How to Calm Pre-Race Nerves and Anxiety Before the Start
Summary:
Pre-race nerves often rise long before the start line and they can create a mix of tension, excitement and doubt that feels difficult to hold. This blog shows you how to move from anxious energy, to calm control through steady breath-work, grounding routines and simple mental cues that settle your focus. You will learn why nerves spike before a race, how to anchor your body through intentional breathing and how short mantras can shift your mind back to the present. These strategies help you narrow your attention to the moments you can influence, so nervous energy becomes fuel rather than fear. The aim is not to eliminate the feeling. The aim is to meet it with clarity and step forward with confidence.
What is Pre-Race Nerves and Anxiety
The night before a race, you try to sleep, but your mind will not settle. It runs through the course, the pacing and the moments you hope will go well and the moments you fear might not. By morning, your chest feels tight and your breath sits high, as if your body is already in the race before you are. You check your kit again even though everything is ready. You try to eat, yet your stomach feels unsettled. As the start time approaches, your thoughts begin to move faster than your body. Doubts rise. Your heart beats harder even though you have not taken a single step. This is pre-race anxiety, and it is far more common than most athletes admit.
Even the most experienced athletes feel this jittery tension because it is a sign that the moment matters. The problem is not the nerves themselves. The problem is when you do not know how to meet them and the feeling begins to spiral. Pre-race anxiety can narrow your focus until you lose sight of your plan and it can push your heart rate upward before the race even begins. Yet this same energy can become a source of clarity when you know how to work with it. You can learn to step toward the start line with presence rather than panic and you can learn to let your nerves sharpen your awareness instead of shaking your confidence.
You may find this helpful: Managing Anxiety and Fear for Endurance Performance
Why Pre-Race Panic Happens
Pre-race panic begins when your brain senses uncertainty and tries to protect you from what it cannot predict. In the hours before a race, your mind asks quiet questions about how the day will unfold and whether you will cope with what lies ahead. These thoughts are emotional rather than physical, yet your system treats them as threat signals. The fight or flight response rises and your body prepares for action long before you reach the start line. This reaction is not your mind working against you. It is your mind trying to keep you safe in a moment that feels important.
You might experience
Shaky hands or muscle tension: As adrenaline rises, your body moves into a state of readiness. Muscles tighten slightly and your hands begin to shake because your system is preparing to power you through effort. This is a biological cue that you are primed for movement even though you are still standing still, which makes the feeling uncomfortable and easy to misinterpret as a sign of weakness.
Nausea or an unsettled stomach: When your brain senses threat, it shifts blood flow toward the muscles and away from digestion, which creates that familiar uneasy feeling before a race. The stomach is sensitive to emotional states, so even small questions can create a physical response. It is not a sign that you are unprepared. It is simply the body adjusting to what it believes will require intensity.
A foggy mind or racing thoughts: Your brain begins to scan for anything that might go wrong which pulls your attention away from the present moment. Thoughts speed up and it becomes harder to think clearly because your mind is trying to solve potential problems before they appear. This mental fog is not a failure of focus. It is the mind attempting to protect you from uncertainty.
A sudden drop in confidence: Anxiety narrows your attention to imagined risks and makes it difficult to access the belief you had throughout training. You may forget the sessions you completed and the strength you built because the mind is prioritising safety over ambition. This shift is temporary yet powerful, which is why confidence can feel fragile in the moments before a race.
You do not need to eliminate this response. You only need to anchor it. The goal is not perfect calm. The goal is a centred and grounded state where the energy becomes useful rather than overwhelming, so you step toward the race with control rather than fear.
You may find this grounding: How Self-Talk Shapes Endurance Performance and Mindset
Shift from Panic to Presence with Breath-work
Your breath is the fastest way to steady the body when pre-race anxiety begins to rise. The nervous system responds directly to how you breathe, which means every slow intentional inhale sends a quiet message of safety. When you guide the breath, you guide the state of your mind and your body follows. Before the start, you do not need to eliminate nerves. You only need to show your system that you are in control.
Pre-race breathing techniques
Box breathing: Inhale through your nose for four seconds and hold for four, then exhale through your mouth for four and hold again for four. This creates a stable rhythm that calms the nervous system and interrupts spiralling thoughts. You can use it while walking to transition, while waiting in line or while checking your gear. The pattern gives your mind a structure to follow which pulls you out of panic and back into presence.
