Mental ploys used by elite long-distance runners to mask pain or block out monotony include Disassociation -- anything from visualizing themselves lounging in a cool stream to fixating on the gorgeous views to chanting mantras under their breath.

Neuroplasticity -- our ability to allow the billions of interconnected neurons in the brain to adjust their connections and pathways in response to changes within our bodies and our environments -- is one of the most extraordinary developments of the 20th century.

There are a few basic common sense guidelines for developing good nutritional habits for athletes: eat frequently, drink lots of water, carbs are good, protein is good, avoid high fat foods.

Scientists have found that those who engaged in moderate activity - attended school and did homework, along with limited physical activity such as chores - had the best recovery, based on tests of memory, reaction time and other cognitive checks, better even than those who were less active. Those who engaged in any greater levels of activity - practice or play - scored much worse.

The new protocols stress "cognitive rest" that may include limits on schoolwork as well as activities such as texting, video games and TV watching, while still recognizing that the brain needs some stimulation. To recover from concussion, therefore, young brains require not only restrictions on physical activity, but also reduction of mental effort.

Use of the ImPACT concussion evaluation program at a Pennsylvania high school has been a huge success.

It is widely acknowledged that successful players train and prepare themselves better than the rest, however only the mentally strong are willing to do so.

A prime example is former Soviet swimming champ Vladimir Salnikov, who racked-up legendary feats of stamina and grit. After Salnikov first broke a world record, tales began filtering through the Iron Curtain of how he swam distances during training twice as far as anyone else in the world.

One of the things that undermine most athletic performances, especially over time, is an inability to be consistent -- to bring your "A" game every night no matter what the circumstances or the score. Of course, the hardest time to play your "A" game is when you're losing.

So what if losing is inevitable? Now you're playing for yourself. If you got "game" it means that the final hole, game or minutes are played just as hard, for yourself, as the first. The key to consistency is to be relentless within yourself.

Participants were divided into four groups: One searched scenes for a specific target; one memorized each scene; one rated how pleasant the scenes were; and one was told to "free-view" the scenes -- to look anywhere they liked. When a target would appear in the participants' line of sight -- either in an old location or in a spot where their eyes had yet to focus upon -- all four groups were instructed shift their eyes to the target.

The study found that those in the group told to search for a specific object were slower to shift their eyes back to areas they had already examined. Those in the other three groups, however, had the opposite reaction. They shifted their eyes back much faster to areas they had already looked at than to new locations.

Some very effective mind tricks can help propel you through the final push during training or races. They are:

1. When feeling sick in anticipation of a run -- deal with it and remember your strengths
2. When struggling through mile repeats -- deal with it: and run with purpose
3. When climbing a mountain -- deal with it by repeating a mantra
4. When hitting a low -- deal with it and know it will pass
5. When facing long-run fatigue -- deal with it and think of the payoff
6. When gutting out a hard patch -- deal with it by distracting yourself

There are certain pains that are warning signs you shouldn't ignore. They are:

Batting .196, the Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz is experiencing what sports psychologists call a performance block. "Just put down, 'Papi stinks,'" Ortiz told reporters recently. Those negative words raised red flags with sports psychologists.

Sports psychologists speculate on what might be bothering Ortiz and then offer numerous techniques for addressing the problem, including:

Researchers at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers University in New Jersey have shed new light on how the brain processes what the eyes see. The new research shows that the current theory of saccadic suppression is incorrect.

Very few eye professionals support the theory that you can improve eye sight with eye exercises, and even fewer offer visual training to their patients.