Numerous studies have investigated the relationship of attentional focus during running to performance and training variables, including, endurance, injuries, speed, and perception of pain. However, no research has investigated the relation between runners' cognitive strategies during running and their day-to-day dissociative experiences. We investigated the relation among attentional focus during running, motives for running, and absorption, imaginal processing, and dissociative experiences. Runners reported focusing more on external stimuli during training when compared to racing. Runners who endorsed psychological motives for running (e.g., to get away from it all, to solve problems, to distract self from daily worries) were more likely to endorse dissociative experiences on the Bliss dissociation scale. Attentional focus during running was not correlated with absorption, imaginal processing, and dissociative experiences.
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