Psycho-physiological changes after a half marathon in amateur runners

Abstract

Of course, there is a strong link between mental health, active life, and street runners. In this sense, running at different distances and intensities can alter the anxiety, stress, and mood of runners. The aim of this study was to verify the psychophysiological changes in amateur runners after a half marathon. Cross-sectional study with twenty-two runners (34 ± 4.50 years old; 1.76 ± 0.06 m average height; 73.3 ± 8.19 kg weight) who participated in a 105-minute half-marathon, intensity higher than 80% of maximum VO2, accumulated altimetry of 98 m, temperature of 23° C, and relative air humidity in 48%. Physiological analizes (heart rate, running pace, and energy expenditure), strength tests (hand, shoulder, and lumbar waist), and mental health assessments (stress, anxiety, self-esteem, and happiness) before and immediately after the half-marathon race. Data were expressed as mean and standard error and statistically analyzed by unidirectional variance analysis (ANOVA), followed by Bonferroni's post-hoc test. The established significance level for the statistical test is p<0.05. Regarding the results after the half-marathon, there was an important increase in HR average (146%), caloric expenditure (1.496±252.19 kcal), of decrease (p≤0.05) of lumbar strength (30%); increased muscle pain (71%), perception of effort (76%), self-esteem (40%), and feeling of happiness (25%). In conclusion, we point out that a 21-km race training in amateur runners had an intense physiological load and a moderate psychological load, resulting in muscular physical waste, proven by the reduction in lumbar strength and moderate increases in sensations of pain and perceived effort. As a practical application, we suggest that a half marathon training is capable of increasing the happiness and self-esteem of runners, opening future doors for prevention or treatment of mental health disorders, quite frequent in our society.