7th Grader stressed about racing

What distances is she running? I think that most runners will experience "pain" of fatigue when racing, especially in a tough race. When you say she is stress out, do you mean that she doesn't like it? If that is the case, why is she doing it? To please someone else?

She needs to see a therapist to help deal with stress.

??!!?? wrote:

If that is the case, why is she doing it? To please someone else?

Because she's good at it. If you're suggesting that she's doing it to please me, you're off-base. I do everything in my power to remind her that the results don't matter.

No, I am suggesting that if she is a total mess then maybe she is not having fun. She could be doing it for any number of other reasons- peer pressure, parental pressure, whatever. Maybe her competitive nature would be better served with a different outlet, like a team sport where the individual pressure is less

Marco Brolo wrote:

She needs to see a therapist to help deal with stress.

Especially one who can prescribe meds. Gotta nip this problem while it's in the early stages!

It's completely normal for a young athlete new to the sport. I would say just let it happen - the more experience she gets, the easier/less stressful it will become.

Sounds like she is just intense.

I agree that experience and practice helps.

It will hurt less as she gets more fit.

The edge will be useful down the road.

I was the exact same way as a female middle school runner. I didn't actually start to like running until I got injured and had to go without it for a while in high school. Before then I liked winning but nothing else as I hated the pain of racing and yet went out hard in every event.

My advice would be to go easy on training and try to stress the enjoyment of running, not the competitive aspect. Once you are having fun running and competing, fast times will come.

Running is fun??? wrote:

I was the exact same way as a female middle school runner. I didn't actually start to like running until I got injured and had to go without it for a while in high school. Before then I liked winning but nothing else as I hated the pain of racing and yet went out hard in every event.

My advice would be to go easy on training and try to stress the enjoyment of running, not the competitive aspect. Once you are having fun running and competing, fast times will come.

Thanks for this. I think this pretty much sums up her psyche. Thanks for the suggestion.

As I became more aerobically fit, this "dying" feeling decreased especially in XC races. Tell her it will get better as she runs .more miles and builds a bigger base.

My first year of middle school xc was by far my most stressful season ever. It's just one of the things you outgrow, to an extent. You'll always get nervous, but it largely subsides eventually.

Seems pathological to me

Tell her to take a break and come back when she's feeling less stressed

I have been racing for 22 years and still get stressed, it's called testing ones self.