How to mentally reset after a bad race in your sub-3 training build

They call them “tune-up” races for a reason. Think of tuning a musical instrument like a guitar – sometimes you pluck the strings and an awful, discordant sound comes out. It doesn’t mean the instrument is broken. It just needs fine-tuning. The same goes for racing. Not every outing is a performance. Sometimes it's a messy, misfiring rehearsal.

I’ve been there. Two days before a half marathon where I’d hoped to place top ten, I inexplicably woke up with lower back pain. No cause, no warning. I threw everything at it – frozen peas, heat pads, yoga, ibuprofen, warm baths. I pinned my hopes on race-day adrenaline washing it away. It didn’t. From the gun, I was working twice as hard for half the return. I had no power, no pace. Every mental red flag was raised. I stepped off the course – my first-ever DNF – and felt hollow.

I clapped a few clubmates through the finish, went home and sat in a dark room. Not a good day.

I didn’t rush back. I gave myself two full days of rest – uncomfortable rest, given I’d taken on a mountain of carbs. I felt bloated and sluggish. But by Wednesday the bounce was back in my step. On Thursday, my back suddenly clicked into place. By Saturday, I’d won my local parkrun by a minute.

Not all comebacks are so quick – many of mine haven’t been. But the lesson is this: don’t obsess. Bad races happen. Write a short log. Then let it go.

Here are five practical ways to mentally reset:

1. Zoom out from the day
One bad race doesn’t define your build. It’s a single tile in a much bigger mosaic. Pull back and look at the totality of your training.

2. Don’t catastrophise
You’re not injured (unless you are), and your fitness hasn’t evaporated. Fatigue, poor sleep, dehydration, heat, illness – any number of factors can throw off a race.

3. Journal briefly, then move on
Note what went wrong – or what might have. Capture how you felt, log the variables. Then close the book. Don’t turn it into a mental loop.

4. Give your body space
Even bad races take a toll. Avoid the temptation to immediately “prove” yourself. Run easy, or not at all, for a day or two. The bounce often returns faster that way.

5. Reconnect with training
When you do return, lean into the routine. The long run, the track session, the daily grind – these will re-centre you far better than another race ever could.

A bad tune-up race doesn’t mean a bad marathon. In fact, it might sharpen your focus. These races are designed to test us. Sometimes they’ll feel fantastic. Other times they’ll feel foul. But both kinds serve a purpose. Learn from the ugly ones, savour the great ones, and stay focused on the only finish line that truly matters – that sub-3.