Descriptions

According to Sachs (1984), athletes often describe the runner`s high as an unexpected euphoric sensation, a sense of well-being, an enhanced appreciation of nature, and the transcendence of barriers of time and space. Cooper (1998) includes in his description of the runner`s high, sensations and feelings such as profound joy, acute intuition of effortlessness , a sense of slow motion, feelings of perfection, and self-transcendence. Good testimonies of the runner`s high sensation can be found at http://psychology.about.com/library/weekly/blaa_runner.htm .

Physiological hypothesis

There are two glandular chemicals that could be responsible for the runner`s high phenomena: endorphins and serotonin. First, an endorphin is a neurotranssmiter reducing pain perception. Painful stimuli, such as intense physical activity, activates neurons which release endorphins in the periaqueducal gray area. Then, the periaqueducal gray area excites cells in the medulla allowing the medulla and the periaqueducal gray area itself to send messages to the spinal cord and brain stem, blocking the release of substance P and therfore decreasing pain (Kalat, 2001). However, according to Shelley (2002), the fact that the amount of endorphins released into the brain is difficult to evaluate and the fact that the relationship between endorphins and happy feelings is not clear make the endorphin hypothesis difficult to prove. The second neurotransmitter which might be involved in the runner`s high is serotonin. Drugs that increase the serotonin level often relieve depression (Kalat, 2001). For example, Prozac's altering effect of mood is achieved by increasing or suppressing the activity of serotonin in the brain. According to Shelley (2002),exercise works in a similar way. However, since research in this area has just begun, no definite conclusions have been reached.

Psychological hypothesis

Another possible explanation of the runner`s high phenomena is the simple fact that exercising provides an increased sense of self-confidence and an improved self-image. The self-confidence and good self-image simply contribute to make the athlete happier than somebody who does not exercice regularly.

Is there a "cyclists high"?

The runner' high is well known. However, is this phenomena reserved to runners? Can cylists experience a cyclist`s high?

According to Lewis (1999), the intense degree of suffering experienced by professional cyclists leads to a "high" that may not include an experience equivalent to the runner's high. She uses the term "being in the Zone" to distinguish the "cyclist high" from the "runner`s high". For cyclists, the high experienced does not leads to euphoria or a sense of well-being. However, being in the zone allows the cyclist to support a state of intense pain and suffering during a race.

Which factors contribute to the heroic effort and endurance that sustains professional cyclists? Grove and Lewis (1996) propose that being in the zone is similar to being under hypnosis.They argue that shared elements of these states include dissociation and detachment from one's surroundings, absorption, feelings of control, and perceptual distortions . Their study concludes that a major factor leading to the zone is hypnotic susceptibility. These findings are consistent with Masters's (1992) observation of a positive correlation between cognitive dissociation and hypnotic susceptibility in marathon runners.

However, another factor which seems to support the physiological hypothesis of the runner`s high should be explored. The reason why professional cyclists can support intense pain might be the increase of endorphins.Both cyclist and runners would reach the "pain threshold" needed to stimulate an increase of endorphins.This increased secretion would lead to euphoria in runners. However, due to the more intense suffering of professionnal cyclists, the increase of endorphins would not be enough to produce euphoria, but enough to support the pain and maintain the pace of the race. Future research should attempt to explore this hypothesis.

Signs of Overtraining

The cyclist`s ambition can easily lead to overtrainig. Overtraining is a threat to everyone who wants to excel. However, even if one trains more and more, his/her performance might go down because of overtraining. This is why one must be aware of the physical and emotionnal signs of overtraining. This is a list of common signs experienced by cyclists (Burke & Pavelka, 2000).

Physical Signs

Emotional Signs

ü Persistent tiredness

ü Muscle soreness

ü Steady weight loss

ü Sleep disturbances

ü Elevated morning heart rate

ü Swelling in lyph nodes

ü Constipation or diarrhea

v Anxiety

v Depression

v Desire to shorten rides

v Inability to concentrate

v Irratibility

v Lossof enthusiasm

Mental Preparation and Training

Physical fitness is a very important aspect of cycling; but cycling requires more than being in good shape. According to Burke & Pavelka (2000), the potential in cycling is governed by three things: talent, training and psychological readiness. No matter how skilled or strong a person is, if he/she is not motivated and determinated, he/she might never achieve his/her goals. After all, long hours of riding is an act of will as much as a physical effort. According to the U.S Olympic cycling coach, Eddie Borysewicz, 20 to 25 percent of one's potential comes from the mind (Burke & Pavelka, 2000).

According to Burke and Pavelka (2000), the main things to do to improve psychological readiness are:

1. Set Goals : Be specific, set short

2. Be tough on yourself (what are you willing to give up to become a better cyclist?)

3. Know yourself ( what are your strenghts and weakness)

4. Have a plan (plan workouts and keep a training diary)

Another mehtod is imagery. Mills, Munroe and Hall`s (2001) experiment showed that athletes who are high in self-efficacity in competition situations use more motivational imagery than their low self-efficacy counterparts. According to Burke and Pavelka (2000), the efficientcy of this technique comes from the fact that the body’s nervous system does not distinguish between actual and imagined events; it responds to all images as if they were real. Burke and Pavelka (2000) suggest that 10 minutes per days in a calm room visualizing a goog performance would be sufficient.

Book links

The best links to find useful books about cycling and psychology are:

http://www.bikingbooks.com/html/training.html#psychology

http://www.arniebakercycling.com/b_psychling_psychology.htm

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0812930096/meinnovations/104-3333939-7561528