You put pressure on yourself because you expect excellence. You want to execute flawlessly, and anything less feels unacceptable. But here’s the reality:
🔹 Anxiety is not the enemy. It’s energy.
🔹 Your body doesn’t know the difference between nerves and excitement.
🔹 The best athletes don’t eliminate anxiety—they learn to use it.
What’s Really Happening in Your Brain on Race Day?
Anxiety triggers a fight-or-flight response:
✅ Heart rate rises (prepping for action).
✅ Muscles tighten (getting ready for effort).
✅ Mind races (scanning for threats).
Most athletes see this as a problem. But in reality, these responses are performance-enhancing tools when used correctly.
The key is flipping the script from “I’m nervous” to “I’m ready.”
Elite Athletes Use Pre-Race Anxiety to Their Advantage
- Kobe Bryant called pre-game nerves a “gift” that sharpened his focus.
- Eliud Kipchoge embraces pre-race jitters as a sign that his body is primed.
- Michael Phelps intentionally visualized race-day chaos to get comfortable with discomfort.
What do they all have in common? They don’t fight anxiety. They reframe it.
The Anxiety Formula: Threat vs. Challenge Mindset
Studies show that how you interpret race-day nerves determines performance.
❌ Threat Mindset:
- “What if I mess up?”
- “I can’t handle this pressure.”
- “I don’t feel ready.”
✅ Challenge Mindset:
- “I’ve trained for this moment.”
- “This is my opportunity to execute.”
- “This energy means my body is primed to perform.”
Your goal this week: Train your brain to see race-day nerves as an advantage.
