Running News Daily

New research suggests a surprising answer.

Past studies have shown that people who are mentally exhausted will see their performance drop off, such as running performance.

New research from the University of Birmingham showed that when receiving regular feedback during a task, people who were mentally fatigued performed just as well as a control group.

That means even if you’re mentally taxed before a run, having something like your GPS watch to provide real-time data may help keep your performance in check.

The Great Watch Debate is as old as running itself—or at least as old as watches. Does tracking your pace on the run keep you honest? Or does running watch-less set you free?

According to a recent experiment by researchers at the University of Birmingham, the kind of day you had might help you decide.

Feedback and mental fatigue

Research shows that when you’re mentally fatigued, your physical performance suffers. And let’s face it: these days, between pandemics, wars, 24-hour news cycles, and the stresses of daily living, who’s not mentally fatigued on one run or another?

The good news is that, according to this University of Birmingham study, receiving feedback as you exercise—like you would from a GPS watch—can help you get more out of what might otherwise be a sub-par performance.

The subjects in this experiment were split into three groups: control, feedback, and no feedback. The control group performed three tasks. First, they did an endurance test that involved squeezing a force-measuring device as hard as they could once every second for five minutes. Then they watched a documentary about trains. Finally, they repeated the endurance test.

The no-feedback group followed the same protocol, only instead of watching the documentary, they took a mentally fatiguing memory test before they repeated the endurance test. The feedback group also took the memory test, and when they took the second endurance test, they were shown feedback—specifically, how much force they were producing and how that compared to their first test.

As prior research would suggest, the no-feedback group saw their performance decline between the first and second endurance tests due to mental fatigue, while the control group didn’t. Interestingly, the feedback group, who were also mentally fatigued, performed similarly to the control group: their performance didn’t decline.

“When they knew how they were doing, the people in the state of mental fatigue did as well as the people who weren’t in the state of mental fatigue,” said Neil Dallaway, Ph.D., a sports science researcher associated with the University of Birmingham. And while the experiment measured hand-grip strength rather than running performance, Dallaway believes the results are still applicable to runners.

“If you get home from work one day and you are really tired and you’ve got an interval session or a fartlek, you may not do as well,” he said. “So then if you use your watch for the feedback, it could help you perform as well as if you weren’t mentally fatigued.”

Practical feedback

In addition to overcoming mental fatigue, there are other, practical reasons to use watch feedback while you run. When you’re running a workout or a race that doesn’t include mile markers, it’s useful to know how far you’ve run and how far you have to go. Knowing your pace can also help you to self-correct when you’re trying to hit a time goal.

Tony Ruiz, a longtime running coach and competitive masters runner, tells a story about a 5K where he checked his watch at mile 1 and saw he was running considerably slower than his goal pace. “I went, ‘Oh my God,’ and it just kind of woke me up,” he said.

While seeing a slow pace can help you pick things up, you can also use your watch to keep the pace under control. Ruiz advises athletes running half marathons and marathons to check their watch at least once per mile at the start of the race, because going too hard too early can be a recipe for disaster. However, he tells marathoners to pretty much ignore their watch after mile 20.

“If you're running a really good race, by then you already know this,” he said. “But if you're slowing down, let’s say at 21 miles, I’m not sure checking your watch is going to give you any kind of positive feedback.”

Assigning meaning to the data

Fear of “negative feedback” is the reason some runners shy away from their watch, and yet the watch itself is not the problem. “Data can be very helpful. Where it starts becoming an issue is with the meaning that we'’e attaching to what the watch tells us,” Shannon Mulcahy, M.S., a sports psychology consultant, said.

Consider a gas gauge on a car: If the gauge indicates you can drive 30 more miles before you’re out of gas, you’ll use that information to decide when to get gas. You won’t look at it and think, “This drive is going great,” or “I’m a terrible driver.”

Unfortunately, Mulcahy says, runners often fail to look at their watches with the same level of objectivity. 

“It's not really problematic if you look at your watch and you're like, ‘I'm running slower than I wanted to,’ and that frustrates you. That’s normal,” she said. “It’s when you see that you're running slower than you wanted, and it all of a sudden goes to, ‘I’m never gonna reach my goal. I’m a terrible runner. What’s the point?’ And we start catastrophizing.” 

Giving emotional meaning to your watch data is what can transform it from a useful tool to a run-ruiner.

Making your watch work for you

The ultimate lesson is that your watch is a tool; you just need to figure out how to make it work best for you. There are a lot of options.

One is to use your watch during workouts but not easy runs. This helps keep easy runs easy because, as Mulcahy said, “I don't think we’re very good at looking down and seeing slow paces because, again, we’re deciding that they’re slow.” If you can’t see the pace, you can’t judge it.

Leaving your watch at home on easy days is the simplest option. However, if you like to have the data to share on Strava or for other purposes, you can switch the display so it shows you only distance or time elapsed during the run, not pace.

Another option Mulcahy shared that can help athletes who have trouble staying dispassionate when they see a pace (any pace) on their watch: Change the unit of measure.

