It's good to be a little nervous before a big race. A bit of anxiety can mobilize the body's forces for action and gets the competitive juices flowing.

Lately, however, I've spoken to runners who have let anxiety interfere with their performance and enjoyment of road racing.

Some runners use fear as a motivation in a race: fear of failure, disappointment, fear of finishing last, of not finishing at all.

But as Louise Friend, one of England's foremost sports psychologists, wrote in Running Times, "It's the athlete's interpretation of the nerves which is important, and for each athlete there's an optimum level of anxiety."

Fear and anxiety can have physical manifestations, such as increased heart rate and that butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling. Anxiety also wastes mental energy and causes muscle tension, affecting form and causing inefficient running and fatigue.

Physical manifestations of anxiety and negative thinking interfere with the "flow" of optimum performance. You can't concentrate on the race if you are focused on negative thoughts and fears. In other words, you "choke".

If you're motivated by fear, you can turn the negative into a positive. If you typically arrive at the starting line with knots in your stomach and sweaty palms, practice a few relaxation techniques to tone down the tension. Deep breathing exercises can relax your muscles and your mind.

Visualization can calm one of the biggest fears: fear of the unknown. Picture each of the difficult portions of your event in detail, but instead of focusing on failure, imagine yourself pushing through and overcoming adversity.

Draw on positive experiences to create confidence. Picture a race in which you felt tired but overcame fatigue or sprinted past a rival to win an age group medal. When anxiety tries to take hold, rather than let it hold you back, you'll view it as an opportunity for success.

Train your mind along with your body. Practice positive thinking during your everyday runs on the road or track.

Talk to yourself, but be nice. When fears and negative thoughts creep into your head, give yourself some positive talk. "I'm tired, but I know I can do it," works a lot better than "I feel bad. I want to stop."

To keep negative thoughts from creeping in and spoiling your day, focus on one thing and use it as a mantra during your race. My personal favorite is, "I think I can. I think I can," from that classic, "The Little Engine That Could."

Wednesday, 6 p.m.: Up-N-Running Group Run, Valencia. 724-898-2525 or www.runpa.comSaturday, 7:30 a.m.: Grandparents Race 10-Mile/5K/1-Mile event, Zelienople. Run one race or all three. 724-321-4265 or joella@zoominternet.netSaturday, 8 a.m.: South Park 5K, South Park. 412-831-7000 or run5ksp@yahoo.comSaturday, 9 a.m.: Brain Freeze 5K run, 2½-mile walk and kids half-mile race, West Kittanning. Free ice cream sundaes following the run. 724-548-7836Saturday, 9 a.m.: Green River Trail Run 5K and 15K, Millsboro. 724-627-5541 or arinehart@alltel.netSaturday, 10 a.m.: Burger King 5K, North Park. Noncompetitive walk benefits Cancer Caring Center. 412-622-1212 or www.cancercaring.orgSaturday, noon: Junior Great Race, Point State Park, Pittsburgh. One-mile fun run or 50-yard tot trot for kids 12 and under. Parents accompany kids for free. 412-255-2493 or www.rungreatrace.comSunday, 8 a.m.: Elorapalooza Memorial 5K and 1-mile event, North Park. Starts at boathouse, benefits Elora's HOPE Foundaton. 412-608-2134 or geierhaus2000@yahoo.comSept. 28, 9 a.m.: Good Samaritan Hospice 5K, North Park. 724-933-8888, Ext. 224Sept. 28, 9 a.m.: The Equalizer Age Graded 4-Mile Challenge, Boardman, Ohio. Results based on age grading factors. 330-480-5656Sept. 28, 8:30 a.m.: Richard S. Caliguiri-City of Pittsburgh Great Race 5K, Pittsburgh. The 10K race starts at 9:30. 412-255-2493 or www.RunGreatRace.comOct. 3, 5:30 p.m.: Run for Hunger 5K, 10K, Walk, Freeport. Run on golf course cart path and challenging trail, postrace spaghetti dinner. 724-295-3656 or tomparenti@yahoo.comOct. 3, 7 p.m.: Elderton Apple Butter Festival 5K Run-Walk, Elderton. USATF certified and sanctioned. 724-354-3779Oct. 4, 8 a.m.: Chamber Classic Half Marathon and 5K, North Park. 724-934-9700 or naccc@naccc.comOct. 4, 8:30 a.m.: His Kids School 5K Run and Walk, Butler. Hilly out-and-back race through Jefferson Township benefits His Kids Christian School. 724-352-0768 or Corace@gmail.comOct. 18, 9 a.m.: Buffalo Creek Half Marathon, Cabot. Start training now for this fast downhill run to Freeport. 724-898-2525 or register online at www.active.com

