What marathon runners think about when they run

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Bobbi Gibb - the first woman to run the Boston Marathon - while running about what it feels like to be a Roman ruler. The thoughts of other marathon runners are not so specific, and the athletes think about something else, as shown by a new study by Ashley Samson.

Research by Ashley Samson and her colleagues Duncan Simpson, Cindra Kamphoff, and Adrienne Langlier was in the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology.

Explorers 10 marathon runners run 7 miles (11, 27 kilometers) or more. During the run, a small voice recorder with a microphone was attached to their belt. The researchers asked the runners to comment on any thoughts they had during their workout.

The total duration of the records received was 18 hours. After the analysis, the following became clear:

• 40% of thoughts are about speed and distance. There were phrases like "So, slope, don't torture yourself, run slower" or "Another 32 minutes, and acceleration."

• 32% of thoughts are about pain and discomfort. Runners lamented muscle and callus aches. Thoughts spoken aloud for the record were accompanied by a large number of obscene expressions. Laurie, one of the study participants, had a stomach ache while jogging.

  Again the hill, *** (damn). Stomach hurts, I am now ***, *** (I will vomit). Laurie

• 28% of thoughts are about the environment. Weather, traffic jams, nature and other people. The environment was mostly perceived from a positive point of view.

The researchers wanted not only to learn about the thoughts of long distance runners, but also to confirm the fact that during high loads they often talk to themselves. At the same time, one cannot be 100% sure of the results of the experiment: knowing that they were being listened to, the marathoners could hide some thoughts of a personal nature.