What Is Maranoia?

Race week is finally here. After months of training and build-up, hundreds of miles run, and many hours spent preparing, you’re the fittest you’ve ever been – and for some reason, you feel terrible!

You go for an easy run and your legs feel heavy and lifeless.

You’ve got aches and pains you’ve never felt before.

You start thinking that you didn’t do enough training, or maybe that you did too much. How long should your longest run be, anyway? 

You think that you started tapering too early, or maybe it was too late? (We’ve covered the Do’s & Don’t’s Of Tapering here)

You sneeze once and panic that you’ve got a cold, and you worry about every step you take in case you twist an ankle. 

You try to run for a few minutes at marathon pace and it feels like a sprint. 

You think you aren’t eating enough in the carb-load, then panic that you’re eating too much.

You’re paranoid about all sorts of things going wrong in the final days before your marathon. You’ve got maranoia!

Maranoia is what us runners call the (irrational) worries we face in the final days before running a marathon. It can affect everyone from the elites to first-timers ahead of the marathon.

Maranoia comes from many places, but mostly it’s a fear of not performing as you hope to. You worry about every small thing that you could’ve done differently, or everything that could go wrong. 

Unfortunately there are no cures for maranoia, but don’t worry, because there are plenty of things you can do to help you get through it.

Understand when you need to speak to a professional. This one’s important, so it comes first. You might be feeling new niggles, or different aches, but how do you know if it’s a phantom problem or a real one? These phantom niggles may be in your head manifesting from the maranoia, but sometimes you might actually have an issue you need to get checked out. If in doubt, speak to a sports physio. 

Look back over your training. See how far you’ve come from the first week up until the peak week. Look at the distances and paces you’ve run and see how you’ve progressed. Look at your last big long run and know that all the training has definitely prepared you for the race. 

Trust the process. Yeah yeah, it’s an old cliché, but it’s true. We build up training over many weeks, then ease back ahead of the race. If you taper properly then you maintain your fitness while making your legs and body feel less tired. Stick to the plan you have and don’t be tempted to do more, which relates to another well-known saying… 

The hay is in the barn. You’ve done the work, and soon you can get your rewards – just be careful not to set the barn on fire by doing too much in the final week. It can be tempting to try and squeeze in a few extra miles or reps, but don’t burn yourself by trying to do too much. 

Control the controllables. Three clichés in a row! Don’t worry about things which might not happen, and instead focus on the things that you can control. Your nutrition, how much you rest, preparing your kit for the race, making plans for your race experience. If there are things you’re especially concerned about, like getting sick, then be extra cautious and consider wearing a facemask if you’re travelling, and make sure you wash your hands properly!

Don’t do new things. Did you see another runner getting a massage before their marathon? Maybe that works for them, but if it’s something you’ve never done before, then don’t do it a few days before a marathon. Nothing new on race day is another well-known marathon saying, but nothing new in the days before the race is also relevant.

Make realistic goals. Look again at your final long runs and any longer workouts or intervals you’ve done. What time do you honestly think you are able to run? Just because you set out with a time goal four months ago, doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve had the training block to get that. Be realistic about what you want to do on race day. Many runners come up with three goals: their A goal, which is the best they hope for if they have a perfect race; their B goal, which is something you still consider a great achievement; and a C goal, which might be more about how you conduct yourself in the run (enjoy the experience, keep on smiling).

Focus on resting. It’s easy to feel restless in the final days before a marathon. You’re excited and anxious, and have nervous energy (plus a lot of extra energy from running less and eating more). You need to prioritise rest and sleep where possible. 

Carb load (but expect more maranoia). With two days to go, and your body filled with carbs, you might experience more strange feelings. You may feel more tired and sluggish, but you’ll also have more energy which makes you feel antsy. Again, just trust that stocking up on carbs is essential to give you energy to run the marathon. 

Know that you aren’t alone in feeling like this. It happens to every runner, from the elites to the first-timers. That doesn’t make it easier for you when you’re experiencing it, but try to take a step back and be mindful about your maranoia – you can even try to laugh at all the weird things that are going through your head! 

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Have you experienced anything weird because of your maranoia?