Kilkenny Sport Psychology

10/10/2023

Similar to returning from a holiday, or back to school or work after time off - the post-marathon blues refer to the biopsychosocial changes that occur when you complete your goal and stop training.

🧪 Chemicals such as endorphins and dopamine, which are released through training and competing, can increase positivity and pleasure, and decrease pain perception. When you complete your training and competition, a reduction in these chemicals combined with the loss of the psychological rewards associated with training for a marathon can result in a drop in mood similar to a psychological hangover.

🧠 You’ve likely planned your recovery, and perhaps even your next running goals - but what about your mental recovery?

📝 A post-marathon rest is equally important to your body and your mind, and you can use this time to reflect on your race, plan the next steps, or engage in other hobbies!

⬇️ Let us know what you plan to get upto in the downtime.
•
•
•
•
•

11/09/2023

Injuries are an inevitable part of sport, and with the change in weather we will soon see an increase in illness too. So how can you cope when you have to take time out to recover?

It’s essential to take adequate rest to recover from illness and injury, and to follow any advice given by professionals. Sometimes when we rush back from illness or injury, we can make ourselves worse and slow down the healing process.

But time away from sport can be difficult for athletes, as it is a large part of their identity. Follow the RECOVER framework here from BelievePerform.com to not only help you cope with recovery, but to use your injury or illness to come back even stronger.

11/08/2023

25/07/2023

For some athletes such as Billie Jean King, Novak Djokovic, and Micheal Johnson, pressure is seen as a privilege.

🏀 Micheal Johnson previously stated that “...you have to acknowledge the pressure, you can’t ignore it”. This acknowledgement and acceptance of the inevitability of pressure allowed Johnson to focus on himself and what he could control.

🏋️‍♂️ Elite athletes consistently use techniques and strategies to both psychologically and physiologically deal with the inevitable pressure they will face when they perform.

🧘 However, pressure to perform is not a unique experience of elite athletes. Everyone experiences pressure. Therefore, working on your psychological skills to cope with this pressure to increase your capability to perform your best is crucial.

💭 Ask yourself, in situations of importance where you have performed poorly, what have you thought of? Where was your focus? What emotions were you experiencing? and what physical sensations were you experiencing?

🔗 To learn more about the four strategies to cope with pressure as listed above, read our previous posts in our grid which provide more detail on Acceptance, Self-talk and Slow Paced Breathing. For more detail on pre-performance routines, read our blog on our website (link in bio).