Mental endurance is just as critical in poker as physical endurance. Just as I'm sure you have a prerace ritual to prepare to run. So should you have one for poker.

1. Get enough sleep the night before. (Remeber John Murphy at this years WSOP? Overslept.)

2. Make sure you eat. And make sure it's not foods that are heavy. You know the kinds, where after you eat you want to sleep.

3. Maintain the right state of mind. Poker has a lot of peaks and valleys. And if you're in the valley long enough, it'll start making you mentally fatigued. Keep your focus so that when it's time to take down a huge pot you're alert and oriented.

Other than that. I'm sure as an athlete you can think of other ways to get yourself psyched up for a session of poker.