Can mental fatigue affect training?

From the March 17, 2009 edition of The Oklahoman
By Adam Cohen and Dr. Stephen Prescott

Adam’s training journal
With less than six weeks until the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, I’d love to tell you that I’m at the top of my training game and that my daily log is filled with long, fast runs.

Alas, that’s not so.

With work ramping up, the children’s school year winding down and any number of community and child-related activities cramming my calendar and brain, it’s all that I can do to squeeze in a daily maintenance run. But even though I’ve cut my mileage back and have been getting enough sleep, I’ve found that my pace is lagging.

Is it possible that the mental fatigue of keeping so many balls in the air is taking a toll on my running?

Dr. Prescott prescribes
Ah, the mind-body connection. It should come as no shock that what goes on between our ears can have a pronounced effect on our physiological systems.

Studies have shown that stress puts people at a higher risk for heart attacks and depression. It even causes our hair to gray more rapidly. If you don’t believe the research, just compare President Barack Obama today to photos of him a year or two back.

Earlier this month, a study published in The Journal of Applied Physiology found that mental exertion can drain you physically, too.

In the experiment, a group of men and women exercised to physical exhaustion on a stationary bike. On one day, study participants performed a computer exercise requiring concentration, memory and reaction time before they exercised. On another, their biking was preceded by 90 minutes of watching documentary films.

Researchers found that the bikers consistently tired 15 percent more quickly after the computer exercise than following the movies. In other words, an exhausted mind can lead to an exhausted body.

To optimize performance, you’re better off training when you’re not mentally fatigued. That often means first thing in the morning.

Of course, this research helps explain the success of a much-maligned class of athlete: the dumb jock. It also makes me wonder whether I could have played for the Yankees had I only studied less.

Prescott, a physician and medical researcher, is president of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. Cohen is a marathoner and the foundation’s senior vice president and general counsel.

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