Most runners know what it’s like to get really into running. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement. It’s also easy to get obsessive, especially in a competitive team environment. But when does one-track mindedness impede a multi-dimensional life?
Well, here are 7 statements to ponder:
- I consider myself an athlete.
- I have many goals related to sport.
- Most of my friends are athletes.
- Sport is the most important part of my life.
- I spend more time thinking about sport than anything else.
- I feel bad about myself when I do poorly in sport.
- I would be very depressed if I were injured and could not compete in sport.
These questions are from the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) and can give insight into the degree of one’s “athletic identity,” or how strongly an athlete identifies with the athletic role. Each question is rated 1-7, with 1 being “strongly disagree” and 7 being “strongly agree.” Higher scores are associated with higher athletic identity.
Why is this important? Because your level of athletic identity can influence your exercise behavior, pain levels, and coping skills following injury.
Literature shows that an athlete with high athletic identity will train at a higher intensity and more frequently compared to someone with lower athletic identity.1 Also, someone with stronger athletic identity may neglect other aspects of their life and have greater psychological issues if not allowed to participate in their sport, like following injury. Simply put, if you rely on being seen as a runner for validation and self-worth, injury is going to throw you into an emotionally painful tailspin.
A recent study of 250 NCAA female athletes found that athletic identity is diminished by pain and injury, whether it stops you from competing for not.2 Diminished athletic identity can have serious implications for mental health and well-being for an athlete who relies on their sport for self-esteem and self-worth.
This concept hits home for me. Looking back at my high school and college running career, I can clearly identify that I relied on a high athletic identity. I liked being known as “the runner” in my family and among my peers. It started out innocently enough in high school, but spiraled in college. I was training more, training harder, afraid of rest days, and eventually chronically injured. I mentally struggled through injury and physically rushed rehab to get back to running. I sustained three stress fractures in 4 years. I was physically and mentally exhausted by graduation. Athletic identity is a concept I will add to the growing list of “things I wish I had known” that could have helped me greatly while I was competing. Perhaps I would have seen that I would have scored high on the AIMS; an objective measure that I needed help balancing my passion for running with my rest of my life.
Identifying as an athlete or runner has benefits. Athletic identity can help keep you focused on goals, improve self-confidence, and provide an almost automatic connection with other athletes and teammates. It just can’t be the only thing that fuels your life. Running can be one fulfilling part of a multi-dimensional life. Don’t sell yourself short.
1. Brewer B et al. Athletic identity: Hercules’ muscles or Achilles heel?. Int J Sport Psychol. 1993:237-254. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1994-03969-001.
2. Veroneau B, Tadlock B, Christopher S et al. The Effect Of Injuries And Pain On Athletic Identity Across NCAA Divisions. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2020;52(7S):978-978. doi:10.1249/01.mss.0000686204.00908.e8
Katie Noble is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, a journalist, and a runner. She enjoys empowering and supporting female runners with evidenced-based education.
Dr. Katie Noble, PT, DPT, SCS 