scholarly journals Key psychological factors in long distance running

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 31-42
Author(s):  
D. Chojnicki ◽  
O. Smoleńska ◽  
R. Muszkieta
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Factors ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Distance Running ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Distance Runners ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Long Distance Running ◽  
Research Problems

Purpose of the article is to identify the most important psychological factors influencing success among long-distance runners. Material and methods. The application of an electronic diagnostic survey (interview) was used as the research method in the study. The normalized questionnaire was applied as a research technique in the paper. Results.The analysis of the results was divided into parts, the first two of which concern the characteristics and environment of the respondents, and the remaining ones refer to the research problems formulated in the methodology section. The most numerous group of women have physical and mental trainings (32%) and the majority of men trains neither physically nor mentally (28%). Conclusions. There are many key factors in long-distance running. However, the most important ones seem to be stubbornness, motivation, self-confidence, optimism as well as support from family and peers. Runners are considered to be people who are often physically and mentally resistant. They are often able to sacrifice a lot to achieve their goals. The path taken by long-distance runners is often incomprehensible to their surroundings that is family, peers or employers.

scholarly journals Catharsis – Philosophical and Spiritual Aspects of Long-Distance Running

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-52
Author(s):  
Marcel Nemec
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Regular Physical Activity ◽  
Distance Running ◽  
Distance Runners ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Long Distance Running

Summary The purpose of the study was to identify and analyze the occurrence of cathartic states in a sample of long-distance runners. Data collected via questionnaires were used to evaluate quantitative variables complemented by heuristics while aiming at qualitatively categorize the areas of cathartic states in the context of philosophical and spiritual aspects of long-distance running. The study findings objectify philosophical and spiritual aspects affecting personalities of long-distance runners. The study findings have shown that catharsis represents a relevant philosophical and spiritual aspect affecting long-distance running. We assume that authentic experience of catharsis and its effects motivates runners to perform regular physical activity. The analysis of philosophical and spiritual aspects of long-distance running has revealed a multi-spectral holistic relevance based on the transfer affecting a specific way of life, spectrum of values, ethical personality traits, and also the quality of long-distance runners’ lives.

scholarly journals Difference of walking plantar loadings in experienced and novice long-distance runners

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zixiang Gao ◽  
Qichang Mei ◽  
Liangliang Xiang ◽  
Yaodong Gu
Keyword(s):  
Lateral Loading ◽  
Distance Running ◽  
Distance Runners ◽  
Contact Duration ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Functional Parameters ◽  
Novice Group ◽  
Plantar Pressures ◽  
Long Distance Running

Purpose: Long-distance running has been a global popularity, and differences may be observed in runners of experience. This study was aimed to evaluate the differences in plantar loading between experienced long-distance runners and novice runners during walking. The hypotheses were that smaller load in the middle of the forefoot and the stable foot balance would be observed in experienced runners during walking. Methods: Twenty-five participants were recruited as the experienced runners group (ten: frequency ≥ 4 times/week and distance ≥ 40 km/week, for over 1 year) and the novice group (fifteen: frequency ≤ 2 times/week and distance ≤ 10 km/week, for less than 1 year). Results: The peak Meta loading showed that the novice runners were significantly larger than the experienced runners (p ≤ .001). The occurring time of peak Meta loading was significantly delayed compared to the experienced runners (p = .050). Peak Foot balance was higher in the novice runners group (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusions: This study highlighted the findings of the potential differences of plantar pressures and foot functional parameters during walking in experienced runners and novice runners, specifically the contact duration of phases during stance, toes functions and medial-lateral loading shifting (foot balance) and metatarsals (central forefoot) offloading.

