Changes in cognition over a 16.1 km cycling time trial using Think Aloud protocol: Preliminary evidence

Investigating the relationship between cognitions, pacing strategies and performance in 16.1 km cycling time trials using a think aloud protocol

“…To further develop previous Think Aloud pacing research (Samson et al, 2015;Whitehead et al, 2017) this study aimed to identify changes in trained cyclists' cognitions and pacing strategies within a real-life, competitive 16.1 km TT. Previous research has yet to account for performance changes (Whitehead et al, 2017) and therefore, this study aims to determine whether athletes' verbalisations are associated with physiological responses or performance parameters, such as speed, power output and heart rate. It was predicted that the nature of the cyclists' cognitions would change over the duration of the TT.…”

“…Although this study was novel in its application of a TA protocol in endurance performance and authors were able to identify key internal and external factors that influence duringevent cognitions, it is unknown how these cognitions may change over the duration of an exercise bout. Whitehead et al (2017) recently extended this research by using TA to monitor the cognitions of cyclists over a 16.1 km time trial (TT) and demonstrated that cyclists process and attend to different information throughout the TT. Specifically, thoughts relating to fatigue and pain were verbalised more during the initial quartiles of the event.…”

Endurance Performance is Influenced by Perceptions of Pain and Temperature: Theory, Applications and Safety Considerations

“…the maximum level of perceived pain that someone is able to tolerate, or the duration someone is willing to be exposed to a given pain intensity) is very different to pain threshold (the level at which a stimulus is initially perceived as pain), and the distinction between these should be emphasised and assessed with appropriate methods so that the role of pain in exercise performance is better understood. However, even when this distinction is made, the impact of pain on exercise performance can be difficult to empirically test, so that despite the clear reference to its significance by competitors [19,20], the experimental evidence supporting this notion is surprisingly limited and often inconsistent. A metaanalysis examining pain perception differences between athletes and active controls showed that in most well-controlled studies, athletes exhibited a higher pain tolerance, despite similar pain thresholds [21].…”

“…Whilst the relationship between perception of pain and athletic performance is undoubtedly complex, the general consensus is that EIP forms an important part of endurance exercise [14]. At the very least, EIP likely provides important information for the exerciser regarding the current level of fatigue, and this information can subsequently be used to effectively pace an exercise bout [20]. Thoughts of pain and discomfort were shown to be prominent at the start of a 10 mile TT, but reduced towards the final sections of the race [20].…”

“…At the very least, EIP likely provides important information for the exerciser regarding the current level of fatigue, and this information can subsequently be used to effectively pace an exercise bout [20]. Thoughts of pain and discomfort were shown to be prominent at the start of a 10 mile TT, but reduced towards the final sections of the race [20]. A similar observation was shown for thoughts relating to the monitoring or altering of pace, which may be indicative of the riders using the conscious feeling of pain and discomfort as a means to guide decisions on the appropriateness of their pacing strategy.…”