Better race performance? It could be all in your mind

What sets you apart from the elite athletes - or just the next level of local competitors? You train as hard, you know the course, you have the right equipment - but you still lose.

It could be all in your mind.

Mary Wittenberg, president and chief executive of the New York Road Runners, says that elite athletes can keep going at a level of effort that seems impossible to maintain.

“Mental tenacity — and the ability to manage and even thrive on and push through pain — is a key segregator between the mortals and immortals in running,” Ms. Wittenberg said.

Read more on the NY Times site:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/health/nutrition/19best.html