THE EFFECTS OF SUCCESSFUL EXERCISE TRIAL ON POSITIVE MOOD CHANGE FOLLOWING ACUTE COMFORTABLE SELF-PACED RUNNING
 
K. HASHIMOTO, A. SAITO, M. TOKUNAGA, AND D.M. LANDERS
FUKUOKA UNIVERSITY & ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
 
 
Comfortable Self-Paced Running (CSPR) can be defined as running at a subjective intensity where one feels the most comfortable psychologically and physiologically.  This study was conducted to examine the effects of successful trials of acute CSPR on the amount of pre- to post-exercise changes in positive mood state.  Twenty subjects completed ten 15 min CSPR trials on a treadmill and a control trial without CSPR.  Heart rate (HR), running speed, %VO2max and Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE) were measured during each trial to evaluate exercise intensity.  Before and after each trial, subjects responded to the Mood Check List (MCL-3, consisting of "Pleasantness," "Relaxation," and "Satisfaction" subscales; a = .913-.957) introduced by Hashimoto and Tokunaga (1995).  ANOVA showed that: (1) there were no significant differences in HR and %VO2max among the trials; (2) there was a significant increase in running speed (p <.001); and (3) there was a significant decrease in RPE (p <.001).  No significant mood changes were observed in any subscales during the control trial.  On the other hand, post-CSPR "Pleasantness" and "Satisfaction" scores increased significantly following all the trials, and a significant within-subject effect was found for the amount of change in "pleasantness" over the 10 trials (p <.005).  The amount of change in "Pleasantness" was largest after the first trial and decreased until the fourth trial.  Ratings of "Satisfaction," however, did not change significantly over the trials.  These results suggest that CSPR produces post-exercise increases in pleasantness and these mood changes are particularly evident following the first CSPR trial.

This abstract is published in the Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology: 1997 NASPSPA Abstracts, 19, (June 1997 Supplement), p. S62.