Superior fatigue resistance of elite black South African distance runners

1993 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 1822-1827 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Coetzer ◽  
T. D. Noakes ◽  
B. Sanders ◽  
M. I. Lambert ◽  
A. N. Bosch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Running Economy ◽  
Type I ◽  
Black Athletes ◽  
Distance Running ◽  
Distance Runners ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Black South African ◽  
Long Distance Running ◽  
Type I Fibers

Black athletes currently dominate long-distance running events in South Africa. In an attempt to explain an apparently superior running ability of black South African athletes at distances > 3 km, we compared physiological measurements in the fastest 9 white and 11 black South African middle-to long-distance runners. Whereas both groups ran at a similar percentage of maximal O2 uptake (%VO2max) over 1.65#x2013;5 km, the %VO2max sustained by black athletes was greater than that of white athletes at distances > 5 km (P < 0.001). Although both groups had similar training volumes, black athletes reported that they completed more exercise at > 80% VO2max (36 +/- 18 vs. 14 +/- 7%: P < 0.005). When corrections were made for the black athletes' smaller body mass, their superior ability to sustain a high %VO2max could not be explained by any differences in VO2max, maximal ventilation, or submaximal running economy. Superior distance running performance of the black athletes was not due to a greater (+/- 50%) percentage of type I fibers but was associated with lower blood lactate concentrations during exercise. Time to fatigue during repetitive isometric muscle contractions was also longer in black runners (169 +/- 65 vs. 97 +/- 69 s; P < 0.05), but whether this observation explains the superior endurance or was due to the lower peak muscle strength (46.3 +/- 10.3 vs. 67.5 +/- 18.0 Nm/l lean thigh volume; P < 0.01) remains to be established.

scholarly journals The dominance of Kenyans in distance running

2004 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 285-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yannis P Pitsiladis ◽  
Vincent O Onywera ◽  
Evelina Geogiades ◽  
William O'Connell ◽  
Michael K Boit
Keyword(s):  
Role Models ◽  
Distance Running ◽  
Distance Runners ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Long Distance Running ◽  
Over 40 Years ◽  
Distance Running Performance ◽  
Psychological Advantage ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

AbstractKenyan runners, and especially those originating from the Kalenjin tribe, have dominated international middle- and long-distance running for over 40 years, prompting significant interest in the factors contributing to their success. Proposed explanations have included environmental factors, psychological advantage and favourable physiological characteristics, which may be genetically conferred or environmentally determined. Running is inherent within local Kenyan tradition and culture, and the Kenyan way of life, which involves many outdoor activities and pastimes in addition to mostly unfavourable living conditions, is conducive to enhanced distance running performance. Despite economic deprivation, Kenya has produced world and international running champions repeatedly over the past few decades; these champions have become role models for the younger generations, who take up running in the hope of a better future for themselves. Favourable environmental conditions such as altitude, diet and anthropometry, in addition to the motivational and socio-economic factors mentioned above, have all been proposed as possible reasons for the unsurpassed achievements of Kenyan distance runners. However, the fact that the majority of internationally successful runners originate from a small tribe that accounts for approximately 3% of the total Kenyan population also points to a possible genetic component. Whether this is subject to influence from other co-factors, such as altitude or training effects acquired during childhood, remains as yet unresolved.

scholarly journals Opinions of Veteran Runners on The Influence Between Long-Distance Running and Holistically Interpreted Health

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-106
Author(s):  
Josef Oborný
Keyword(s):  
Autonomous Motivation ◽  
Distance Running ◽  
Distance Runners ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Long Distance Running ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Median Test ◽  
Internal Balance

Summary The objective of the research was to determine the cognitive basis, the classification and evaluation of the long experience of long-distance runners in the senior category in relation to the perception of running as a factor in their overall health and wellbeing. Research was conducted with a sample of male and female long-distance runners with long experience in domestic and foreign longdistance running events in veteran categories. Oral and written interviews with the same questions were used to acquire information on the correlation between holistically understood health and long-term participation in long-distance running. The interview design allowed respondents to express their opinion on the questions in more detail through additional notes. A quantitative analysis of the acquired data was conducted using standard mathematical operations and the incidence of responses in percentage terms. The hypotheses were tested using a test on the parameter p of a binomial distribution and a median test. Senior-age long-distance runners’ decision to take up running was found to have both heteronomous motivation (encouragement by a sports teacher, admiration for other runners, persuasion by colleagues) and autonomous motivation (an internal need to run, a means for overcoming mental stress and restoring internal balance, the need to lose weight, elimination of health problems, the desire to compete). The majority of runners agreed that long-distance running had a positive effect on their overall health and physical condition. Long-distance runners rated the effect of long-distance running on their social and personal wellbeing to be greater than three on a five-point scale did. There is no statistically significant difference between the number of runners who think that long practice of running has some negative effects on their health and the number of runners who think that it has no negative effects. The majority of runners think that their health is better than that of their peers who do no sport.

