We all fear something. However, most fears are unfounded and irrational and runners’ fears even more so. I thought of some things and I know there are a lot more, so please free to add them in the comment. The strangest, weirdest and most honest fears stand to win adidas goodies 🙂
1) The GPS watch losing signal specially on a day when you know you are running strong and possibly gunning for a PB.
2) Forgetting to apply vaseline on the race day – It’s a valid fear for all men out there. I mean no one wants to be seen with bleeding nipples. Honestly, I get a secret kick out of seeing men suffer because women always fear getting their periods on the race day!
3) Forgetting how to run – I know it sounds strange. How can anyone forget how to run? But when injury forces you to rest for months, this fear creeps in and I’m like did I ever run that much? What if I can’t anymore? How does one run so much?
4) Uphills on the race day or training, it’s the same. They suck. I fear them usually on a race day and detest them on all other training days. I know of a very few runners who actually enjoy them.
5) Waking up late on race day – The fear is so genuine that most of us don’t end up sleeping only.
6) Will we ever move on – Most of the times, I think we don’t even know realise but this fear of not making progressing distance or speed wise, is lurking somewhere deep down.
7) Forgetting to carry the bib – I’m not the kinds who pins her bib to her tee the night before so you know I’m freaking out most of the time next morning.
8) Fear of being over taken by the runner you know who has been slower than you are, in the past. Come on let’s accept it, it’s true.
9) There are times I fear what if I’m not able to run at all because I’m too old or for any other reason. What’s going to keep me sane then? What am I going to do?10) FOMO – Fear of missing out. Two good events on the same day in the same city? Damn this social media is making life tougher.
Contest Winning Entry – Congrats Neetul Mohanty 🙂
Her entry –
My sole goal while hitting the last 5 kms of a marathon is to look like a bad-ass heroine of an action thriller where my perfect sprint with “chariots of fire” playing in mind is going to save the world from destruction but that dream is near to impossible. Real picture unfolds a saga of helplessness and agony. I cant feel my hands anymore and my feet is puffed and my face has a silent plead of “help me, I am dying” look and I believe my stomach and lungs are shutting down. I just want to find the finish line before the vultures find me. My dream stride call it perfect sprint is reduced to a wobbly walk on wreckage of two legs and wait what do I see ahead, my biggest fear.My family with cameras flashing on me and loud cheers and claps of “Yo girl, Go Champion”! Freak man, the self proclaimed champion of the family has been caught not just walking but almost stumbling like I am drunk and to tell the story forever are pictures of a ghastly crazy looking woman with sweat patches at the most inappropriate places.Complete freak show.
31 Comments
I’m deathly scared of missing the route and going off in the wrong direction and ending up in the middle of nowhere, especially on trails…!
My biggest fear….. Crossing a stinking garbage bin on the route, for the fear that I will feel like throwing up later 😛
Right now I am fearing of a flat tyre on my bike this Sunday when I am doing a self supported duathalon! But my biggest fear remains what if I stop running.
And given my wobbly bowels early morning, I am always fearing an aborted run 🙂
my biggest fear is of getting injured during the race, so always control my pace than what i could achieve. so, in this process , i complete the HM with timing which could have been better if i would have not worried about and let it go. I don’t know how to get rid of.
i am scared of looking horrible in my running pics post event! And unfortunately my fears always come true!! :((
Each race I fear that I will collapse and fall down, though I haven’t by God’s Grace!
Biggest fear– fear of sharting!! Well, it’s really genuine!!!
Many fears preoccupy the mind while running
fear of iPod music going bust…
fear of tripping and the laces opening…
fear of wanting to go to the loo…
fear of not having carb loaded
fear of not living up to my target set in mind…
Dogs, especially around dawn, when it’s still dark. Being unable to hear a dog sneaking up from behind during particularly loud portions of the music. The only thing more dangerous is a full pack of dogs! Would rather take a dead iPod any day :-).
I have the fear of getting chased and bitten by stray dogs while running
Most fears are before starting the run..mainly a day ahead. Luckily these just vanish once the gun shoots.
Fear of not getting sufficient sleep
Fear of not being “Off the Feet” as recommended by many
Fear of exhausting from work travels prior to race
I fear the next Water/ Energy station might be too far away & tend to over hydrate resulting in that Bloated feel during the run 🙂
Even a slightest niggle in the leg during a run brings that fear out -“Oh is it ITB ? are my knees giving up ? M I stressing too much ?”
