Perceived discomfort in running: Scale development and theoretical considerations

Abstract

The aim of this study was to develop a discomfort questionnaire to elicit the feelings and thoughts of people engaged in running activities. Ten runners who completed a particularly demanding 9-km run were asked to express their feelings and thoughts during the run they had just completed. These responses were recorded and later used as the first pool of items (k = 36). The questionnaire was then given to 171 runners in different distance races throughout the 1995 competitive season. These responses were analysed using exploratory factor analytic techniques and Rasch probabilistic analysis, as well as traditional reliability and validity procedures. The final version of the questionnaire consisted of 32 items divided into eight correlated subscales: proprioceptive symptoms, leg symptoms, respiratory difficulties, disorientation, dryness and heat, task completion thoughts, mental toughness, and head or stomach symptoms. These eight categories can be collapsed into three global categories suggested by researchers of pain: sensory-discriminative, motivational-affective and cognitive-evaluative. Rasch analysis suggested that the motivational-affective and cognitive-evaluative dimensions (i.e. the psychological) are the most experienced (i.e. rated highest). The eight subscales have ecological validity and were found to alter with the demands of different running distances.

Towards a three-dimensional framework of centrally regulated and goal-directed exercise behaviour: a narrative review

“…Tenenbaum et al 72 conceptualised the construct of pain to be closely related to perceived discomfort in runners and drew on the GCT to develop the Running Discomfort Scale (RDS). The initial version of the RDS was empirically inferred from the narratives of 10 runners who had recently completed a challenging 9 km run.…”

Does Virtual Reality Enhance Exercise Performance, Enjoyment, and Dissociation? An Exploratory Study on a Stationary Bike Apparatus

“…A French back-translated version of the commitment check questionnaire validated by Tenenbaum et al (1999) was used to measure a ''participant's commitment to, and effort investment in, the task'' (Tenenbaum & Connolly, 2008, pp. 707-708).…”

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“…At the termination of each run, participants completed the Running Discomfort Scale. (Tenenbaum et al, 1999) and answered open-ended interview questions on motivation, perception, and attention focus they experienced during the run. The third study was a field study in which 25 male physical education students ran a hilly 2.2 km course as fast as possible under different conditions (same music conditions as in the previous two studies).…”