<B>Ice Cream Race 5K, Aug. 13: </B>Kevin Pool, 1st Overall M, 15:35; Samantha Howard, 1st Overall W, 18:16; Juliet Smith, 3rd Overall W, 18:50; Ben Mourer, 1st 20-24 M, 16:01; Zachary Hoagland, 2nd 16-19 M, 16:30; Timothy Wyant, 3rd 35-39 M, 17:54; Tim Monfre, 2nd 45-49 M, 18:04; Jeff Lynn, 3rd 40-44 M, 18:14; Mark Courtney, 3rd 50-54 M, 18:32; Curt Grimm, 1st 55-59 M, 19:56; Sarah Thompson, 2nd 20-24 W, 20:08; John Ciafre, 2nd 55-59 M, 20:26; Bill Rodgers, 1st 60-64 M, 21:07Billy Lott, 2nd 10-11 M, 21:48; Cindy Grimm, 1st 55-59 W, 22:31; Dez Csizmadia, 1st 70 and over M, 23:39; Caitlin Farrell, 1st 10-12 W, 23:44; Patricia Neubert, 2nd 55-59 W, 24:02; Margretta Lutz, 1st 70 and over W, American age-79 record, 29:06; Valerie Sands, 1st 60-64 W, 29:59Tom Bollinger, 16:51; Jacob Spurk, 17:08; Cory Steinhagen 17:40; Chris Dumbroski, 18:14; Brent Collins, 18:48; Rich Makin, 18:54; Tony Ruth, 19:00; Jackson Udy, 19:10; Ed Shepherd, 19:15; Dave Terrill, 19:17; Frank Dambrosio, 19:27; Ryan Thompson, 19:59; Shane King, 20:13; Ian Brown, 20:29; David Caldwell, 20:43; Paul Kletzli, 20:47; Chris Cetnar, 20:50; Dean Rippee, 20:57; Cal Spigler, 21:06; Joe Farrell, 21:11; Anthony Sainato, 21:42; Bill Swanik, 21:46; Dalton Parker, 21:52Phil Kristufek, 21:59; Ron Hartle, 22:00; Kyle Leighton, 22:04; Julia Kubica, 22:10; Clint Hartle, 22:10; John Swauger, 22:13; Tim Sestak, 22:15; Jessica Bennett, 22:16; Keith Quisenberry, 22:21; Kristopher Gross, 22:26; Rachel Richter, 22:33; Eliza Lowe, 22:35; Matt McKinney, 22:41; Gary Caskey, 22:54; Eric Fowler, 23:02; Bruce Soule, 23:03; Chris Modro, 23:05; Tom Leighton, 23:26; Jared Ruth, 23:29; Kim Keeley, 23:36; Rich Landgraf, 23:36; C.J. Burns, 23:40; Alex Reeher, 23:57; Joe Fubio, 24:2Mike Boltz, 24:22; Devin Sauers, 24:27; Cory Vernon, 24:30; Carol Donahey, 24:29; Rachel Watson, 24:38; Ben Bennett, 24:56; Corey Haney, 24:59; Joshua Hindman, 25:01; Jen Beachem, 25:06; Susan Timko, 25:07; Sarah Grabner, 25:25; Amanda Cagno, 25:26; Kim Bell, 25:43; Debbie Courtney, 26:01; Ian Kovski, 26:08; Jeff Bennett, 26:09; Holly Depew, 26:16; Natasha Ker, 26:17; Tom Parenti, 26:21; Stacie Doughty, 26:25; Thom Foster, 26:48Matt Morton, 26:53; Heather Oros, 26:57; Matt Marteerella, 27:05; Ashley Cetnar, 27:11; Robert Sands, 27:16; Dale Caldwell, 27:16; Leanne Trdinich, 27:21; Madeline Kubica, 27:43; Mark Knapp, 27:49; Tammi Landgraf, 27:52; Brittany Richter, 28:05; Edward Doughty, 28:05; Lynsi Craig, 28:05; Connor Hogue, 28:05; Megan Thompson, 28:06; Terry Mack, 28:17; Michael Labarre, 28:21; Donald Loughry, 29:09; Matt Montellanico, 29:16; Ashley Adams, 29:26Anna Timko, 29:28; Tisha Boltz, 29:32; Tracy Hartle, 29:38; David Lineman, 29:47; Sally Toth, 29:51; Mini Haney, 30:07; Peter Taube, 30:25; Amy Vernon, 30:26; Jamie Knauff, 30:46; Carly Baxter, 30:47; Art Campbell, 31:42; Crystal Albert, 31:47; Megan O'Neill, 31:48; Ashley Burns, 31:49; Leah McGuire, 32:01; Debra Kuminkoski, 32:32; Abby Kronk, 32:58; Rose Brutout, 32:58; Vickie Stewart, 34:29; Buddy Turner, 34:31; Ada Rumberg, 36:28; Murphy Ryan, 49:17; Charisma Dutko, 49:21; Kathleen Ryan, 49:21; Kaileen Ryan, 49:52Send comments and suggestions to: 435 Cherry Valley Road, Saxonburg, PA 16056. Phone: 724-352-4395. E-mail: bigp16@connecttime.net