Running and the science of mental toughness

Discover the science behind conventional running wisdom. There is more to running than just training your muscles and improving your stamina. It is also a mental sport, and maybe even more so than previously believed. Mariska van Sprundel explores how mental strength may be the thing that separates the winners from the rest of us. “Measured over a longer period, the trainability of athletes is more or less the same. What really matters during competition is the extent to which their physiological systems are primed and ready to go, and how well those systems cooperate,” explains Hutter. “Whether an athlete can avail of their maximum physical potential at the crucial moment is partly a mental matter.”