The Runner’s Mind Game: Navigating Self-Doubt, Anxiety & Negative Thoughts

It’s completely normal to experience self-doubt, anxiety, and a whirlwind of negative thoughts – that’s just part of being human, especially when we’re pushing ourselves in something we care about, like running. Our minds are wired to think about the future, worry about what could go wrong, and often replay the past, questioning if we did well enough. That’s what minds do.

However, when we get caught up in these mental narratives, buying into every story our mind tells us, it can really impact our enjoyment of running. We can find ourselves stuck in our own heads, going down mental rabbit holes, feeling more worried, and ultimately, it can affect our performance. We might show up on race day holding back, living in our minds rather than in our shoes at the start line. Not fully committing to the pace we’d hoped for during the run, and finishing more frustrated than we need to be.

The Hidden Message in Our Doubts

But here’s something to consider: when our mind gets chatty with doubt and anxiety, often ruminating about the future (‘What if I can’t do the time? What if I need to pull out? What if… what if….what if…’) or the past (‘Those missed sessions are going to come back and get me’), there might be a subtle, hidden message in there. This discomfort could actually be highlighting something we deeply care about beyond ‘just’ hitting that PB or getting the medal or Strava kudos. What if the rumblings of nerves, doubts and anxiety was a signal that what we’re about to do, the run we’re about to embark on is an expression of important values and parts of our identity.

Viewed through this lens, perhaps the doubt and anxiety we feel are our mind’s somewhat clumsy or misguided attempt to remind us of what’s important, trying to ensure we don’t mess up or deviate from what truly matters to us.

So, if this is the case, what strategies can we use to manage these doubts and our inner critic, or at least create a little distance from them?

Strategy 1: Detach From Unhelpful Thoughts (They’re Not Facts)

We don’t have to ride the rollercoaster of believing every single thing our mind throws at us. Thoughts are just thoughts; they’re not facts. We can learn to create some space from them.

Want to try it out? Think of a common unhelpful thought you experience before a race or a challenging training session – maybe it’s “I’m not good enough” or “I can’t run at that pace.”

  • Step 1: Believe the Thought. For a few seconds, say that thought over and over in your mind. Really buy into it. Notice the impact it has on you – does it start to weigh you down, feel disempowering? If so, where so?
  • Step 2: Add a Simple Phrase. Now, take that same thought and preface it with “I’m thinking that…” For example, “I’m thinking that I’m not good enough. I’m thinking that I can’t run at this pace.” Say this a few times. Notice the difference it makes. Hopefully, you feel a little more space – there’s you, and then there’s the thought.
  • Step 3: Take it One Step Further. Now try, “I’m noticing that I’m thinking that I’m not good enough. I’m noticing that I’m thinking that I can’t run at this pace.” Again, just observe the difference.

By practising this kind of distancing or detaching from our thoughts, by not taking them so literally, we can give ourselves a bit more breathing room. What difference might that make to your enjoyment and freedom in running?

Strategy 2: Cultivate a More Supportive Inner Voice

Yes, that critical, doubting part of ourselves can be very familiar. But what about another part of you? Think about someone in your life who has been consistently coaching, compassionate, caring, and kind towards you. Or, imagine how you would speak to a running friend facing the same doubts you experience.

What might that more supportive, coaching, and compassionate part of yourself say as you approach a challenging run or race? If we could learn to tune into and hold onto this more encouraging inner voice, what difference might that make to how we show up?

Strategy 3: Focus on Action & Process (Not Just Thoughts & Outcomes)

Rather than getting caught up in the mental swirl, let’s get clear on what we’re actually here to do. Before a race, instead of solely fixating on hoped-for times or positions, we can get crystal clear on our process goals – the actions and focuses that will help us perform well.

These are the things within our control. For example:

  • ‘During the race, I’m going to check in on my perceived effort level every kilometre, aiming for a 7 out of 10 for the first half.’
  • ‘I’m going to focus on maintaining relaxed shoulders and a quick cadence, especially when I start to tire.’
  • ‘My goal is to stick to my hydration and nutrition plan every 30 minutes.’

These process goals can anchor our focus in the here and now, helping us avoid getting bogged down in unhelpful thinking. When our mind starts to wander, we can gently reorient our focus back to the actions and behaviours that will move us forward.

Running With Your Mind, Not Against It

Learning to navigate a mind that’s often filled with self-doubt, anxiety, and rumination is a skill. It’s not about eliminating these thoughts (our minds will always generate them!), but about changing our relationship with them.

We can practise:

  • Giving ourselves some distance from our thoughts (“I’m noticing I’m thinking…”).
  • Cultivating a more compassionate and supportive inner coach.
  • Getting clear on, and committing to, our process goals.

These aren’t one-time fixes, but ongoing practices that can significantly enhance not just our performance, but our overall experience and enjoyment of running.

If these ideas resonate with you, and you’re looking for additional practical ways to manage pre-race nerves, you might find my FREE guide: ‘Navigating Race Day Nerves: A Runner’s First Steps to a Stronger Mindset‘ helpful.

