An Examination of Metacognitive Strategy Use and Monitoring Skills by Competitive Middle Distance Runners

Abstract

This study investigated metacognitive strategy use by competitive athletes. Specifically, it tested the extent to which competitive middle-distance runners rely upon internally-focused metacognitive strategies versus externally-focused thoughts when they compete. In addition, the link between strategic knowledge and the regulation of such strategies during a novel self-paced task was investigated. Division I collegiate runners from the Midwestern U.S. (M age = 19.6, SD = 1.23) provided written responses to inventories about strategy use and completed a performance task requiring them to monitor and adjust their running pace. Results indicated an overwhelming tendency for the competitive runners in this study to report internally-focused strategies as opposed to externally-focused thoughts. The bulk of the thoughts that runners reported focused on either (a) monitoring bodily processes and form or (b) information management strategies that related to race tactics during competition. Furthermore, evidence was found for a link between self-report strategic knowledge and the ability to regulate one's performance on the self-paced task.