Race Week Anxiety: Why It’s Not About Fitness, It’s About Trust

by | Mar 18, 2026 | Mindset and Performance, Training & Performance | 0 comments

triathlete feeling race week anxiety before race

There comes a point, usually about one to two weeks before a race, where something shifts.

At first, nothing dramatic has changed in your training.
You are not suddenly less fit.
Nor have you lost everything you have built.

And yet, it can start to feel that way.

You begin to notice things more.
A session feels harder than expected.
Your legs feel flat.
As a result, you start replaying sessions, questioning decisions, and wondering if you have done enough.

It is subtle at first. Then it grows.

However, what most people don’t realise is this:

Nothing has gone wrong.
You are just thinking more.

What Is Race Week Anxiety?

Race week anxiety is a common experience for cyclists and triathletes, especially during the taper phase.

During this time, training volume decreases so your body can recover and adapt. As a result, this is where performance actually improves.

Reduced training load allows:

  • recovery of the nervous system
  • restoration of muscle glycogen
  • improved power output

(Mujika & Padilla, 2003)

At the same time, something else happens.

When training load decreases, distraction also reduces.

Instead of focusing on simply getting through sessions, you now have more space and awareness.

Because of this, that awareness often turns inward.

Why You Start Overthinking Before a Race

As race day approaches, many athletes begin to overthink their preparation.

With fewer physical demands, your brain starts to fill the gap.

You begin analysing:

  • your sessions
  • your numbers
  • your sensations

Then you compare how you feel now to how you felt weeks ago.

This is where race week anxiety builds.

During heavier training blocks, fatigue masks much of this. You feel tired, but purposeful, and you trust the process because you are in it.

In contrast, with less fatigue, everything feels more exposed.

Research shows that perceived readiness does not always match actual physiological readiness, especially during taper phases (Buchheit, 2014).

In simple terms:

👉 You can feel worse, while actually being better prepared.

Race Week Isn’t About Fitness

At this point, your training is largely done.

You are not building new fitness in a meaningful way.
You are not changing your physiology in the final 7–10 days.

So what is actually happening?

You are deciding whether you trust what you have already built.

This is the real work of race week.

Not adding more.
Not fixing things.
Not chasing reassurance through extra sessions.

But holding your nerve.

A Lesson I Learned Before World Championships

I remember this clearly before a World Championships race.

On paper, everything pointed in the right direction.
Training had gone well. The numbers were there. The preparation was consistent.

However, in the final lead-in, I didn’t feel how I thought I should.

Sessions felt flat.
At times, I questioned whether I had peaked too early.
Then I started looking for signs that something had gone wrong.

In reality, nothing had.

Instead, my focus had shifted from trusting the work to trying to validate it.

As a result, that created tension where there didn’t need to be any.

Looking back, the performance wasn’t limited by my fitness.
Rather, it was shaped by how much I trusted it.

What helped me in the end was not changing anything physically.

Instead, I came back to the plan I had already committed to.
The sessions, the structure, and the approach that had got me there.

More importantly, I started to notice what I was actually feeling.

It wasn’t just doubt.

It was excitement.
It was the weight of the opportunity.
It was how much the race meant to me.

However, I had been interpreting all of that as a problem to fix.

Once I saw that, things began to shift.

The nerves weren’t something to get rid of.
Instead, they were my body getting ready.

Not a warning sign.
Rather, a preparation response.

Because of that, instead of fearing the feeling, I started to lean into it.

I stopped trying to control every thought.
I stopped looking for certainty.

Instead, I focused on executing what I had already prepared to do.

The nerves didn’t disappear.

However, the meaning shifted.

They no longer meant something was wrong.

They meant I was ready.

How to Manage Race Week Anxiety

If you are in this phase right now, feeling uncertain, flat, or questioning things…

It does not mean you are underprepared.

It does not mean you have lost fitness.

And it certainly does not mean you need to do more.

Instead of asking:

“Have I done enough?”

Try asking:

“What evidence do I have that I am ready?”

Then bring yourself back to:

  • the consistency you have built
  • the sessions you have completed
  • the challenges you have already handled

These are real.

Importantly, they do not disappear in the final two weeks.

The Real Work of Race Week

Race week is not about squeezing in one more session.

It is not about chasing a feeling.

Instead, it is about staying steady when your mind becomes less certain.

Because this is where many athletes lose confidence.

Not because they are unprepared.
But because they stop trusting that they are.

If You’re Feeling Race Week Anxiety Right Now

You are not behind.

You are not missing something.

Instead, you are in the phase where performance shifts from physical preparation to belief.

And importantly, that is a very normal place to be.

Want More Support Like This?

If this resonated, this is the kind of thinking I share regularly in my newsletter.

It’s where I go deeper into training, mindset, and the quieter side of performance that often gets overlooked.

You can join here to receive future articles, insights, and early access to upcoming programs:
👉 https://coachhulskamp.com.au/#newsletter

And if you are looking for more personalised support, you can explore coaching here:
👉 https://coachhulskamp.com.au

References

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *