joschu

This phenomenon--that it takes less much less will-power to carry out a predefined plan than to continually make decisions while acting--is well-known to athletes, especially runners. I think most people who train would agree that the hardest part of a workout is getting started, and it takes surprisingly little will-power to finish. There have been some interesting studies showing that an experienced runner maintains a constant pace on a long run--he has an nonconscious sense of the pace he will be able to maintain, which is largely independent of his current motivational state. Training books never say "run as far as you can at this pace"--this would be mentally and physically exhausting.... (read more)