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Marathon Tips: Running Injuries, Anxiety, and More
Attack of the Nagging Fears
What are you afraid of? Injury? Blisters? The wall? Whatever it is, there's a way to fight back when running anxiety strikes
By
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Hurdle Your Running Worries
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1
Getting Injured
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2
Falling Behind
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3
Tackling Hard Hills
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4
Failing to Hit Speedwork Goals
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5
Coming in Last
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6
Falling Off the Treadmill
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7
Hitting the Wall
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8
Gaining Weight
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9
Facing Resistance from My Family
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10
Feeling Exhausted on Hot Runs
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11
Getting Blisters from New Shoes
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12
Saying Goodbye to Personal Bests
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13
Not Finishing
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14
Needing to Take an Unplanned Pit Stop
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15
Never Getting into a Bucket-List Race
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16
Race-Day Anxiety
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17
Getting Lost or Hurt on Trail Runs
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18
Catching a Cold
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19
Not Running Again
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20
Fear of [Fill in the Blank]
Coming in Last
The Fix: Highly improbable, so keep your confidence
If you train even a little and enter a large race with walkers, you will not finish last. But even if it happens, so what? "When I joined the Howard County [Maryland] Striders in 1999," says Bev Byron, "I was so slow I had a T-shirt made that read, 'Someone had to be last.'" Byron has gone on to coach hundreds of women to their first 5-K finishes with the Striders' "Next Step Fit" program.
Byron builds their fitness and confidence by having them run or run/walk the full 5-K distance each weekend for three months leading up to the race. "I cannot guarantee they won't finish last," she says, "but I do assure them they will finish their first race." Even if you're last, you're still beating everyone who dropped out or wouldn't stand on a starting line if you paid them. They're the real losers.
Think Positive: "You can't win until you're not afraid to lose." —Bon Jovi
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