In this episode, we dive into several scientific articles exploring how athletes perceive pain — and what factors shape that experience. We discuss the influence of fear, mindset, and training volume, and how these elements can either amplify or dull pain during performance.

Together, we distill what we’ve learned from both science and lived experience and explore how runners can apply these insights to better understand and manage discomfort during competition.

Hope you enjoy this one! If you have any questions, email us at [email protected]

Music written and recorded by Tim Gibson

Articles discussed:

Pain Processing in Elite and High-Level Athletes Compared to Non-athletes

Susann Dahl Pettersen, Per M Aslaksen, Svein Arne Pettersen

Neural mechanisms of pain processing differ between endurance athletes and non-athletes: A functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging study

Maria Geisler, Alexander Ritter, Marco Herbsleb, Karl-Jurgen Bar, Thomas Weiss

Marathon runners' reaction to potassium iontophoretic experimental pain: pain tolerance, pain threshold, coping and self-efficacy

M.H. Johnson, J. Stewart, S.A. Humphries, A.S. Chamove

Pain perception in athletes compared to normally active controls: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Jonas Tesarz, Alexander K. Schuster, Mechthild Hartmann, Andreas Gerhardt, Wolfgang Eich

Development of the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-III

D.W. McNeil, A.J. Rainwater III