Grounding breath: Inhale through your nose for four to six seconds then exhale through your mouth for eight to ten. The longer exhale helps release tension and signals your system to shift toward calm. As you breathe out, imagine your body letting go of the noise and the pressure that built during the morning. This technique is especially helpful when adrenaline feels high and you need a way to settle without shutting down your energy.
These breathing techniques are not about forcing your heart rate into stillness. They are about reclaiming choice in a moment that often feels overwhelming. A steady breath creates a steady mind and that steadiness becomes the foundation you carry to the start line.
You may find this supportive: Mindset Shifts to Build Confidence and Strength for Race Day
Use Mental Cues That Rewire Your Narrative
Anxious thoughts often move quickly and pull you into a cycle that feels hard to interrupt. They ask questions you cannot answer and they fill the space with uncertainty. The aim is not to stop these thoughts from appearing. The aim is to choose a different response, so your mind has something steady to return to. Mental cues give you a simple way to guide your attention back to belief rather than fear and they help shape a more grounded internal world in the minutes before the start.
Short cues that anchor your mind
Strong and steady: This cue reminds your system that you do not need to be perfect. You only need to be consistent. It shifts the focus away from speed and toward stability, which calms the pressure that often builds before a race.
Breathe. Trust. Begin: Each word offers a step. Breathing grounds your body. Trust connects you back to your training. Begin moves you toward the line with intention. When combined, they create a rhythm that settles you when your thoughts begin to race.
I have done the work: This cue brings you back to the months of training that built your readiness. Anxiety tries to erase evidence of progress and this phrase restores it. It reminds you that preparation sits beneath the nerves and remains steady.
This is just the start: This cue widens your perspective. It softens the intensity of the moment and reminds you that a race is not judged by the first few seconds. It brings you back to patience and presence, which is often what pre-race anxiety disrupts.
Repeating these cues during your warm-up or as you walk toward the line helps reshape the narrative inside your mind. With practice, they become familiar anchors that pull you back to clarity and strengthen the belief that you can meet the moment as it arrives.
You may find this grounding: Mantras for Endurance: Words That Keep You Moving Forward
Anchor Yourself with a Pre-Race Routine
A pre-race routine creates stability at a moment that often feels unpredictable. When nerves rise, the mind searches for something familiar to hold onto and a routine offers exactly that. It becomes a quiet structure that guides you from uncertainty into readiness. The aim is not to design a perfect ritual. The aim is to build a simple sequence that your body and mind recognise as a signal that you are safe and prepared. Consistency becomes the calming force that steadies your thoughts before the start.
Build a simple, repeatable routine
Wake up and eat at the same time before every race: Predictability reassures the nervous system. Following the same morning rhythm reduces decision-making and gives your body a familiar energy pattern that helps you settle into the day.
Lay out your gear in the same order the night before: This removes unnecessary stress and prevents the mind from scanning for mistakes. A clear layout creates a sense of order that carries into the morning and reduces the urge to overcheck.
Listen to a playlist or a single calming song: Music shifts your internal state and can soften the intensity of pre-race tension. A familiar track becomes an emotional anchor that brings your attention inward and quiets the surrounding noise.
Do a short stretch or walk to loosen your body: Gentle movement reduces physical tightness and helps your mind reconnect with your breath. This transition from stillness to movement is a powerful signal that you are shifting into race mode.
Repeat your mantra while breathing deeply: Pairing breathwork with a cue reinforces steadiness. The breath grounds the body while the mantra focusses the mind, which creates the calm presence you want before the start.
Use your chosen breathwork before the start line: In the final moments, your nervous system is at its peak and breathwork provides control when everything feels heightened. This keeps anxiety from spilling into panic and directs your energy toward the race.
A routine is more than preparation. It is a bridge between nerves and clarity. It guides you from the uncertainty of waiting into the grounded confidence of beginning and it becomes your mental warm-up as much as your physical one.
You may find this helpful: Racing with Emotion: How to Turn Feelings into Focus
Accept the Nerves. Don’t Resist Them
One of the most powerful shifts you can make before a race is recognising that nerves are not a sign that something is wrong. They are a sign that something matters. Pre race jitters are simply energy moving through your body as it prepares for effort and meaning. When you fight the sensation it becomes louder and tighter because the mind believes it must protect you from the feeling. When you allow the nerves to be present without judgment the body settles and the anxiety loses its sharpness. Acceptance is not passive. It is an active choice to stop fuelling the spiral and to meet yourself where you are.
