The Expectation Trap – How to Stop Letting Pressure Control You
As a Driven Competitor, you set high standards for yourself. You don’t just train—you expect results. You want to see progress, to hit your targets, to prove that your effort is paying off. And when it doesn’t? Frustration, self-doubt, and that creeping voice that says, “I should be better than this.”
But here’s the reality: expectations, when unchecked, are one of the biggest threats to performance.
If you’re constantly chasing what you think should happen—hitting a certain pace, beating a competitor, feeling a certain way—you’re setting yourself up for frustration. Because in endurance sports, things rarely go exactly as planned.
The Expectation-Performance Loop
Athletes often fall into this cycle:
1️⃣ Set a rigid expectation (I should hold this pace the whole run).
2️⃣ Reality doesn’t match the expectation (I feel off today, and I’m struggling).
3️⃣ Frustration kicks in (What’s wrong with me? This was supposed to be easy!).
4️⃣ Performance suffers (Tension increases, mindset spirals, workout feels worse).
This is the expectation trap: turning a tough moment into a personal failure instead of an opportunity to adapt.
Champions Expect to Adapt, Not to Be Perfect
The best endurance athletes don’t fixate on a perfect outcome—they focus on their response.
- Eliud Kipchoge doesn’t expect to feel perfect in every marathon. He expects there will be rough patches and that he will handle them.
- Jan Frodeno doesn’t expect his pacing strategy to go exactly as planned. He expects to adjust mid-race and stay mentally strong.
🔹 Rigid expectations = frustration and underperformance.
🔹 Adaptability = resilience and breakthrough performances.
