These findings demonstrate the strength of arousal reappraisal in promoting adaptive stress responses, perceptions of resources and self-confidence.

There is considerable research interest in psychological aspects of endurance performance. Until recently, research typically lacked a theoretical underpinning, and contemporary research is particularly informed by the psychobiological model of endurance performance. In this critical review, we propose that psychological theories relating to self-regulation, particularly self-efficacy theory and the process model of emotion regulation, could shed more light on how endurance performance is determined and lead to additional understanding of how psychological interventions can be used. We argue that people encounter fewer stressors in most experimental studies than are encountered before and during real-life events. In addition, we argue that most research conducted to date has focused on the forethought and performance phases of self-regulation, rather than the self-reflection phase, and research has not considered the cyclical nature of self-regulation. We also argue that if research participants are not endurance athletes, then their motivation may not be self-determined and self-regulatory learning may not take place. Recommendations are given for future research, and evidence-based guidance is offered on enhancing performance and improving the quality of experience for endurance athletes.

Endurance athletes draw on several sources of self-efficacy, but there is a limited understanding 3 of what information within these sources specifically contributes towards self-efficacy. An 4 increased understanding and awareness of the sources of self-efficacy for endurance performance 5 would allow the design and delivery of more effective self-efficacy interventions. The aim of the 6 current study was to identify sources of self-efficacy specific to the endurance sport domain. Semi-7 structured interviews were conducted with twelve experienced competitive endurance athletes who 8 had been competing in their endurance sport for an average of 12.2 ± 6.25 years. Interviews were 9 recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using deductive thematic analysis. Past performance 10 experiences, physiological states, social/verbal persuasions and emotional states were generated 11 as initial themes. Within these themes, six sub-themes were identified: cumulative experiences, 12 challenge and adversity, physical familiarity, social support, self-talk, and doubt and worry. Our 13 results indicate that endurance athletes make use of several sources of self-efficacy in the formation 14 and maintenance of their self-efficacy beliefs. Specifically, the culmination of experiences, 15 experiences of overcoming challenge and adversity, and a sense of physical familiarity appeared 16 to key sources in the endurance sport domain.

Training distress occurs when athletes fail to cope with physiological and psychological stress and can be an early sign of overtraining syndrome. Recent research has found that perfectionism predicts increases in training distress in junior athletes over time. The current study provides the first empirical test of the possibility that coping tendencies mediate the perfectionism-training distress relationship. Adopting a cross-sectional design, 171 junior athletes (mean age = 18.1 years) completed self-report measures of perfectionistic strivings, perfectionistic concerns, problem-focused coping, avoidant coping, and training distress. Structural equation modelling revealed that avoidant coping mediated the positive relationship between perfectionistic concerns and training distress, and mediated the negative relationship between perfectionistic strivings and training distress. Problem-focused coping did not mediate any relationships between dimensions of perfectionism and training distress. The findings suggest that the tendency to use coping strategies aimed at avoiding stress may partly explain the relationship between perfectionism and training distress but the tendency to use, or not use, problem-focussed coping does not.