“I have a client who is an American, but she lives in Europe. She was trying to train more in kilometers, and she started noticing that she was very analytical during her workout,” said Mulcahy. “There was really little meaning to the data; it was just very instructional.”

Ultimately the goal is to keep emotion at bay and use watch data for what it is: data. Some runners are great at this, and some runners have to find workarounds. But the science says that if you can get into that analytical mind frame, especially when your brain is tired, the data will help.

Most Olympic marathoners spend their youth focused on running. They join track clubs, compete in national championships, and pursue the sport from an early age.

Julia Mayer’s journey was very different.

Today, Mayer is Austria’s marathon record holder, a multiple national record holder on the roads, and an Olympian. Yet for much of her athletic life, running was not her primary sport.

For 16 years, she played soccer.

Then she discovered something that would change her life.

“I noticed that I was really fast in the fun runs and that it was really, really fun,” Mayer said when reflecting on her transition from soccer to distance running.

What began as curiosity quickly became a passion. She eventually made the bold decision to leave soccer behind and focus entirely on running. It was a move that surprised many people around her, but Mayer believed she had found her true athletic calling.

The decision proved to be the right one.

Within a few years, Mayer developed into one of Europe’s top marathon runners. Her steady improvement carried her from local races to the international stage, where she began rewriting Austria’s record books.

She now holds Austrian records in the marathon, half marathon, and road 10K. Her marathon best of 2:26:08 established her as the fastest female marathoner in Austrian history. Her performances in the half marathon and 10K have further cemented her place among the country’s all-time great distance runners.

Her rise culminated with qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Competing in the Olympic marathon represented the realization of a dream. On one of the most challenging marathon courses ever used for the Olympics, Mayer ran courageously against the strongest field in the world and finished 55th in her Olympic debut.

Behind the scenes, success has come through extraordinary dedication. During marathon preparation, Mayer trains twice a day and covers approximately 200 kilometers, or 124 miles, each week. The workload demands discipline, patience, and a deep commitment to continuous improvement. 

What makes her story especially inspiring is not simply the records or the Olympic appearance.

It is the fact that she found her greatest talent later than many elite runners.

In a sport where athletes are often identified at a young age, Mayer’s journey serves as a reminder that potential does not always reveal itself early. Sometimes it takes years of experience, a willingness to try something new, and the courage to follow a different path. 

The former soccer player who once chased a ball across a field is now chasing history on the roads of Europe.

And according to those closest to her, her best performances may still be ahead.

For runners of every age and ability, Julia Mayer’s story delivers a powerful lesson: it is never too late to discover what you are capable of.

From soccer player to Olympian, her journey proves that remarkable achievements can begin when least expected.

Megan Keith produced the performance of her career in Oslo on Thursday night, shattering one of Scotland’s longest-standing distance running records and cementing her place among Britain’s greatest female 3000m runners.

The 24-year-old clocked a sensational 8:28.35 over 3000m, breaking the Scottish outdoor record that had stood for nearly four decades. In doing so, Keith eclipsed the previous mark of 8:29.02, set by Scottish legend Yvonne Murray back in 1988, ending a record reign that had lasted 38 years.

Keith’s breakthrough run was more than just a national record. The performance also propelled her to third on the UK outdoor all-time list, placing her behind only two of Britain’s most celebrated distance runners — Paula Radcliffe, who leads the rankings with 8:22.20, and Laura Weightman, whose 8:26.07 remains the second-fastest outdoor mark by a British woman.

The significance of Keith’s achievement is amplified by the calibre of athletes she now joins in the record books. For decades, Murray’s mark stood as one of Scottish athletics’ most untouchable records, surviving generations of elite competitors. Keith has now succeeded where many outstanding runners have fallen short, announcing herself as one of the leading distance talents in British athletics.

Her time also compares favourably with the best performances produced indoors. Olympic medallist Laura Muir ran 8:26.41 indoors in Karlsruhe in 2017, underlining just how exceptional Keith’s outdoor effort in Oslo truly was.

The run continues a remarkable rise for the Scottish star, whose progression over recent seasons has transformed her from a promising prospect into a genuine force on the international stage. Running with confidence and composure against elite competition, Keith demonstrated both the speed and endurance required to challenge the very best in Europe and beyond.

With the World Championship season gathering momentum, Keith’s record-breaking display sends a powerful message. Not only has she etched her name into Scottish athletics history, but she has also established herself as a serious contender in one of the sport’s most competitive events.

In Oslo, Megan Keith did far more than break a record. She ended a 38-year wait, climbed into the upper echelon of British distance running, and delivered a performance that may prove to be a defining moment in her career.

British middle-distance talent Phoebe Gill took another significant step forward in her return to top form, producing a determined victory over 800 metres at the Meeting de Marseille in France on Wednesday.

Competing in challenging, wind-affected conditions, the 19-year-old demonstrated both resilience and composure as she held off a late charge from Switzerland's Veronica Vancardo to secure the win in 2:00.81. Vancardo finished just three hundredths of a second behind in 2:00.84, underlining the fiercely contested nature of the race.