Fear of an injury/sickness (especially owing to reasons totally unrelated to running) on the eve / day of a major race
Heart Rate…. there are times when you feel really good and think of breaking your PB…. and you run fast… suddenly, the heart rate increases and you feel…. oh my god, can i complete the distance?
The biggest fear I have is that during a race I get this sharp pain in my right glutes maximus. The only way then for me to continue running is to massage my right bum. But that kind of looks strange on a crowded road 🙂
Fear of “headlights” ( read nipples) shining through t-shirt and sports bra ! And, dehydration induced cramps in hot weather runs !
The fear of not getting a GPS signal lock on your Garmin device or phone, is a very real fear I face fairly often before races and even before regular training runs.
U make play list of ur favourite songs day before ur run but u forget to charge ur phone..n when just seconds before ur run u start ur phone with all the energy and enthusiasm..all u can see on the screen is battery low..2% remaining..damn..now this is my biggest fear and actually happened with me in women 10k run..!!
OMG, this sounds so hilarious.. but believe me it’s tough while you go thru it..
Shoe laces opening up – n u hear me scream NOOOO
Running too fast too soon n loosing out on d whole run
Getting injured and no one coming for help, bcoz everyone is running their run
N last but not d least , not getting water support for a long time
I always fear not getting up on the morning of the race. So much so that I put multiple alarms.
Other than that I fear being so slow that my battery on my mp3 dies off before I finish the race.
Anupriya..yet another interesting blog! Great work.
Here is my list of of fears:
– Fear of someone from behind tumbling on me
– fear of bra hook opening
– immense fear of alarm not going ringing
– chaffing
– fear of twisting my feet
– fear of my knee pain
At every stage..I guess the fears also change; some get added while some wade off!
Fear of dogs chasing me before sunrise. Fear of the running group leaving on a run before I reach the meeting point (always late). Fear of drinking too much water and then realizing that I drank too much water during the run. Fear of stepping into some unseen pothole and twisting my ankle especially when I am alone.
Fear of pooping in the middle!:p Someone actually told me this
The fear of taking a bath after chafing..
*ouch*
I fear the suspense I’m fighting in my head “Is this gonna be a silent one or an embarrassingly loud facepalm-kinds” when I’m about to fart in public… Esp when I’m looking my sexy best, it’s such a turn off!!
On a more serious note, I fear ‘not being myself’. Let’s admit it, I do shy away from it many times (work in progress). It could be as simple as wanting to eat curd using my hand at a business convention.. to slapping that pervert maternal uncle who molested the child in me.
Some day, I shall brave up to it 🙂
I have had this dream many times… Equivalent of exam dreams. I get up, get ready on time and drive to the race only to find that somehow it has taken me two hours to get there and by the time I start the runners, especially my friends, are on the return loop! And worse …they are all laughing at me.
The other one is legs have turned to jelly and I can’t move.
The last one, tripping over at the start line and being trampled upon by fellow runners.
Hope this provides good entertainment.
I fear other runners.
My biggest fear is the 3 letter DNF (Did not finish). Had a DNF on my first marathon due to undertraining and it took me another 3 years to attempt a marathon again. Did it finally at SCMM 2016:)
My sole goal while hitting the last 5 kms of a marathon is to look like a bad-ass heroine of an action thriller where my perfect sprint with “chariots of fire” playing in mind is going to save the world from destruction but that dream is near to impossible. Real picture unfolds a saga of helplessness and agony. I cant feel my hands anymore and my feet is puffed and my face has a silent plead of “help me, I am dying” look and I believe my stomach and lungs are shutting down. I just want to find the finish line before the vultures find me. My dream stride call it perfect sprint is reduced to a wobbly walk on wreckage of two legs and wait what do I see ahead, my biggest fear.My family with cameras flashing on me and loud cheers and claps of “Yo girl, Go Champion”! Freak man, the self proclaimed champion of the family has been caught not just walking but almost stumbling like I am drunk and to tell the story forever are pictures of a ghastly crazy looking woman with sweat patches at the most inappropriate places.Complete freak show.