Funneling Negative Energy to Achieve Athletic Success?

Do you want to know when I perform my best athletically?  I do not perform my best when I am at my happiest or after a particularly motivating pep talk…. I notice that I do my best when I am pissed off about something or really stressed out.  I guess that I funnel my negative energy to achieve athletic success???   

My best college soccer season was when I had the most stress from drama (oh the joys of college drama!).  The entire season I was in a really crappy mood and I took out all my aggression and frustration on the field.  I focused all that negative energy on playing my hardest and ended up scoring 11 goals that season and making all-conference and all-region honors. 

As a runner, I am the same way.  When things are going well and I am oh so happy about life, I do not run as fast and I do not push myself.  I just jog along in la-la land noticing the flowers and birds chirping.  I have trouble pushing myself to run hard and would rather lay in the grass making flower crowns for my head and do some cartwheels while I am at it.

You throw some stress in my life and I then use running as an outlet.  I block out all my mental frustration/stress and just run.  And I run hard.  I push myself, I push the pace, and I end up running faster than I thought I was capable.  My marathon and half marathon PRs have come at times when my life is stressful.  Case in point:

Does this happen to anyone else?  Are there studies that prove my theory?

I guess running is something I can control when I can’t control other aspects of my life/happiness.  And when I run, I start to feel better.  Its like running allows me to release negative energy and stress and in the process I am much more pleasant to be around!  Win win situation.

With that being said, things are not stressful or out-of-sorts in my life.  In fact things are awesome!! (Sorry if things are $hitty for anyone out there, I don’t mean to flaunt my happiness)  Does this mean that I will have a bad race next week??

So I feel like I am getting slower every week rather than improving……my running times are pissing me off!  Grrrrr.  Will someone please make me angry right before my next race so that I can run really fast?  Thanks.

(Or should being pissed off at how I am running therefore make me run better?!?  Perplexing.  My theory is already flawed.)