New Zealander trailer Ruth Kroft competes in the 22nd edition last month of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, a 174-kilometre trail race crossing France, Italy and Switzerland.JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images
The pain tolerance of ultra-endurance athletes is both legendary and scientifically validated.
In one study, for example, volunteers had to keep their hands in a bucket of ice water for up to three minutes. Non-runners gave up after an average of 96 seconds. Ultrarunners, in contrast, lasted the full three minutes without exception, and rated their pain at that point as just six out of ten.
Pain researchers Carole Paley of the University of Leeds and Mark Johnson of Leeds Beckett University recently surveyed the vast literature on how ultra-endurance athletes handle the inevitable discomfort of their chosen sport. The research pointed to one main message: pain management is a skill that can be developed with practice. Here are four key insights from their report, published in the journal Sports Medicine, that the rest of us can apply when the going gets tough..
Interoception
Interoception is the brain’s awareness of your body’s internal state. Are you hot or thirsty? Is your heart racing? Does your knee hurt? Do you need to go to the bathroom?
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One of the superpowers that ultrarunners possess, according to Paley and Johnson, is unusually accurate interoception. They have to be able to read the body’s distress signals correctly in order to pace themselves for long efforts without giving up prematurely or pushing too hard and not making it to the finish line.
If you’re not tuned in to those interoceptive signals, then you might mistake relatively benign feelings like anxiety and muscle fatigue for signs that something is seriously wrong with your body, which will make whatever pain you’re feeling seem worse. Accurately recognizing the various sensations within your body is the first step to managing discomfort.
Acceptance
Competitors at the start of an ultra-endurance race know, with 100 per cent certainty, that they will encounter pain before they reach the finish line.
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Strangely, this inevitability makes it easier to tolerate. Over time, Paley and Johnson argue, ultra athletes learn that it is “safe” to experience pain. Aching legs and burning lungs don’t indicate impending death or serious injury; they’re just feelings that will eventually pass. (Of course, sometimes pain really is a signal of serious trouble, and ultra athletes need to be able to recognize those situations too.)
The combination of interoception and acceptance has a lot in common with the “non-judgmental self-awareness” that mindfulness programs teach. Ultra athletes feel pain, but it’s easier to handle if they don’t get scared or angry about it.
Cognitive reappraisal
The physical sensations that accompany hard exercise are non-negotiable. The meaning you ascribe to those sensations, on the other hand, is up to you.
The neatest trick ultra athletes have is turning bodily discomfort into a reward to be embraced. New runners tend to view pain negatively, Paley and Johnson point out, while experienced runners see it as a rite of passage, a form of social bonding, and even an experience to be savoured. Overcoming pain feels like a victory, and ultra athletes come to enjoy this struggle.
Locus of control
Pain researchers have found that one of the key factors determining how someone perceives pain is the extent to which they believe that their own actions, rather than external forces like luck or other people, control the course of their lives. Those with a more internal “locus of control” handle pain better.
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Ultrarunners have a big advantage here: The pain they face is entirely self-chosen, and they can stop at any time. People don’t have that luxury in other contexts. But Paley and Johnson argue that the experience of grappling with discomfort in ultra-endurance races gives people a sense of mastery over their bodily sensations and ultimately helps them develop a more internal locus of control that they can apply in other situations.
The overall message: perhaps ultra-endurance athletes, with their arduous and seemingly masochistic pastime, aren’t so crazy after all.
Alex Hutchinson is the author of The Explorer’s Gene: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map.
