Methods to master the mental demands of endurance sport

Thinking, Fast and Slow in endurance sport

Perhaps by now, you know endurance sports demand not only physical stamina but an immense amount of mental fortitude.

Whether you are running a marathon, cycling long distances, or participating in triathlons, the ability to push through pain, fatigue, and doubt is critical. Many of us engage in the ‘type 2’ fun side of things, so it may help to understand more about how our brains process decisions.

Daniel Kahneman's book Thinking, Fast and Slow uses valuable insights that I have introduced to some of my coaching clients. Those insights can apply to how athletes can leverage their cognitive processes to enhance performance, overcome challenges, and achieve their goals.

Adopting the right system at the right time is key to unlocking performance.

In Kahneman’s framework, two systems play crucial roles in how athletes approach training, racing and recovery. ‘System 1’ is fast, automatic thinking and ‘System 2’ is slow, deliberate thinking.

System 1

This operates automatically and quickly, with little or no effort. In endurance sports, this system is responsible for intuitive reactions, like pacing adjustments during a race or responding to sudden changes in conditions.

System 1 is often at play during the actual event when there isn’t time to think consciously about every action. Experienced athletes develop strong System 1 responses through consistent training and experience.

Over time athletes become intuitive with their pace and effort, allowing System 1 to take over during a race. This automatic pacing helps conserve energy and maintain stamina. Trusting these instincts, honed through experience, is key to avoiding burnout and finishing in a heap at the side of a trail. 

This system can also support in responding to the unexpected.  Challenges like weather changes, terrain variations, or equipment issues can arise. System 1 allows athletes to react quickly, relying on ingrained responses to navigate these challenges effectively.

Many of us, consciously or not, do these events to access a ‘flow state’ where we are fully immersed in the activity, and actions feel almost automatic. This is System 1 in action at its finest - when the body and mind are in perfect harmony, allowing for peak performance.

That all sounds great - automatic thinking and decision-making pushing our blood and skin forward.

Towards Ogwen, in Snowdonia, Wales.

System 2

System 2 is the conscious, deliberate system that comes into play when athletes plan their training schedules, create strategies for their race approach, or push through psychological barriers during long-distance events.

Understanding when and how to engage these systems can help endurance athletes optimise their performance and mental resilience.

System 2 is brought into play through trusting your instincts and experience. It is also the essential system to support strategic thinking and mental toughness. 

This includes planning, problem-solving, and pushing through mental and physical barriers. Developing a comprehensive training plan requires deliberate thought and analysis, the domain of System 2.

Athletes must consider their goals, current fitness levels, and how to progressively overload their training to improve performance without risking injury. This requires careful planning and adjustment based on ongoing feedback.

Endurance sports often involve battling mental fatigue and self-doubt. This is where System 2's deliberate thinking comes into play. Athletes can engage System 2 by setting small, achievable goals during a race or training session, helping them push through tough moments. For example, focusing on reaching the next mile marker rather than the finish line can make a daunting task more manageable. It is rational and considered and beyond the often emotive responses of System 1.

Critical decisions during a race, such as when to accelerate, how to manage nutrition, or whether to adjust pacing based on other competitors, require System 2’s analytical thinking. Training the mind to stay engaged and think critically, even under extreme fatigue, is crucial for race-day success.

We can engage System 2 through mental conditioning techniques like visualisation and mindfulness. Visualising race scenarios and outcomes can prepare the mind for the physical challenges ahead, while mindfulness practices can help athletes stay present, manage pain, and avoid mental distractions.

How to find balance

As with all things in life - and especially acute in endurance sports - it is a question of balance. The key is determining the time to be pensive and reflective or to keep pushing until you cross the line.

Effective endurance athletes learn to balance the automatic, instinctive responses of System 1 with the deliberate, strategic thinking of System 2.

So how can we cultivate this balance and have the right system in command at the right time?

It is helpful to be reflective as to which system we are operating under when making decisions pre-event, during and post-event. But there are three areas I feel can be of most benefit directly.

1. Developing intuition through practice: By consistently training under varied conditions, athletes can strengthen their sensible and gifted System 1 responses. This helps build the intuitive knowledge necessary to react quickly during competitions, allowing System 2 to conserve energy for when it’s most needed.

2. Reflection and adjustment: Post-race or post-training reflection, a System 2 activity, is crucial for growth. Analysing what worked, what didn’t, and how decisions were made during an event helps athletes fine-tune their intuitive (System 1) responses and improve future performance.

3. Mental rehearsal: Athletes can use System 2 to mentally rehearse races and difficult scenarios, effectively training System 1 to respond optimally. By visualising various race conditions and outcomes, athletes can prepare their minds to handle these situations automatically when they arise.

Kahneman won a Nobel Prize for economics in 2002; his work in economic science and human behaviour formed the basis for the 2011 book.

For me, the book provides a valuable framework for understanding and improving mental resilience in endurance sports. By recognising the roles of System 1 and System 2, athletes can better manage their thoughts, emotions, and actions under pressure.

Whether relying on intuition to maintain pace or engaging deliberate thinking to push through mental barriers, finding balance in these two systems is key to mastering the demands of endurance sports.

Incorporating these cognitive strategies into training and competition can improve performance and lead to a deeper sense of mental and physical mastery. Ultimately, it enhances the athlete’s planned and actual journey, successes and taps into those beautiful flow states more often.

Stuart Rimmer MBE is a mountain lover, educationalist, performance coach, strategy consultant and now 'very former' endurance athlete; living and working between London and Cumbria. innermountaincoach.com