Solution: Being nervous is good, and it’s okay! It means you care. But sometimes nerves can mean you’re not trusting or confident, and as we all know, our thoughts can become things! Spend all those hours in training reminding yourself that you can do this and there’s a reason you’re doing it! Trust your training.
Tips: Map/prepare/familiarize. Make sure you take time to plan out all your logistics, including housing, food, transportation, the course, registration times, start times, etc. You should feel like you’re on autopilot for the days leading up to the race. After all, energy spent stressing is energy you can’t use to perform. Take a few moments each day to acknowledge how far you’ve come. Look at your training logs and milestones from your completed training—it can come as a nice surprise to see how many hours/miles you’ve covered. Often nerves are a result of feeling under-prepared, but the hard proof can help reassure you that you’re up to the task ahead.