While the margin of victory was narrow, the result represented another encouraging milestone for Gill as she continues to rebuild momentum following her injury setback. The young Briton showed impressive race awareness and strength in the closing stages, maintaining her advantage despite the difficult conditions that made fast running a challenge throughout the evening.

The Marseille triumph adds to a growing body of evidence that Gill is steadily progressing toward her best form. Earlier in her comeback campaign, she clocked 2:01.50 for 800m in Bydgoszcz before demonstrating her versatility with a strong 4:05.53 performance over 1500 metres at the BMC Grand Prix meeting in Trafford.

Those performances have highlighted not only her improving fitness but also her ability to compete across multiple distances as she carefully builds her season. The Marseille victory now provides further confirmation that the European junior star is moving in the right direction.

Gill emerged as one of Britain's most exciting middle-distance prospects through a series of breakthrough performances as a teenager, earning widespread recognition for her fearless racing style and remarkable maturity. Injury temporarily interrupted that upward trajectory, but her recent results suggest she is steadily rediscovering the form that made her one of the sport's brightest young talents.

With each race, the signs of progress become increasingly evident. Winning in difficult conditions and under pressure from a quality field is often a stronger indicator than a fast time alone, and Gill's latest success demonstrated exactly those qualities.

As the summer season gathers pace, the Marseille victory offers another confidence boost for the British teenager, whose return continues to gain momentum. If her recent progression is any indication, Gill could soon find herself back among the leading names on the European middle-distance circuit. 

The NCAA Track and Field Championships delivered a moment few could have predicted as Ja’Kobe Tharp produced one of the most astonishing performances in the history of sprint hurdling, rewriting the record books in spectacular fashion.

Competing in the opening round of the men’s 110-meter hurdles, the Auburn star stunned the athletics world by clocking an incredible 12.75 seconds, becoming the first athlete ever to break the 12.80-second barrier. In doing so, he eclipsed the long-standing world record of 12.80 set by Aries Merritt in 2012, a mark that had stood as one of the sport’s most revered achievements for more than a decade.

What makes Tharp’s breakthrough even more remarkable is the scale of his improvement. Entering the championships, the defending NCAA and U.S. champion had recorded a season-best of 13.05 seconds. Yet under the brightest spotlight, he unleashed a performance that exceeded every expectation, slicing an extraordinary 0.26 seconds from his personal best in a race that instantly became one of the greatest ever run.

The achievement sent shockwaves throughout the track and field community. While Tharp arrived in Eugene as one of the leading contenders for the NCAA title, few envisioned a performance capable of redefining the limits of the event. Instead, the American hurdler delivered a race for the ages, combining flawless technique, explosive speed, and impeccable rhythm from the first hurdle to the finish line.

The historic run not only secured his place in athletics history but also transformed the outlook of the championship. With the world record now in his possession, Tharp advances to the final as the overwhelming favorite, carrying momentum that could make an already unforgettable weekend even more extraordinary.

For years, the 12.80 barrier appeared untouchable. On a stunning day at the NCAA Championships, Ja’Kobe Tharp proved otherwise, producing the kind of performance that reminds fans why sport remains so unpredictable. In a matter of seconds, he turned a routine qualifying round into a landmark moment that will be remembered for generations.

The world record no one saw coming is now a reality—and Ja’Kobe Tharp is the man who changed history.

A new chapter in middle-distance running may have begun in Oslo after American teenager Cooper Lutkenhaus produced one of the most remarkable performances of the season, narrowly defeating reigning Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi in a thrilling men's 800m contest at the Diamond League meeting.

The 17-year-old sensation shocked a world-class field by crossing the finish line first in a race that came down to the smallest of margins. After an intense battle over the final metres, Lutkenhaus held off Wanyonyi by just one hundredth of a second, producing a dramatic finish that left the packed stadium in disbelief.

From the opening lap, the pace was relentless as the leading contenders positioned themselves for a fierce showdown. As the athletes entered the home straight, Wanyonyi appeared poised to unleash his trademark finishing kick. However, Lutkenhaus refused to be intimidated, matching the Olympic champion stride for stride before producing a perfectly timed lean at the line to secure a historic victory.

The result marks a breakthrough moment for the young American, who continues to establish himself as one of the brightest talents in global athletics. Defeating an Olympic champion at a Diamond League event is a feat many athletes spend entire careers pursuing, yet Lutkenhaus achieved it before reaching adulthood.

For Wanyonyi, the narrow defeat does little to diminish his status as one of the world's premier 800m runners. The Kenyan once again demonstrated his exceptional class and competitiveness, pushing the race to a world-class standard and forcing his young rival to deliver the performance of a lifetime.

Beyond the result itself, the race offered a glimpse into what could become one of the sport's most exciting rivalries in the years ahead. With established stars and emerging talents now pushing each other to new heights, the men's 800m continues to evolve into one of athletics' most captivating events.

On a memorable night in Oslo, the spotlight belonged to Cooper Lutkenhaus. At just 17 years old, he stood toe-to-toe with an Olympic champion and emerged victorious, announcing himself to the athletics world in spectacular fashion.