WHY RACING A 5K FEELS MENTALLY MORE CHALLENGING THAN A HALF MARATHON

STANDING ON THE starting line of any race-but especially when I'm vying for a faster finish time-I feel a twinge of anxiety pop up, whispering worries in my ear that something might go wrong. For example, I'll miss my goal and all the hard work of training will have been for nothing. Or I'll end up slogging through the miles and regretting every step. Or worse, I'll find myself injured and sidelined.

- Mallory Creveling

These storylines have an even more negative tone when I'm on the starting line of a 5K, compared to longer distances up to a half marathon. As I try to accept the fact that I'm going to feel uncomfortable (really uncomfortable!) for a solid 20-plus minutes, my mind tells me the pace will feel impossible to hold. And I won't be able to slow down lest I give up on my goal.

When it comes to a 5K, I tend to taunt myself with the reminder that I need to chase a fast pace right from the start-no progressing into it-if I want to get done in record time. Every second counts in a short race, unlike a half marathon, in which I can settle into a comfortably hard effort and ease into the discomfort. I pretty much dread the feeling of sustaining a nearly sprint speed, and because of that, even before I've started moving, I've told myself how much I'm not going to enjoy the race, which only makes it more difficult to experience.

The plot tends to thicken when I'm in the middle of the run, as I question my moves: Can I really hold this pace? If I slow down, will I miss my goal? Why did I even set this goal or sign up for this race? How do I make the time go faster but my body feel better?

That's the tricky thing about the mind: It can create a whole narrative about what might happen in the future, bringing you right out of the present where the atmosphere is light, lively, and full of potential.