Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Nov 15:6:1456504.
doi: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1456504. eCollection 2024.

Mental preparation in runners: gender differences, competition levels, and psychological training effects on performance

Bence Kelemen  1 , Renátó Tóth  1 , Ottó Benczenleitner  2 , László Tóth  3   4
Affiliations

Mental preparation in runners: gender differences, competition levels, and psychological training effects on performance

Bence Kelemen et al. Front Sports Act Living. .

Abstract

Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate the mental and sports psychological preparation, as well as tactical preparation, of distance runners for competition. We examined whether there are differences based on gender, competition level and various race disciplines, as well as how mental preparation influences sports skills applicable in different competitive situations.

Methods: The sample consisted of 201 distance runners who completed the Sports Mental Training Questionnaire (SMTQ) alongside assessments of their sports psychology and race tactics.

Results: The results indicated that neither gender, competition level, nor race discipline had a significant impact on mental preparedness. However, women demonstrated notably higher scores in the use of self-talk as a mental technique. Additionally, participants who received training in sports psychology scored significantly higher across several mental skills, as well as on the overall mental preparedness score.

Discussion: This article validates the SMTQ and its association with mental readiness, as confirmatory factor analysis demonstrates adequate validity. Additionally, mental preparation was found to enhance performance and well-being among distance runners. Further research is needed to explore the impact of group interventions to broaden the reach of mental training programs.

Keywords: distance running; mental skills; mental training; race tactics; sport psychology.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Item and factor loadings of the Sports Mental Training Questionnaire (SMTQ).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of mental preparation (M.P.) and No Mental Preparation (N.P.) groups. * indicates p < 0.05; ** indicates p < 0.01.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparison of gender differences. *indicates p < 0.05; ** indicates p < 0.01.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Sinclair GD, Sinclair DA. Developing reflective performers by integrating mental management skills with the learning process. Sport Psychol. (1994) 8(1):13–27. 10.1123/tsp.8.1.13 - DOI
    1. Short T. The pursuit of peak athletic performance. Top Exerc Sci Kinesiol. (2023) 4(1):3.
    1. Conley DL, Krahenbuhl GS. Running economy and distance running performance of highly trained athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. (1980) 12(5):357–60. 10.1249/00005768-198025000-00010 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Noakes TD, Myburgh KH, Schall R. Peak treadmill running velocity during the VO2 max test predicts running performance. J Sports Sci. (1990) 8(1):35–45. 10.1080/02640419008732129 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Tjelta LI, Tjelta AR. Relationship between velocity at anaerobic threshold and factors affecting velocity at anaerobic threshold in elite distance runners. IJASS. (2012) 24(1):8–17. 10.24985/ijass.2012.24.1.8 - DOI

LinkOut - more resources