Hello. I’m wondering how other cross country runners overcome nerves in racing.
during workouts i pace at: 4:50s for 1200s, 2:40s for 800s, and low 60s and 30s for 400 and 200s. But when I get races (5000 meters) I get super nervous and run no faster than 19:20 I feel like with these times I should be going faster (correct me if I’m wrong though) but I’m just not. I am going out too fast which is part of the problem but I also get nervous how do y’all overcome this?
Your nervousness is there for a reason. Notice your increased alertness? Increased heart rate? You're having a physical reaction to the expectation of what is to come, and believe it or not this is to your ADVANTAGE.
It took me a long time to realize this, and I at one time coped with it by hyping myself up. Jumping up and down on the start line, listening to really fast, loud music before the gun went off; these were sometimes effective for 4x4's and down but mostly just wasted my energy. With distance races you definitely want to remain calm, breathe steadily and, most importantly, use your nerves to your advantage by telling yourself "my body is prepared to run, and so am I".
Nervousness is something that all athletes have experienced throughout the ages; it's nothing new. Embrace it. Use it. You got this!
It's a perfectly normal reaction, in fact if you weren't a little nervous I think that would be a bigger problem. It's merely your mind telling your body it's time to race. Now, if it is to the point where it could be affecting you there are some things you can do, everybody has a different way but mine was I just learned to accept that I was going to get nervous and not try to fight it.
Even world class runners get nervous, there was a guy Fernando Mamede who was the world record holder at 10000 and he had a well known history of nerves in major competitions. In the 1984 Olympics he just suddenly ran off the track at the halfway mark and it was a tactical pace too.
Talk to your coach, he may have some valuable insight for you...that's his job.