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Endurance Athlete Stress Management

Endurance athletes take on the struggles of life like the average adult but can easily

amplify the stress present. Endurance athletes face a daunting task of managing family, work,

church, education, nutrition, sleep, recovery, and general health that a normal person has, but

choose to amplify the need to be efficient in time management by adding in hours of

training/competing. These athletes far and wide must keep their body in optimal condition in

order to have the chance to participate in long distance events. Each decision they make is

amplified by time, mainly how it will affect their training/recovery time. Recovery time can be

directly affected by stress, as McCormick et al. (2016) explain, “The stressors encountered by

endurance athletes could therefore influence their performance, depending on how the athlete

appraises the stressors and elicited emotions and depending on the effectiveness of their coping

strategies”. Stress is always present and can spiral out of control at times if the individual allows

for it to take hold. These individuals take on responsibility for each action they make, and when

their actions cause regression in their training, hampering the outcome in their goals, they feel as

though they cheated not only themselves but their fellow competitors of their best. For this

reason, endurance athletes need a stress management plan that can aid them along their paths in

life.

Explained Stressors

There are two types of stressors that play a role in the lives of endurance athletes when

partaking in the sport and these are competitive stressors and personal stressors. Sarkar and

Fletcher (2014) explain competitive stressors to be, “The environmental demands associated

primarily and directly with competitive performance” (Sarkar and Fletcher, 2014). These
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stressors are preparation, injuries, performing expectations, self-presentation, rivalry (Sarkar and

Fletcher, 2014) along with, “Commitment to training, optimizing pace during the event, and

focusing after adversity during the event” (McCormick et al., 2016). As for personal stressors,

these are, “Environmental demands associated primarily and directly with personal

“nonsporting” life events” (Sarkar and Fletcher, 2014). The personal stressors are, “work-life

interface, family issues” (Sarkar and Fletcher, 2014).

Stressor Importance

The importance’s each of these stressors are as follows:

Competitive Stressors

- Preparation

o This is the, “physical, mental, technical, and tactical” aspect of the

sport in which being, “inadequate, inappropriate, or arduous prior to

competition” can stress out the athlete (Sarkar and Fletcher, 2014).

Endurance athletes in particular find it difficult to find the time for

adequate training (McCormick et al., 2016).

- Sports related injuries

o This includes, “The risk of being deliberately injured due to an

opponent’s actions, the act of getting injured, determining the cause of

injury, the inability to train, missing important competitions, loss of

fitness, attaining pre-injury levels of performance, and competing

while injured” (Sarkar and Fletcher, 2014).

- Performance Expectations
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o There are both internal and external expectations to consider. Internal

expectations correlate to the, “Pressures that a performer places on his

or her self as a result of external demands, include wanting to start

well during competition, aspiring to perform to one’s ability, and

staying at the top of the rankings. External expectations, that is,

pressures placed on a performer by an external source, include being

the favorite for a competition, starting well for the benefit of the team,

other people expecting you to do well, competing for a better ranking

place, and competing on live television” (Sarkar and Fletcher, 2014).

For endurance athletes in particular, they feel, “Their training is

insufficient, inappropriate, or substandard training” (McCormik et al.,

2016).

- Self-presentation

o This can range from pressures induced by others on how the athlete

looks while competing such as supporters and coaches, to the self-

perception the athlete has of themselves (Sarkar and Fletcher, 2014).

Endurance athletes want to “fit in” and having the appropriate

attire/gear is important for not only being part of the event, but helps

the athlete get into the mindset of competition rather than practice

(Sarkar and Fletcher, 2014).

- Rivalry

o The endurance athlete is training at their best to compete both

physically and mentally in completing the event, for that reason they
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want to participate in an event that challenges them with, “Competing

against better athletes, [but fear] opponents behaving deviously, and

competing against up-and-coming opponents” (Sarkar and Fletcher,

2014).

- Commitment to training

o Training is hard, and the endurance athlete has to face the reality that

the bulk of the training will be training alone, along with the strong

possibility of training in bad weather and in the dark at times

(McCormick et al., 2016).

- Optimizing their pace during the event

o When participating, most athletes never train at race pace for an

extended period of time, so many “Find it difficult to judge how hard

they can push their self during an event” (McCormick et al., 2016)

- Focusing after adversity during the event

Events take hours to complete, and many issues arise during that time

period bringing on stress factors such as:

 “Finding it difficult to refocus and remain motivated after

encountering a stressor,

 Wild-life encounters,

 Weather and tidal conditions,

 Swimming into the dark,

 Loneliness,

 Uncertainty about the duration and finishing,

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 Range of uncomfortable experiences (cold, cramping, pain,

aching, hunger, fatigue, mouth swelling, and vomiting).

