1500m sports day?

Question

i ran 1500 m today on sports day and i came 6th place with 7 people. i am so bad! why is it that i always do really well in practices but go so slow and fast at the wrong time in the day?

Answer 1

You should be proud that you ran it because when I was at school nobody except the really good runners (and me) would do it. I was rubbish and always came last but I took part and thats what counted.

Answer 2

The 1500 is a hard race.  It requires both speed and endurance.  You can get better if you train for it.  But if you think you are having problems with performance in competition compared to practice, it is possible that you are putting too much pressure on yourself and "choking".  It is hard to overcome performance anxiety, but one of the ways to help do it is to try to turn some of that anxiety to a positive by making it an excitement for a race--try to use it to help yourself "peak" then.