Running Psychology Skills: Pace Splitting, Self-Talk, and Pain Management

A Large Part of Endurance Performance Is “Mental”

When training levels are similar, whether you can “hold on” in the latter part of a race is often determined psychologically. The brain sends a strong “stop” signal before the body is truly exhausted (central regulation/perceived exertion). Mental skills training is not cheerleading; it is a set of trainable, evidence-backed tools used to manage “perceived exertion” and decision-making.

Tool 1: Chunking

Break down an overwhelming overall goal like “30 km to go” into smaller segments such as “the next aid station,” “the next kilometer,” or “make it to that tree.” Reducing the psychological scale of the task can significantly lower perceived exertion and prevent the “I still have so far to go” collapse. Plan your chunking map (based on aid stations/landmarks) before race day.

Tool 2: Self-Talk

Evidence shows that planned, positive, instructional self-talk can improve endurance performance and reduce perceived exertion.

Key: Write your phrases before race day and rehearse them in training so they are available during the race (trying to think of them in the moment often fails).

Tool 3: Attentional Strategies—Dissociation vs. Association

Elite athletes predominantly use “association” (precisely monitoring pace and bodily signals) during critical race segments, but know to use moderate “dissociation” during long middle stretches to conserve mental resources—switching flexibly between the two, not choosing one over the other.

Tool 4: Discomfort Tolerance Is Trainable

Tolerance for “perceived exertion” increases with deliberate exposure. The psychological value of quality sessions (intervals/threshold/race-pace segments) equals their physiological value—they are “practicing being with discomfort while maintaining decision-making.” Treat these sessions as mental training: every time you hold on for an extra 30 seconds when you want to stop, you are raising your ceiling for race day.

Pre-Race Mental Preparation

• Imagery rehearsal: Mentally rehearse key race segments in detail before the race (including the scenario of “it will hurt a lot, but this is how I’ll respond”) to reduce in-the-moment panic.
• Set process goals: In addition to outcome goals, set “controllable process goals” (hold the first 10K pace, stick to the fueling schedule, maintain cadence in the latter stages)—process goals are less affected by weather/condition fluctuations and stabilize motivation.
• Anticipate difficulties and plan responses (if-then): “If I want to quit at 30K → switch to the next aid station as a mini-goal and say that phrase.” Outsource the decision-making at breaking points to a plan in advance.

Treat the Mind as Routine Training

Mental skills, like strength, require repetition to internalize. Deliberately practice 1–2 skills (chunking, self-talk, attentional switching) during every long run/quality session so they activate automatically on race day. Relying on willpower in the moment is unreliable; what works is “a process you’ve practiced many times.”

Coach’s perspective: In the final 10 km of a race, what I most often see is not the legs giving out, but the brain surrendering first—the brain calls it quits long before the body does. The ones who win aren’t the ones who don’t feel pain; they’re the ones who have practiced how to coexist with pain, who turn ‘so far to go’ into ‘make it to the next one,’ and who have a few phrases that play automatically when they’re breaking down. All of this can be trained, and the return on investment is astonishing.

Related Reading

• The Technique of Self-Talk in Running: The Impact of Positive Internal Language on Performance
• Self-Talk: The Influence of Positive Language on Running Performance
• Focus and Inner Dialogue: What You Think About in the Final 5 Kilometers
• Positive Self-Talk in Races: Phrases to Replace “I Can’t Go On”