Dealing With Demons: Moving Forward From a Bad Race (Or 20)

There is no such thing as an athlete who has never had a bad competition day.  Anyone can tell you that everyone will experience very good days and very bad days at some point in their career, and some of us get really lucky and can say that sometimes, you have blocks where it seems like all of the competition days are bad.  Especially in a sport like distance running that is as draining as it is, these bad days can easily wear you down and make you reconsider your future in the sport.  It is always devastating to put countless miles and hours into something and feel like it is not paying off.  So how do you handle it when you encounter disappointments in the sport?  How do you move on when you have a bad race (or what feels like an endless stream of them)?  Today I'm going to share a few of the ways I deal with letdowns in workouts and races.
First, it is crucial to remember that, as every coach, teammate, parent, and motivation video will tell you, one bad day does not define your whole career.  Sometimes it is just a matter of factors combining poorly-Maybe you should have taken two recovery days rather than one between your latest workout and the race.  Maybe you should have hydrated better or had a bigger breakfast.  If that's the case, examine what you have control over, evaluate things that you need to change, and adapt.  Even if you can't put a finger on anything that went wrong and it just wasn't there for that day, don't panic and assume that your career is over.  Sometimes having a period in which your workouts are going well but your races feel somewhat stale is simply part of the process while your body catches up with the level of training you have been doing, especially if you have a big jump in mileage or effort level.
Second, be patient.  Those are honest to goodness my two least favorite words in the English language.  Every time I had a bad race over the last year and someone said the words, "Be patient!", it triggered my gag reflex just a little, and I'm sure the look they received from me was nothing short of alarming.  But seriously guys, sometimes patience is simply part of being an athlete.  Results are never immediate, so if you are willing to keep working at it, even when nothing seems to be showing up, it will eventually.  I was discussing this with a friend at the conference meet, expressing some of my frustrations about previous performances, thinking that considering the jump in mileage I had over the summer, I should have been running considerably fast, and he chuckled at me a bit before saying, "Well yeah, you should be able to run faster times after a substantial increase...but not until about six months after."  Sure enough, that conference meet ended up being my breakthrough meet, and it occurred roughly eight months after I started increasing my mileage and effort levels.
Be willing to evaluate your passion and dedication to the sport.  If running is something that truly drives you, something that you want to continue improving at and see how far it takes you, go back to step two and keep grinding.  If it isn't something you are truly passionate about, you might need to accept that competitive running isn't for you.  Burnout is unfortunately very common, even among people who make it as far as collegiate running, and mental strength is as much a determiner in who makes it all the way in athletics as physical strength and training.  Of course, I'm definitely not advocating that anyone just give up the sport over a bad race.  However, I have also had many friends who either lost or never truly had a love for or desire to continue in the sport, and they struggled through several seasons of burnout and exhaustion before accepting that this wasn't the path for them.  If you are at a point where you know you have no love for the sport, and you are doing it to please someone else or for any other reason, consider reevaluating.
Finally, remember all of the reasons that you do this insane sport in the first place.  What got you into it?  Why do you keep doing it after all this time?  What is the end goal that drives you?  (If we're being honest here, one of the things that really drives me through a hard workout or a slump in racing is the desire to be a New Balance babe, and 99% of the reason I have that goal is because I'm in love with Emma Coburn and would love to meet her.  JK, most of the real reason is that I want to go pro and run fast and break records and stuff.  But meeting Emma would be neat.)  If you don't really have a goal, figure one out and get after it.  Find yourself a motivator, even if it's just one for the day, like a cupcake to treat yo self with after your race-we've all been there.  Getting through the garbage days becomes much easier if you have something to chase (or something to drag you kicking and screaming).