scholarly journals BONE MINERAL DENSITY AND BODY COMPOSITION IN ELDERLY RUNNERS: SIX-YEAR FOLLOW-UP

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-94
Author(s):  
Angelica Castilho Alonso ◽  
Rita de Cássia Ernandes ◽  
Regina Helena Marques Pereira ◽  
Ricardo André Becker ◽  
Adriana Machado-Lima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bone Mineral Density ◽  
Body Composition ◽  
Bone Mineral ◽  
Distance Running ◽  
Distance Runners ◽  
Fat Percentage ◽  
Mineral Density ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Long Distance Running

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition over a six-year period in elderly long-distance runners. Methods: We analyzed the medical records of elderly athletes who were long-distance runners, were participants of the IOT-HCFMUSP Orthogeriatric Group, and had their BMD evaluated between 2001 and 2007; of these athletes, 11 were included in the study. Inclusion criteria: athletes should be long-distance runners, should not stop long-distance running during the six-year period, and should have undergone BMD and body composition evaluations. Body composition was evaluated using bone densitometry with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry with a Lunar-DPX device. Results: Over the six-year period, body composition remained stable, but there was a significant increase only in the fat percentage (p = 0.003). Conclusion: Long-distance running may maintain BMD but may lead to an increase in the fat percentage in elderly runners. Level of Evidence II; Prognostic Study - Investigating the Effect of Patient Characteristics on Disease Outcome.

The Interconnectedness of Diet Choice and Distance Running: Results of the Research Understanding the Nutrition of Endurance Runners (RUNNER) Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle M. Turner-McGrievy ◽  
Wendy J. Moore ◽  
Daheia Barr-Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Diet Quality ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Vegetarian Diet ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
Diet Choice ◽  
Distance Running ◽  
Distance Runners ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
The Past ◽  
Long Distance Running

This study examined differences in diet, particularly vegetarian and vegan, among ultramarathon and other long distance runners. Participants who had completed a half- (HALF), full- (FULL), or ultramarathon (ULTRA) in the past 12 months were recruited to complete an online survey assessing current diet, reason for diet, and other dietary behaviors. A total of 422 participants completed the survey (n = 125 ULTRA, n = 152 FULL, n = 145 HALF). More ULTRA participants were men (63%) (vs. FULL (37%) and HALF (23%)) and ULTRA participants reported significantly more years of running (16.2 ± 13.6) than FULL (12.1 ± 11.1, p < .05) or HALF (10.6 ± 11.6, p < .05). Body mass index (self-reported height/weight) was significantly higher in HALF (24.3 ± 4.4 kg/m2) vs. FULL (23.1 ± 3.2 kg/m2, p < .05). ULTRA runners were almost twice as likely to report following a vegan/vegetarian diet than HALF and FULL marathoners combined (B = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.08, 3.48) and reported following their current diet longer (13.7 ± 15.3 years) than HALF participants (8.6 ± 12.1 years, p = .01). ULTRA participants more commonly cited environmental concerns whereas HALF and FULL participants cited weight loss or maintenance as a reason for following their current diet. There was no difference in diet quality between ULTRA and other runners but vegan and vegetarian runners had higher diet quality scores than nonvegetarian runners (p < .001). The findings point to an interconnectedness between long distance running, diet, and diet choice and can help guide nutrition, exercise, and psychology professionals who are working with distance runners.

scholarly journals mHealth Self-Report Monitoring Using the Technology Acceptance Model in Competitive Middle- and Long-Distance Runners: Qualitative Study of Long-Term Use Intentions (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Rönnby ◽  
Oscar Lundberg ◽  
Kristina Fagher ◽  
Jenny Jacobsson ◽  
Bo Tillander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Technology Acceptance Model ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Distance Running ◽  
Distance Runners ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Long Distance Running ◽  
Acceptance Model

