Social media has become a big part of the trail and ultramarathon running world. Many athlete’s sponsorships (in some cases, entirely) depend on it, and for coaches it represents a way to share knowledge, connect with runners, and promote your coaching services. Building an online community also presents a business opportunity in itself (outside of sponsorships) for both athletes and coaches. While it’s not necessary for a coach to be particularly social media savvy, it’s highly likely that a large portion of the athletes you coach will be engaging with it regularly, so it’s still important to understand the risks and benefits.
Although no research has been done (yet) in a trail and ultramarathon context, social media use in the hours before various sporting competitions has been reported to result in higher levels of sport anxiety and disruptions in concentration (Encel, Mesagno, & Brown, 2017). In volleyball and football players this has been shown to include mental fatigue and impair decision-making ability (Fortes et al., 2020; Fortes et al., 2021), and it also reduced volume-load during resistance training among recreationally trained adults (Gantois et al., 2021). Although it’s plausible that these effects wash out over the long durations of an ultramarathon, given what we know about the importance of mental fatigue in ultramarathons, those effects could also theoretically compound. Best practices based on the current research would be to leave social media until after training and races!
Educating athletes may help reduce some of the downsides of social media use. It’s important that athletes avoid the comparison traps and remember that everyone’s journey is different. Athletes should focus on their own progress and goals rather than comparing themselves to others. This can be particularly important on apps such as Instagram, which are very visual and can lead to negative comparisons in one’s body to another, or on apps like Strava, where athletes can compare their own training to others.
Coaches will also need to consider professional boundaries on social media. While it’s acceptable to engage with athletes to provide support and encouragement, avoid crossing into overly personal or unprofessional territory. Coaches should also respect athletes’ privacy on social media and avoid sharing sensitive or confidential information without consent.
With all of this in mind, what does healthy social media use look like for athletes and coaches? There is really no one size fits all approach, but plan your social media content strategically, showcasing not only your successes, but also the challenges and setbacks you encounter. Authenticity resonates with followers and helps build a supportive community. Coaches can use their own social media platforms to promote positive messaging about training, racing, and overall well-being. Sharing educational content, success stories, and tips can enhance athletes’ experiences, foster a supportive community, and help promote your coaching services. Similarly, athletes can share their valuable knowledge and experiences, and use social media to give insight into them and their lives outside of races. It may also be an opportunity to entertain the running community and give commentary on any issues in the trail and ultramarathon running scene.
Take-aways
- Social media use before training and races may induce mental fatigue and impair performance
- Educate athletes to avoid the comparison trap
- Set boundaries and respect your athletes’ privacy
- Authenticity matters. Both athletes and coaches need to find what resonates for them, and focus on fostering a positive online community
Encel, K., Mesagno, C., & Brown, H. (2017). Facebook use and its relationship with sport anxiety. Journal of Sports Sciences, 35, 756 – 761. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1186817.
Fortes, L., Lima-Júnior, D., Fiorese, L., Nascimento-Júnior, J., Mortatti, A., & Ferreira, M. (2020). The effect of smartphones and playing video games on decision-making in soccer players: A crossover and randomised study. Journal of Sports Sciences, 38, 552 – 558. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2020.1715181.
Fortes, L., Fonseca, F., Nakamura, F., Barbosa, B., Gantois, P., Lima-Júnior, D., & Ferreira, M. (2021). Effects of Mental Fatigue Induced by Social Media Use on Volleyball Decision-Making, Endurance, and Countermovement Jump Performance.. Perceptual and motor skills, 315125211040596 . https://doi.org/10.1177/00315125211040596.
Gantois, P., Lima-Júnior, D., Fortes, L., Batista, G., Nakamura, F., & Fonseca, F. (2021). Mental Fatigue From Smartphone Use Reduces Volume-Load in Resistance Training: A Randomized, Single-Blinded Cross-Over Study. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 128, 1640 – 1659. https://doi.org/10.1177/00315125211016233.