 Muscle cramping and injuries,

 Gastrointestinal problems,

 Thoughts about quitting mid race, and

 Exertion pain” (McCormick et al., 2016).

Personal Stressors

- Work-life interface

o Younger athletes in particular face the problem of balancing academic

commitments with their academic goals and personal relationships

(Sarkar and Fletcher, 2014). In older athletes there are the primary

issues of, “Balancing work, personal relationships, and training”

(Sarkar and Fletcher, 2014). This can also include attaining a

job/home within a reasonable distance to training facility, trying to

manage independent living, and making time for both family and

friends (Sarkar and Fletcher, 2014).

- Family Issues

o More than likely the athlete may have to provide financially for their

family. From there they may be experiencing, “relationship problems,

family responsibilities, and a volatile family life at home” (Sarkar and

Fletcher, 2014).

Program Descriptions
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The program must focus on how to handle each of the possible stressors that come with

being an endurance athlete. When looking at Olympic champions in particular, they themselves

deal with stress of work and training to the major life stresses of the death of a family member

for example, but they are resilient in handling it to the point of becoming an Olympic champion.

Using the work of Sarkar and Fletcher (2014) who interviewed 12 Olympic gold medalists, they

found when each of the Olympians were faced with negative stress in their life their reaction was

to take personal responsibility for, “One’s thoughts, feelings, and actions”. When faced with

stress, athletes possessed the quality of a, “positive personality, motivation, confidence, focus,

and perceived social support” allowing for them to conquer any stressor in front of them (Sarkar

and Fletcher, 2014). Therefore, the program must incorporate the individual taking on personal

responsibility for the stress that they are bringing to them, and understand how to handle the

stress with a “positive personality”, using the energy the stress brings to “motivate” and instill

“confidence” in their sport.

What is the program then? We have to educate and change the behaviors of the athletes

in need of help. In order to do this we can implement the Behavioral Change model from

Seaward (2018) to change their habits. Before changing their bad habits though, we have to

make them aware of the problem they have. Athletes need to be educated on how the activity

they are engaging in impacts their life and those around them. They understand that the lifestyle

they live is very time consuming, but most often, it is not until someone brings it to their

attention, making the athlete mindful, that resolution can begin to occur. The program will

center on communicating with the athlete and making a record of how they train for the year and

the time constraints they deal with. When we have a rough idea on how the athlete normally

trains, we can suggest better options for them. We could start by working with the athlete and
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determining which events are most important for them to participate in for the year coming up.

Then, we can break the year down, eliminating events that have the potential of conflict with

major family, work, etc. events occurring around the same time schedule. Finding events that

allow the athlete to concentrate their efforts towards competing only will eliminate the need to

multitask and eliminate many stressors. After completing a plan for the upcoming year, the

athlete can share with us either through a journal entry submitted electronically or call and

explain where they are at in their training and how it plays into their life. If new opportunities

arise, or potential conflicts come into play, we can work with the athlete to meet a resolution.

The ability to have a professional to aid in the decision making aids the mental burden of having

to deal with all the heavy lifting that normally falls on one person’s shoulders.

Program Implementation

Each athlete will be at a different stage in their life, so stress management must be

individually tailored to each person. Some may be married, others younger and single, some

may have prestigious jobs, and others may be working 2 or 3 jobs, whatever the situation, each

management plan must be tailored to the individual separately. Athletes in need of help can be

found at events such as marathons, iron mans, and cycling/swimming events. Either a pamphlet

can be handed out at the event, or a booth/tent can be used to educate and find athletes in need of

help. In order to reach out to more athletes in need of help, we could create a Facebook page,

website, join specific social media websites that athletes are a part of, partner with local

gyms/online training programs and offer our service. The more area’s we cover in projecting our

mission the greater the chance we have in helping athletes come to terms with the stress and need

for its resolution.

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Program Obstacles

The greatest obstacle comes in the nature of the sport of endurance events. These people

who participate in long distance events are not going to exhibit signs of being depressed/anxious

like many people under stress will, so they may simply deny having any stress in their life.

According to Linden (2022) the body produces endorphins in the body, hormones binding to

pain receptors to prevent muscle pain from occurring. Not only that, but the body also produces

endocannabinoids, which cross the blood brain barrier giving the individual a euphoric, short-

term psychoactive state of “reduced anxiety and feelings of calm” (Linden, 2022). Sustained

aerobic exercise also leads to new blood vessels being formed in the brain, allowing for the

creations of new brain cells through neurogenesis, improving the brains response to emotion and

physical stress (Linden, 2022). This may sound like it would be great for any athlete, but it can

be a double edged sword. All this exercise may make them feel as though life is in their control,

with stress playing a little factor at all in their day due to the benefits exercise is providing. If

they do have stress, they may use the excuses that training is their “de-stressor” when in fact the

training is restricting their time causing the underlying stress in their life. Therefore, bringing

the issues the sport is causing to their personal life is going to be difficult.

