ELITE PERFORMANCE IS PAIN THE NAME

As many endurance athletes or coaches will tell you ‘pain’ is part of the game. Not just the pain of that niggling overuse injury, but also the physical pain of pushing the pace and the emotional ‘pain’ frequently experienced before, during and after a race. While there has been a considerable amount of research into sports injury, little work has been conducted looking at the ‘self-inflicted pain’ of the endurance athlete as they push themselves to the limit and cope with either victory or defeat. This article is based on a series of interviews with emerging and elite endurance athletes, in an attempt to gain a greater understanding of their experience of pain and why they are willing to push themselves to the pain barrier and beyond. It is hoped it will offer both an insight into the phenomena of pain in an endurance setting as well as practical advice for those who want to survive and even enjoy the experience! This article adopts the approach that sports psychology should refo- cus on caring for the athlete rather than being fixated by performance enhancement. If the role of the sports psychologist is one of caring for the athlete, then clearly understanding the pain of the endurance long-distance athlete is essential.

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OF THE GAME?

By Teena Smith BSc and Professor Dr Andy Smith PhD, FBASES

WHAT QUESTION DID WE ASK AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Our objective was to gain a better understanding and interpretation of the ‘lived’ experience of the phenomenon of the ‘pain of exertion’. Pain is subjective, no two people experience or interpret the sensation in the same way. We asked what sort of people were these athletes, what type of people put themselves through ‘agony’ to achieve their goals, and what meaning did these athletes give to this experience?

HOW DID WE TRY AND ANSWER THE QUESTION Four emerging or elite endurance athletes took part in the study, two female and two male. Their sports were distance running (10,000 metres), cycling (time-trials), triathlon and cross country running. Their ages ranged from 17-42 years. Their standard in competition ranged from county through to World Championship level and included a former Olympic athlete.

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