I’m excited to speak with Dr Noel Brick in this episode. Noel is a Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Ulster University. He has a Masters in Sport and Exercise Psychology and a PhD in Attentional Focus and Psychological Strategies in Endurance Activity. As a runner himself, Noel was interested in what endurance athletes think about during a race, what they focus on, what mental strategies they use, how they develop those strategies and how do they know if they’re working for them.

We speak about Noel’s background and how he became interested in attentional focus; the use of mantras, active and involuntary distraction; dealing with injury and pain; self-regulation; practising using strategies when you most need them; meta-cognition and the importance of reflection.