Health Professionals

Health professionals will have a vital part of the program. Initially, health and wellness

professionals will be employed to work with the athletes. These “Health and Wellness”

individuals have the ability to meet the initial needs of the athlete, being from mind

(Psychological), body (nutrition), or spirit (faith). Determining the strong points and weak points
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the athlete has allows for proper diagnosis of area’s that are causing the stress. Once the health

and wellness coach has determined where the stress is coming from, the athlete and coach can

work from there. If the athlete and coach are comfortable tackling the stressor together than that

will be the first option. If the stressor is more complicated than what the health and wellness

professional can handle, then proper networking is needed. If the stressor is centered in the

“mind” than the health and wellness coach can refer the athlete to a meditation specialist (Yogi,

tia chi chun, etc) or proper psychologist. If the stressor is a nutritional disorder, then the advisor

should refer the patient to the appropriate dietitian/nutritionist (preferably plant based, or whole

food based, one who understands the gut biome and need for proper foods for its health). Lastly,

if the issue is of spiritual the advisor should refer the individual to a religious leader that they are

affiliated with in order to receive proper guidance. For this reason, proper networking will be

needed in building the stress management program, allowing for the Health and Wellness

professional to be armed with the appropriate tools at their disposal.

Program Measurements

The goal of the program should not be to accomplish resignation of the stressor, but

instead to make the athlete mindful of current stressors and point the athlete in the direction of

personal growth. The program should constantly inform and make it the understanding of the

athlete that the tools they are using to handle the current stressor can be applied throughout the

individual’s life on upcoming stressors. Life is a journey, and as the athlete makes their way

through life issues such as age, injury, and life in general a plethora of different stressors will

rise. In order to move with life, proper understanding and handling of each stressor will not only

allow the athlete success in dealing with the stress, but give them the confidence of taking on
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life’s challenges, on and off the field of competition. Initial measurements can be taken in a

variety of ways and depends on the athlete. We can either administer a simple test, asking

questions that pertain to current stressors in the athlete’s life and their coping mechanisms. Then

after completing our program ask how the current stress applies to their life and their new coping

mechanisms. If the athlete wishes, we can perform a brain imaging scan and determine which

areas of the brain are active currently and which ones are least active. The American

Psychological Association (2014) explains that brain imaging scans allow for them to aid in

identifying issues in, “Emotion, pain, self-regulation, self-perception, and perception of others”,

all of which can aid in measuring the success of our stress management program. These scans

also allow for us to aid the patient in showing how their current nutrition, sleep, exercise, and

spiritual wellbeing are affecting their brain (American Psychological Association, 2014). It must

be remembered that brain image scanning is a tool, not a panacea for curing the athlete. After

giving the athlete the correct coping mechanisms we can re-administer a brain imaging scan after

1 year and determine how the coping mechanism either positively or negatively affected the

activity of their brain. As the practice grows so would our networking, allowing for better

therapy and successful turnaround rate for athletes.

Summary

The goal of this stress management program is to aid endurance athletes understand

current stressors in their life and give them the tools to overcome them and future ones. Time

constraints and deadlines make stress a particular issue for endurance athletes, especially when

performing these activities is a hobby rather than a career. Building the proper program starting

with Health and Wellness professionals and networking with the proper specialist to aid in the
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stress recovery process allows for not only the success of the stress management program, but

the greatest opportunity of helping athletes live a fuller, meaningful life. Life is more about us,

and helping others through a dark time in their life is one of the greatest adventures we can take

on. Using the appropriate program and acknowledging the need to employ fellow professionals’

only aids in our ability to successfully help someone.

References

American Psychological Association. (2014). Scanning the brain. American Psychological

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Association. Retrieved February 2022, from

https://www.apa.org/topics/neuropsychology/brain-form-function

Linden, D. J. (2022). The truth behind 'Runner's high' and other mental benefits of running.

Johns Hopkins Medicine. Retrieved February 2022, from

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-truth-behind-

runners-high-and-other-mental-benefits-of-running

McCormick, A., Meijen, C., & Marcora, S. (2016). Psychological demands experienced by

recreational endurance athletes. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology,

16:4, 415-430, DOI: 10.1080/1612197X.2016.1256341

Sarkar, M., & Fletcher, D. (2014). Psychological resilience in sport performers: a review of

stressors and protective factors. Journal of sports sciences, 32(15), 1419–1434.

https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2014.901551

Seaward, B. (2018). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being (9th

ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2019). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook (2nd ed.). New

Harbinger Publications.