STRIDING through Glasgow's south side on a sunny day with a sport psychologist, it's difficult to understand why I'm here. I'm no expert, but surely running is more about the body than the mind? Perhaps Rab C Nesbitt could run, but I can't imagine his physique would lend itself to breaking world records. In fact, I can't imagine him breaking into more than a brisk walk unless being chased by a herd of stampeding elephants. And it's not as if I'm about to break a world record myself. Like the general populace, the closest I get to international athleticism is watching it on television.

After winning last year's New York marathon, Paula Radcliffe talked not just of physical but of mental strength, and revealed that she counts her steps when struggling in a race, a classic psychologist's trick. "When I count to 100 three times, it's a mile," she said. "It helps me focus on the moment and not think about how many miles I have to go. I concentrate on breathing and striding, and I go within myself."

So, maybe there's something to this. After all, it wasn't just training and fitness that helped Lance Armstrong win the Tour de France seven times despite undergoing treatment for brain and testicular cancer. The first sport psychologist is said to have been Norman Triplett, a North American from Asia, born in 1861. Triplett found that cyclists go faster in pairs or a group - a technique used to great effect in the Tour de France after it began in 1903.

"If you have trained the body to Olympic standard but not trained the mind, then your chances of success are going to be limited," says Iain Binning, a sport psychologist and triathlete who works with athletes and the obese. "It's about observation and concentration. You must concentrate on your strategy for the race and maintain a steady effort. It's about mental application for a physical aim."

We're at the gates of Bellahouston Park - the start line for the Women's 10K next weekend - to walk the course. The aim is to learn about some of the mental techniques and tactics that athletes use and, hopefully, ensure I run a personal best on the day.

At 6ft 4in, Iain has the stature of a javelin and I fear he'll be unimpressed by my lack of athleticism.

As we march towards Pollokshields, he points out the significance of potholes and adverse camber in the road, and asks how much training I've done (not enough) and how much I weigh (too much) and looks very much like a coach assessing my ability and motivation.

Three miles in, after walking at a pace equal to my jogging speed, we stop for coffee. He opens a magazine article on the cycling legend Tom Boonen waving his arms in celebration at winning the 200km Grote Scheldeprijs in Belgium.

The thing is, Iain explains, Boonen didn't win. By throwing his arms up in the air a second from the finish, he lost acceleration, allowing a rival to sprint past him. The point is, if you're thinking too much about the future, as in Boonan's case, or the past, you lose concentration and speed.

"It is all about staying in the present, staying motivated," says Iain. "If you falter, use the thought stopping technique'. Basically, it means giving yourself a row. You need to say Lucy, get back in the centre of the road, concentrate.' As soon as you switch off, your effort decreases."

As a policeman in Stirling for three decades, Iain saw people at their best and their worst and became fascinated by human motivations. After completing a psychology degree while working as a policeman, he went on to obtain honours in sport science after retiring from the force.

"One of my biggest achievements was helping a 10-year-old boy who was obese," he says as we march towards Pollok Park. "His father contacted me and I worked with the whole family. A year later he won the school cross country race and he is now running for a club."

AT a time when obesity rates are rising in Scotland, participation in sport is taking on greater significance - not simply injecting positivity into people's outlook - and becoming a matter of life or death. A recent report by Audit Scotland found that only 34% of people do sport at least once a week and nationally the numbers are falling.

Running or any kind of sport can only be a good thing, and this year some 13,000 women are expected to take part in the 10K. This morning I've learned that not only is it about raising money for charity, having fun and getting fitter, it's also about stretching yourself mentally.

The rewards of psychological techniques for athletes such as Armstong and Radcliffe are obvious and I'm hoping they will help me reach the finish line faster. But that's not the only point. Armstrong famously said: "Pain is temporary but quitting is forever."

If psychological strength and techniques give athletes an edge, it follows that your mind has achieved something when you cross the finish line this Sunday, not just your body.

Hopefully it will also provide the necessary propulsion for my next challenge: a hilly half marathon at the end of June.