Ways to reframe the feeling
This is not fear. It is energy: Naming the sensation as energy shifts the meaning. Energy can be directed. Fear feels uncontrollable. This subtle change helps your system understand that nothing dangerous is happening.
My body is doing what it is supposed to: Your heart rate rises and your breathing becomes quicker because your system is preparing you to perform. These sensations are part of readiness not signs of failure.
I have felt this before and I showed up strong: Reminding yourself of past experiences builds trust. You create evidence that you have faced this sensation and performed well which weakens the belief that nerves predict negative outcomes.
When you accept your nerves you stop feeding the cycle of resistance. The energy that once felt overwhelming becomes something you can use. It becomes sharpness and focus and the fuel that carries you into the first moments of the race with clarity.
You may find this grounding: Mindful Running: Tune Into Breath, Form & Effort
Focus on the First 5 Minutes. Not the Whole Race
Fear often grows when your mind tries to control the entire race before it has even begun. You start thinking about every mile, every hill, every imagined difficulty and the scale of the day becomes too large to hold. The mind moves into the future searching for certainty and the body reacts with tension. The solution is not to think harder or plan more. It is to narrow your world to something small and manageable. When you focus only on the first five minutes, you give your system a clear path to follow and you stop feeding the fear of what has not yet arrived.
What to focus on in those first moments
Focus on your breathing: Use slow, steady breaths to settle your rhythm and remind your body that you are in control. Breathwork quiets the adrenaline spike and helps your system recognise that the race has begun and you are safe to move.
Settle into your rhythm: The early minutes are not about speed. They are about grounding your body into a pace that feels stable and familiar. This stabilises your mind and reduces the urgency that anxiety often creates at the start.
Feel your body move: Bring your awareness to the simple act of motion. The way your feet strike the ground or the way your arms guide your pace. This shifts your attention away from imagined outcomes and into the physical moment where your strength actually lives.
You do not need to race the whole event at once. You only need to begin well. Once you are in motion, your training takes over and your body returns to what it knows. The start is where clarity lives and when you honour that moment, the rest of the race has room to unfold as it should.
You may find this helpful: How Thoughts Influence Pacing, Form and Focus in Running
FAQ: Pre-Race Pre-Race Nerves and Anxiety
Is it normal to feel anxious even after years of racing?
Absolutely. Many experienced athletes still feel nervous before races and the difference is they have learnt to manage the feeling rather than eliminate it.
What if I panic right before the race starts?
Step away from the noise if possible and use slow exhales or your mantra to settle your system and the panic will pass.
Should I avoid caffeine if I get nervous before races?
It depends on how sensitive you are, because caffeine can heighten nerves, so consider a smaller dose or test your routine in training.
Can I practice this before race day?
Yes and it is useful to do so, because the more familiar the breathwork and cues become the more effective they will feel under pressure.
Why do nerves hit harder on race morning than the night before?
The body reacts more strongly when the event feels close which makes the nervous system more alert as the start time approaches.
What if I look calm on the outside but feel overwhelmed inside?
This is common and it simply means your body is preparing for effort, so meeting the feeling with steady breath and simple cues will help you settle.
FURTHER READING: FACE FEAR AND BUILD CONFIDENCE
Fljuga Mind: The Fear Factor: Anxiety in Endurance Athletes
Fljuga Mind: The Fear of Failing: Reframing Your Worst-Case Scenarios
Fljuga Mind: Dealing with Doubt: When Your Mind Questions Your Training
Fljuga Mind: When the Pressure Builds: Managing Expectation Anxiety
Fljuga Mind: Running from Fear: How Avoidance Hurts Progress
Fljuga Mind: The Voice Inside: How Self-Talk Shapes Endurance
Fljuga Mind: Your Inner Coach vs Your Inner Critic: Who’s Louder?
Fljuga Mind: Mantras That Work: Words to Carry You Through the Wall
Fljuga Mind: “I’m Not Good Enough”: Breaking the Identity Loop
Final Thoughts
Pre-race panic is not a sign that you are unprepared. It is a sign that you care and care is a powerful force when you learn to work with it, rather than fight against it. The emotion that rises before the start line simply shows that the moment matters to you and your mind is trying to protect what you have built. When the nerves arrive, meet them with breath and presence and trust that you can hold the feeling without losing your clarity. You do not need to feel fearless to race well. You only need to show up with honesty and steadiness and let your training carry you forward.
The information on Fljuga is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical, psychological, or professional advice. Always consult with a qualified medical provider, mental health professional, or certified coach.
