Being distracted from sensory input can enhance physical performance. The best practical examples of "dissociation," as this distraction is called by sports psychologists, are demonstrated by less-than-elite marathoners who use mental imagery to make it through perhaps the most difficult of all athletic events.

A New York Times story on this year's New York City Marathon described how several runners dissociated themselves from the pain of running. One woman thought of words like "feel," "flow," and "float" to get to the finish line. Another imagined a 10-mile training run packaged into the 26-mile event. A third sang a favorite song over and over during the race. Letting the mind wander and tuning into the environment are other mental techniques that are helpful under extreme conditions.

These accounts may explain why 97 percent of this year's entrants -- many of them first time marathoners -- completed the course. "But there is a down side to dissociation," says William Morgan, Ed.D.,director of the Sports Psychology Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. "Although performance can be enhances, whether or not that is a benefit becomes a value judgment. Runners who have completely blocked out sensory perception have run with fractured bones, in conditions of hypothermia(subnormal low body temperature) or hyperthermia (abnormally high body temperature), and even when there were signs of a heart attack. These athletes use their dissociation skills to the point of ignoring warning signals of serious medical problems."

The Luxury of the Elite Runner "Elite marathoners don't do that," Morgan continues. "Instead of dissociation, they associate certain physical cues with their performance. In other words, they pay attention to what their bodies tell them and make adjustments. While the middle-of-the-pack runner is trying to take the mind to another place, the elite runner might be thinking about breathing correctly, maintaining the proper length of stride, keeping the arms in the correct position, relaxing the upper body, or making changes in the pace of running.

Physical adjustments that are made while lesser competitors are using dissociation enable the superior distance runner to avoid hitting the wall."Elite runners can afford the luxury of association because, in addition to their intensive training and business like attitudes, they know that they are genetically programmed to run long distances. Instead of worrying about surviving a marathon, they can focus on running at a steady pace and avoiding the cycle of falling back, catching up, and paying the physiological debt that is incurred.

One elite runner explained it this way, "I don't worry if I start feeling bad during a race because I know that everyone else if feeling worse."Judicious Use"The practice of dissociation for all but the best long distance runners can be useful but it has to be employed judiciously," concludes Morgan. "It can be used to get through the most arduous part of a race, but a steady diet of blocking out sensory perception has some dangerous. The short-term benefit of winning or finishing a race may not be worth the long period of time needed for recovery.
"Source: PennState SPORTS MEDICINE NEWSLETTER, Vol. 7 No. 4 December 1998