Alternatively, if you’d like to explore these concepts more deeply and apply them to your unique running situation, I offer a free, no-obligation 15-minute introductory call. We can discuss your challenges and how one-on-one sport psychology coaching could support you. Get in touch now!

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Thinking about: working with what matters

Historically, psychology is a ‘problem-focused’ endeavour. 

Athletes often seek psychologists to help with difficulties in their life – transitions when moving between squads or into retirement, managing challenging relationships within their personal and performance environments, chronic performance drops, injury, nerves and shaky confidence.

It’s bread and butter stuff, and there are textbooks filled with ways of making sense of and managing such ‘problems in living’.

But crucially, these issues fall into the category of ‘what’s the matter’. 

Whether you’re working as a psychologist, coach or parent, I invite you to try an ‘experiment’. Specifically, try shifting from exclusively focusing on ‘what’s the matter’ to ‘what matters’ to the person you’re speaking with at that moment by asking questions such as: 

  • Given all that you’re up against or having to deal with, what would you want instead?
  • And if there was a bit more of that in your life, given everything that’s going on for you, what difference would that make for you? 
  • What might that start to make possible for you?

Such questions, when done empathically, start to help the person describe what they want, and what’s important to them. From here, motivation may begin to sprout and a sense of clarity congruent with their values can be worked with further…

Give it a go – see what differences it makes…

N.B.: In a previous blog, I’ve sketched out how I use the ‘tip’ above to work 1-to-1 with sport psychology coaching clients to help them make the changes they want to see in their life and get the best out of themselves.

Who’s the real hero of this psych stuff?

Psychology can be alluring.

Its insights can help explain and make sense of people’s problems and provide structure to what can feel like chaos (to both clients and therapists). It can provide a sense of hope that there’s something ‘out there’ that could help people overcome their difficulties, achieve their goals and make changes.

And these theories are, all in all, pretty good at doing what they say they do. CBT, for example, is great at providing a range of strategies to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. Psychodynamic therapy is great at providing insight into the root cause of people’s emotional and relationship pain, and so on (x 100+ for all the other approaches out there).

But there’s a peculiar thing here. Despite the proliferation of all these different theories of why people suffer and how they could change, outcomes haven’t changed much over 50 years.

Yes, therapy is effective, but one therapy isn’t particularly better than another one, once all the data are analysed together (and despite the masses of research funding provided to some).

So why then, as disparate as many therapies are, does it work?

The answer: the client.

Clients are the common factor across all theories. In fact, studies have suggested that up to 86% of change is attributable to you, the client….86%!

That is…your hopes…your relationships…your cultural resources…your expectancy of change…your views on the relationship with your therapist…your belief that the therapist can help you…your own resources…strengths…and resilience….and so on, all of this is what provides the fuel to make therapy work.

It’s not to do with the ‘expert’ therapist…as much as both parties may like to think it is!

So, in my work, I work with heroes.

I listen out for people’s resilience in the face of their trauma, even if they cannot see it for themselves…yet.

I listen out for their resourcefulness as they continue to get through difficult situations, even if they cannot see it for themselves…yet.

I listen out for the strength of character that all clients are challenged to draw upon as they go through the dark night of the soul, even if they cannot see it for themselves…yet.

I tailor my approach to hear the stories of heroes. I get curious about their experience of every session, wanting to know what was helpful and what would be meaningfully better next time. I work with their theory of change – what they think needs to happen in each session, so they can move towards their goals. And I listen intently for any sign of change they make in their life that nudges them, even just a little, towards what they want most from our work together.

Clients are the heroes of their stories. My job is to help them take centre stage.

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One ‘tip’ for getting through tough times

The writings and experiences of Victor Frankl are almost legendary. His book, ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ has sold over 10 million copies in 24 languages and is an inspiration to many.

In it, Frankl details his experiences of surviving Nazi concentration camps in World War 2, before outlining the principles of his approach to therapy: logotherapy. 

Central to Frankl’s approach is the belief that humans have a need to find meaning in their lives in order to sustain them and promote growth. Of course, in Frankl’s experience, the meaning of life was deeply challenged through the horrific experiences of concentration camps and the sheer terror faced on a daily basis.

On a superficial reading, Frankl’s book can be seen as promoting the value of having a ‘positive attitude’ in the face of challenges. This misses his point. Frankl’s book challenges us to seek and create meaning in our lives, particularly in the face of difficulty. There is a transcendental nature to Frankl’s writing that challenges us to rise above that which we’re facing, to make our experiences and lives larger than the problem itself.

A specific example from the text which stood out for me was Frankl’s account of being asked to give what was, essentially, a ‘motivational speech’ to camp members. Frankl, bereft of what to say that would even remotely stir hope in the face of such desperate circumstances, asked those around him to use their imagination…

To imagine that those we loved most in the world were in the room, watching us in this moment – what would they’d most want to see in us as we face this challenge? How would they most want us to act in the face of such difficulties?

For Frankl, constantly asking such a question carries the potential of infusing any moment with meaning and serves as an act of soul-enriching revolt.

Whilst Frankl’s writing may seem a long way off from the world of sport, business and personal development, I wonder what differences it may make for you should you ask yourself the same question in relation to an ongoing difficulty.