How to Bounce Back After a Bad Race

by GRP runner Kat Morrissey

As athletes, I think we can all relate to spending weeks, months, potentially even years planning our race calendars. From the training, the travel, the logistics - sometimes the preparation for the race can feel more stressful than the race itself.

Unfortunately, I think we can also remember a time where that big goal race did not go as planned. The grief after a disappointing race hits hard, and the overwhelming sea of emotions that comes along with that has the ability to push us towards rash racing decisions before we’ve even processed what we have just done.

So, how do you bounce back from a subpar race? 

First and foremost, it’s okay to be disappointed. Take the time you need to be angry, frustrated, sad, etc. After all, you’ve dedicated a substantial amount of time, missed out on other life events, and put things on the back burner, to get to the starting line of your goal race. Once you have done that, realize that this is the perfect opportunity to gather information to help you learn, improve, and grow as an athlete. This is the time to reflect. 

Not having our dream race has the ability to fill us with self-doubt. Therefore, the next thing you should do is figure out what you could have done and what you had no control over that led to the race outcome. Nutrition, hydration, and recovery are all things that you can control in your buildup and on race day that greatly affect your ability to perform on the day. Then there are the uncontrollables: weather, road conditions, injury. Discern the difference between the two and make notes to focus on both things equally in the future so that you have a better grasp on how to attack your race next time.

While it is so easy to focus only on the negative when things aren’t going our way, make sure to remind yourself of what did go well. Did you succeed at running the tangents? Was your nutrition on point throughout the race? Did you run a PR, even though the end time for that distance wasn’t your goal time? As athletes we tend to be incredibly hard on ourselves and spend less time focusing on the amazing things that we did accomplish. 

After a bad race, I think many of us have had the immediate thought of signing up for the next race to “redeem” ourselves. While this may be a great idea, make sure to check in with yourself and your coach. Ask yourself some questions: how will this affect my recovery? Will signing up for a race and not meeting my A goal have a positive or negative impact on my confidence? Don't succumb to the lure of redemption without weighing all of the potential outcomes.

Lastly and most importantly, focus on the joy that running brings you. You are not defined by the time on the clock. Every race is not going to be your dream race where everything goes perfectly. In fact, those days tend to happen less often than any of us would like. Focus on your goals, what you need to do to get there, and don’t lose confidence in your ability to succeed. Every day won’t be a PR day, but every race provides you with the opportunity to grow as an athlete, which will lead to continued success down the road.