Running performance depends on many factors: training, physiological capacities, recovery, nutrition, biomechanics… but also psychological state and the ability to manage effort.
Mental preparation consists of developing skills that help the runner make better use of their psychological resources before, during and after exercise.
It is therefore not just for elite runners. An amateur runner preparing for their first 10K, an experienced marathon runner or a trail runner facing a long event can all benefit from mental training suited to their goals.
The goal is not to “think positive” all the time, nor to eliminate all feelings of fatigue or stress. It is rather about learning to better perceive, interpret and regulate the different sensations and thoughts that arise during exercise.
🧠 Why does the mental side matter in running?
Running is a particularly interesting activity from a psychological point of view. It relies on repeating an effort that is sometimes long, with progressive exposure to fatigue, discomfort and uncertainty.
As the effort progresses, the runner has to take several pieces of information into account:
- muscle sensations;
- breathlessness;
- perceived exertion;
- pain or discomfort;
- pace and heart rate;
- environment;
- thoughts and emotions;
- performance goal;
- ability to stay committed despite fatigue.
➡️ The brain is thus constantly involved in regulating running behaviour.
Mental fatigue can alter the perception of effort and be associated with reduced endurance performance. Experimental studies show that this fatigue can increase the subjective difficulty felt for the same level of physical effort. [1,2]
The mind does not replace physiological capacities. However, it can influence the way these capacities are used.
🎯 The main goals of mental preparation
One of the runner’s major challenges is knowing how to manage their effort rather than simply “hang on”.
In a long race, intensity must be adapted not only to physiological capacities but also to the runner’s condition, the terrain, the weather and how fatigue develops.
Mental preparation can help develop a better ability to:
- recognise the different sensations of effort;
- distinguish normal fatigue from a warning signal;
- accept a certain level of discomfort;
- avoid overreacting to negative sensations;
- stick to a pacing strategy;
- adapt effort when the situation requires it.
➡️ This ability is particularly important in 10K, half-marathon, marathon and trail races, where the interpretation of sensations changes progressively during the event.
Pre-competition stress is common among runners. It can show up as:
- increased muscle tension;
- faster heart rate;
- digestive problems;
- difficulty falling asleep;
- negative thoughts;
- fear of failure;
- excessive anticipation of pain or fatigue;
- loss of confidence.
A certain level of psychophysiological arousal can be compatible with good performance. The problem arises when anxiety becomes excessive or diverts attention from the task at hand.
Mental preparation then aims to develop strategies to reduce unnecessary anxiety and keep attention on the elements that are truly controllable.
➡️ Structured psychological interventions have shown benefits in reducing performance anxiety in athletes, although the level of evidence varies depending on the techniques and populations studied. [3,4]
Concentration is a particularly important skill in running. A runner may have to manage simultaneously:
- their pace;
- their breathing;
- their position;
- their sensations;
- their environment;
- their race strategy;
- the other competitors.
Mental preparation can teach the runner to deliberately direct their attention towards relevant information.
The goal is not to stay maximally focused for the whole race — which would be impossible and extremely costly cognitively — but to know how to return to the task when attention wanders.
➡️ In marathons or trail running, this skill becomes particularly important during phases of advanced fatigue.
Runners talk to themselves constantly, sometimes consciously, often automatically. Thoughts such as:
- “I’m going to blow up.”
- “I’ll never be able to hold this pace.”
- “My legs are too heavy.”
can arise spontaneously as fatigue increases.
The aim of mental preparation is not to systematically replace these thoughts with artificially positive affirmations. It is rather to develop functional self-talk that is realistic and action-oriented. For example:
- “Stay steady.”
- “I’m focusing on the next 500 metres.”
- “Relax your shoulders.”
- “I’m holding my pace.”
- “It feels hard but I can keep going.”
➡️ Self-talk can thus serve as an attentional anchor as fatigue increases.
Visualisation, or mental imagery, consists of mentally representing a situation, a movement, an environment or a race strategy.
It can be used before a competition to prepare for different scenarios:
- fast start;
- tough climb;
- halfway point;
- temporary dip in pace;
- unfavourable weather conditions;
- digestive difficulty;
- end of the race;
- final sprint.
Visualisation can also be used to mentally rehearse certain technical or tactical behaviours.
However, it must remain specific and realistic. Imagining only a perfect race is not necessarily the most useful strategy.
➡️ A useful approach is to also visualise possible difficulties and how the runner wants to respond to them.
Goal setting is an important component of mental preparation. It is useful to distinguish three types of goals.
Outcome goal — The final result you are aiming for. Example: “Run a marathon in under 3 h 30.” This goal is motivating but partly depends on external factors: the level of other competitors, the weather, the course or how you feel on race day.
