Hey Reader,

My co-host is getting really close to the Chicago Marathon, after twelve weeks of hard training.

On this week’s pod, she shared how nervous she was before one of her last big runs.

It wasn’t even a hard one, and she’s done much tougher runs in this build.

But it was her last chance to practise her race pace before the big day, and she kept thinking, “What if this feels hard? What if this run tells me I’m not ready?”

She called it psychological warfare with herself.

The run went really well.

Then she started her taper, which is when you cut back your training in the last couple of weeks before a race so you’re fresh on the day.

And her easy runs felt unusually hard.

Her legs were really tired, and she kept panicking about what it meant.

Really, she’d just come to the end of twelve weeks of hard training, and her body was recovering from all of it.

Nothing was wrong.

🧠 Things can get a bit weird

I find preparing for big goals really fascinating.

I like that curiosity to see how things turn out and what you’re capable of.

But there’s usually a catch.

You know that feeling when you’ve been working toward something for so long, and then things get a bit weird as the big day gets closer?

It’s like everything takes twice the effort it used to.

And it's so easy to take that as a sign that something’s off.

You get nervous and start thinking about everything that could go wrong.

That’s where you start to panic a bit.

You get frustrated trying to make sense of that sudden dip in energy, motivation, and even confidence.

And you wonder if you’re really ready.

❤️ Give yourself room to recover

The best thing you can do when the pushback shows up is to see it for what it is.

It’s just your body and mind recovering from all the months you’ve put in.

So give yourself room to recover.

Rest more, eat well, sleep well, and use some of that time to get your head ready for the day.

That reframe takes a lot of the panic out of it.

You’re not reading too much into every uncomfortable feeling.

You’re not wearing yourself out over all the wrong things that could happen.

You get to walk into the big day feeling fresh and clear, with the confidence from all the hard work you’ve done.

You get to give it everything you’ve got.

And if it still doesn’t go your way, it’s absolutely fine to try again.

So what’s the big thing you’re getting close to right now?

Have you been feeling a bit off lately?

It’s most likely just your body and mind catching up.

Go easy on yourself.

You’re more ready than you feel.

With appreciation,

Huw

P.S: We chat about this on this week’s pod.

I also talk about running a 48K the day before my 46th birthday, and we get into great listeners’ questions.

Worth a listen.​

Ep 29. Top 3 tips for a firs... Oct 6 · Two Average Runners 58:05   ​

Huw Edwards Founder & CEO, h3.xyz​

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