BACKGROUND International middle- and long-distance running competitions attract millions of spectators in association with city races, world championships, and Olympic Games. It is therefore a major concern that ill health and pain as a result of sports overuse lead to numerous hours of lost training and decreased performance among competitive runners. Despite its potential for sustenance of performance, approval of mHealth self-report monitoring (mHSM) in this group of athletes has not been investigated. OBJECTIVE To explore individual and situational factors associated with acceptance of long-term mHSM among competitive runners. METHODS The study used qualitative research methods with the Technology Acceptance Model as the theoretical foundation. The study population included 20 middle- and long-distance runners competing at national and international levels. Two mHSM applications asking for health and training data from track and marathon runners were created on a platform for web survey development (Briteback ABTM). Data collection for the technology acceptance analysis was performed by personal interviews before and after a 6-week monitoring period. Pre-use interviews investigated experience and knowledge of mHealth monitoring and thoughts on benefits and possible side effects. The post-use interviews addressed usability and usefulness, attitudes toward non-functional issues, and intentions to adhere to long-term monitoring. In addition, the runners’ trustworthiness when providing mHSM data was discussed. The interview data were investigated using a deductive thematic analysis. RESULTS The mHSM applications were considered technically easy to use. Although the runners read the instructions and entered data effortlessly, some still perceived mHSM as problematic. Concerns were raised about the selection of items for monitoring (eg, recording training load as running distance or time) and with interpretation of concepts (eg, whether subjective well-being should encompass only the running context or daily living on the whole). Usefulness of specific mHSM applications was consequently not appraised on the same bases in different sub-categories of runners. Regarding non-functional issues, the runners competing at international level requested detailed control over who in their sports club and national federation should be allowed access to their data; the less competitive runners had no such issues. Notwithstanding, the runners were willing to adhere to long-term mHSM provided the technology was adjusted to their personal routines and the output was perceived as contributing to running performance. CONCLUSIONS Achieving sustainable adherence to long-term mHSM among competitive runners requires clear definitions of monitoring purpose and population, repeated in-practice tests of monitoring items and terminology, and meticulousness regarding data-sharing routines. Further naturalistic studies of mHSM use in routine sports practice settings are needed, with non-functional ethical and legal issues included in the evaluation designs. Keywords: Long-distance running, mobile health technologies, self-reported health, web-based monitoring, evaluation, qualitative methods, thematic analysis.

The Experience of Self-Discovery and Mental Change in Female Novice Athletes in Connection to Marathon Running

2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 234-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbro Giorgi ◽  
Alison L. Boudreau
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Outdoor Environment ◽  
Marathon Running ◽  
Distance Running ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Long Distance Running ◽  
Mental Change ◽  
Life Style Changes ◽  
Self Discovery

AbstractThis article evaluates the experience of an extraordinary mental change of novice female runners that is connected to long-distance running. Two female participants were interviewed regarding their life-changing experience associated with endurance exercise. Descriptions of the lived experience from women who train for marathons were gathered and a phenomenological analysis of the data was conducted which suggests that the women underwent a mental change that improved their self-confidence and enhanced relationships with their selves and others. The six constituents that emerged were: Participants Perception of an Enhancing Outdoor Environment, Life-Style Changes Resulting in More Openness to Others and Self, Discoveries Concerning Self-Improvements, Sustaining a Desired Mental Disposition, Empowerment in Considering New Possibilities, and Support for Encountering Future Challenges. This article demonstrates how a mental change associated with long-distance running positively impacts participants’ personal and professional lives.

Cognitive Strategies and Long-Distance Running

1995 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Laasch
Keyword(s):  
Parallel Processing ◽  
Cognitive Strategies ◽  
Cognitive Strategy ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Distance Running ◽  
Distance Runners ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Long Distance Running ◽  
Research Findings

Long-distance runners utilize either a dissociative cognitive strategy, an associative cognitive strategy, or a combination of both of these strategies, one at a time, at various times while training or racing. Although research findings have indicated that these athletes are able to switch between these two strategies depending on their given running situation, no explanation has been offered as to how this switching is achieved. This article suggests that runners use automaticity and parallel processing in order to accomplish this function. The use of association and dissociation for running-induced pain tolerance is also addressed.

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