Performance goal — A measurable figure more directly under the runner’s control. Example: “Maintain an average pace of 4:58 min/km.”
Process goal — The behaviour to adopt during the race. Examples:
- stay relaxed;
- control your start;
- maintain a steady cadence;
- eat every 30 to 40 minutes;
- focus on your breathing on climbs.
➡️ For a long race, process goals are particularly useful because they give the runner reference points even when the time goal becomes uncertain.
Fatigue and discomfort are an integral part of running. However, discomfort and pain must not be confused.
Mental preparation can help the runner better tolerate certain normal physiological sensations linked to effort: breathlessness, muscle burn, fatigue, difficulty holding the pace.
On the other hand, pain that is unusual, increasing, localised or associated with a change in stride must be considered a potentially pathological signal.
Mental preparation must therefore never be used to learn to “ignore the pain” in order to keep running or training at all costs.
➡️ For injured runners, psychological work can also play a role in managing fear of movement, loss of confidence or apprehension about returning.
⏱️ Mental preparation before, during and after the race
In the days before a competition, the aim is notably to limit unnecessary cognitive overload. The runner can prepare:
- their race strategy;
- their goals;
- their warm-up routines;
- their nutrition strategies;
- their responses to foreseeable difficulties;
- a few keywords or simple cues.
➡️ A pre-competition routine can help reduce uncertainty and improve concentration.
Mental preparation can be used in the form of simple strategies:
- Breathing: use your breathing as an anchor when tension rises.
- Attention: deliberately bring your attention back to a specific cue: pace – breathing – relaxation – technique.
- Breaking the race down: mentally divide a long race into shorter sections. A marathon, for example, can be approached in several blocks rather than as a single 42.195 km distance.
- Self-talk: use short, concrete cues prepared in advance.
- Managing difficult moments: anticipating that a race may include periods of doubt or a dip in pace means you don’t immediately interpret these sensations as failure.
Mental preparation does not stop at the finish line. Debriefing helps distinguish:
- what worked;
- what needs to be improved;
- what depended on the runner;
- what depended on external factors;
- the sensations felt;
- the thoughts that arose during the event;
- the decisions made under fatigue.
The goal is to turn the experience into useful information for the next competition.
➡️ A poor performance is therefore not necessarily a failure. It can provide valuable information about pacing strategy, preparation, recovery or the psychological management of effort.
🧰 Some mental preparation tools
Depending on the runner’s goals, different techniques can be used:
Define outcome, performance and, above all, process goals.
Mentally rehearse a race situation or a behavioural strategy.
Use short, realistic, action-oriented cues.
Reduce excessive arousal and promote a return to calm.
Develop more flexible attention to sensations, thoughts and emotions without automatic reactions.
Create a stable sequence that reduces uncertainty before the start.
Prepare mentally or in training for situations likely to cause problems in competition.
Identify certain automatic thoughts and learn to replace them with more realistic and functional interpretations.
🩺 When should you seek mental preparation?
- significant anxiety before competitions;
- loss of confidence after an injury;
- repeated difficulty managing the end of races;
- excessive fear of failure;
- difficulty managing feelings of fatigue;
- a tendency to always start too fast;
- repetitive negative thoughts during exercise;
- difficulty returning to competition after an injury;
- a relationship with training that has become too rigid or anxious;
- a loss of enjoyment in running despite a strong desire to perform.
When difficulties go beyond performance preparation — significant anxiety, mood disorders, eating disorders, persistent sleep disorders or psychological distress — an assessment by a health professional specialising in mental health may be necessary. [5]
The mind does not replace training: it helps you make better use of its benefits.
A mentally well-prepared runner is not one who never doubts, never feels fatigue or is able to “push through the pain”. It is a runner who knows how to: analyse their sensations, manage their attention, regulate their stress, adapt their behaviour, stick to a strategy and make the right decisions as fatigue increases.
Mental preparation therefore aims less to make the runner “mentally stronger” than to help them become more autonomous in managing their effort and performance.
- Sun H, et al. Does mental fatigue affect skilled performance in athletes? PLoS One. 2021;16.
- Marcora SM, Staiano W, Manning V. Mental fatigue impairs physical performance in humans. J Appl Physiol. 2009.
- Brown DM, et al. Effects of psychological interventions to enhance athletic performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2023.
- Effects of Psychological Interventions on Performance Anxiety in Performing Artists and Athletes: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Behav Sci. 2023.
- Reardon CL, et al. Mental health in elite athletes: International Olympic Committee consensus statement. Br J Sports Med. 2026.