Summary • Although research is still in relative infancy, there is notable information about psychological factors influencing training and performance in endurance sports. • Successful endurance athletes tend to display positive psychological qualities and positive mental health, and do not display any particular extremes from healthy norms. • Psychological health is important to development of athletic skill as well as the overall well-being of endurance athletes. • It is important for athletes to focus on steady improvements in training and the process of performing during competition, but it is also helpful for elite performers to hold perfectionistic personal standards and strive to beat the competition. • An individualized approach to anxiety management prior to competition is preferable to the indiscriminant use of anxiety reducing techniques. • Associative cognitive strategies tend to be related to better performance, but the traditional association/ dissociation dichotomy should be replaced with finer distinctions of attentional processing for particular purposes in endurance situations. • Attention that is focused on information relevant to performance and that can be readily used by the performer to facilitate desired outcomes produces superior results. • Positive self-talk is generally advised, however it is more important that the internal dialogue is personally relevant and directs attention toward the task at hand, is motivating, and helps the performer deal effectively with the situation. • One can respond adaptively to the fear-tension-pain cycle—improving pain tolerance and enhancing performance—by changing the perception of the sensory stimuli, changing the reaction to physical stress, engaging in helpful processes to reduce tension/stress, or, ideally, all three. • Maximizing physical output and efficiency should also be considered from a skill expertise perspective. • Mental skills training that involves multiple interrelating skills and is tailored to the particular athlete and circumstances enhances endurance training and performance.
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