Why Do I Perform Better in My Training Runs Than in My Races?

You cruise through your long runs and feel awesome and confident for your impending race day… only to feel mediocre and less fit in your race than on your training runs, what gives?!

Most of us have had bad races every now and again. It happens. But if you’re noticing that not only are most of your races not great, but that they are preceded by countless awesome training runs and an ideal season, there might be something else at play.

Unlike in in other sports where you have a whole season of multiple games to showcase your performance and can just brush off a bad day, racing is very fickle. We train months and months and run countless miles all for that ONE DAY. All for that one run. For many runners, especially those training for a marathon, typically only have one race in their season that they focus all their attention and effort on. All of the build is culminating for that one display of performance.

Even if you have a perfect training season, things can go wrong on race day, that’s what makes it very fickle. Maybe you wake up on race morning and it’s unseasonably hot, or you wake up with that cautionary sore throat that’s warning you of an impending cold. Maybe there are 40mph wind gusts. A lot can go wrong that is out of our control, so us runners do our best to try and control all of the variables to set ourselves up for the best chance of success (tapering, eating tried and true foods leading up to the race, coming up with a race day strategy).

But what if the problem isn’t a one-off unfortunate circumstance, but it’s a consistent problem you’re facing?

Just like some people are inherently very intelligent but simply aren’t good test-takers, some talented runners struggle with racing.

Also, some runners simply don’t even like racing! Running is their meditation, it’s leisurely and/or it’s social. There is nothing wrong with that.

BUT if you’re a runner that does like racing and wants to excel in it, here are 2 reasons why you may be crushing all your training runs and then flopping on race day.

#1. Stress is a very real thing, and it has a very real impact on us.

When you head out for your 22 mile training run in your hometown on your tried and true route, there’s really not much pressure. Despite having 22 miles on deck, you’re arguably in your comfort zone. No one is watching, maybe you’re jamming to music and you can run this route with your eyes closed.

You finish your multi-hour run and happily reflect throughout the day about your run.

Wow, I’ll only have 4 more miles to go on race day! That wasn’t so bad. I can do this!

Flash forward to race day and you’re hating your life by mile 12.

WHY!?

Race day nerves and stress can have a tremendous impact on our performance. While some may thrive off of that adrenaline, many don’t.

On the physical side, that stress can cause an upset stomach or an elevated heart rate. Maybe you’re making constant runs to the bathroom because of those nerves and wind up dehydrated and crampy. Stress also drains our energy a ton. When you’re jittery and operating at a higher heart rate at your baseline, that can take a toll on you and make you feel lethargic when the gun goes off.

And on the mental side, those nerves can really make our internal thoughts go haywire.

I’m not ready for this. Oh my gosh this is going to be terrible. What if I embarrass myself?! I forget how to run!!!!

These thoughts can impede our ability to perform. Remember, a huge part of running is mental. So if those negative thoughts and fears are blocking out our positive voice reminding us of our training, sticking to your race plan and motivating ourselves, that can wreak havoc on our performance.

When things get tough, as they do in a marathon, at a certain point our minds have to take over when our bodies start to hurt. And if that transition point happens fairly early in the race, you’re going to need that mental strength to hang tough for a long time. If you’re lacking in that department on race day and aren’t confident, the perceived effort of your race is going to be tenfold.

Solution: I could go on about meditating, believing in yourself and practicing positive self-talk… all of which can be extremely helpful and work wonders for people, but sometimes those intangibles are harder to implement. My cold hard advice? Race more.

I’m not saying sign up for 5 marathons before your race, but sprinkle in some smaller, low stake races. Maybe a charity 5K or a low-key 10K. Racing is intimidating sometimes because it’s unfamiliar. Well, make it familiar. This gives you the opportunity to test out your race morning routine, get more comfortable standing at the start line with those butterflies and expose yourself to all those jitters that come with fastening your bib to your clothes and seeing big crowds.

Familiarity and experience breeds confidence. Racing more also gives you more chances to get experience reacting to when things go wrong. Having those experiences in your back pocket on your big race day can be a huge confidence boost.

Race day jitters likely aren’t something that will ever go away entirely, but giving yourself that exposure to races may make it seem less daunting when your big day comes.

#2. You haven’t practiced proper pacing, in your training OR your races.

Proper pacing applies both in regards to our training and our racing.

People think if you want to run a fast race, you have to train fast 100% of the time, and this is a major misconception in the running world.

Sure, to achieve a speedy race time, speed workouts are a must, but so are recovery days and easy miles. Having a well-balanced training plan that incorporates speed, recovery, strength and rest days can get us primed and ready for race day. If you’re running all your runs at goal pace, you’ll be pretty beat by the time you’re at the start line.

Now, when it comes to pacing properly in our race, this includes practicing patience in the beginning of the race, educating yourself on the course to know where the hills are and running your own race.

It’s hard to run conservatively at the start of a race, I mean c’mon, that’s when you have all your energy and adrenaline! But this is a major risk, as you could set yourself up for a very uncomfortable slog in the back half of the race. When we start slower, we can tap into how we are feeling that day and judge what’s in the tank to give at any and all points of the race.

Knowing the course is also a huge advantage. Take the NYC Marathon for example. The first 16 miles of the race are practically all flat, and you hit the worst of the hills between miles 20-26. If you don’t know this about the course and go out too fast… you’ll be having some serious regrets when you hit 5th Avenue.

Finally, a mantra I always love to say to both myself and my athletes is “run your own race.” The comparison trap is huge in racing. You anchor on someone that you hope to beat for whatever reason, throw all your own strategy and pacing out the window and focus solely on running their pace. This can be recipe for disaster!

You have to focus on you and nobody else. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people sprint out of the gate and exhaust themselves, only to catch up to them and pass them later in the race because I paced myself better. Had I followed them, I’d probably be hitting the wall just like them. Again, just run your own race and focus on your own goals.

Solution: Pacing takes a ton of practice, and it can be easy for it to go haywire with all the stress of race day and influence from all the other runners around you. During your training, focus on diversity of pacing and trust in that. On race day, remember that smooth and steady wins the race: your race, that is. Put your blinders on, stay focused and remember your course strategy.

Like I said, racing is a very fickle thing. Some days as runners, we just don’t have it. We train and plan and sacrifice all for that one day where we intend to give it our all and show something for all the work we have done. It can be very frustrating when we walk away from that day with a subpar performance, especially when it becomes a pattern.

My words of wisdom today are please don’t let that discourage you. Practice your pacing, stay laser-focused on you and your own goal, and prove to yourself through some trial races that you can withstand stress and pressure. Sometimes telling yourself you can do something isn’t as powerful as showing yourself that you can.