‘Hitting the wall’ is a rite of passage for many runners. You can be going along well in a race. Having done the miles and practiced nutrition in training your confident (and perhaps over confident). You’re going for that new personal best (PB), then boom your world starts crumbling around you!
Why does this happen. What can you do to prevent it?
Who and when are you most likely to hit the wall?
It is suggested faster male runners are more likely to hit the wall (28% of men to 17% of women). Interestingly, most will experience the ‘wall’ in the three years prior to their marathon PB effort. It is thought that this is the period where they are improving, pushing your limits, but haven’t yet mastered the distance.
What is hitting the wall?
In endurance sports such as cycling and running, hitting the wall is a condition of sudden fatigue and loss of energy which is caused by the depletion of glycogen stores in the liver and muscles.
To boil it down. Hitting the wall when running can come about through a number of reasons. Firstly, going too fast too soon for your body and distance. Secondly, poor nutrition to fuel the distance and energy exerted. As runners are more likely to push their bodies in race conditions, ‘hitting the wall’ is more likely than in training.
Some people may call it ‘bonking’. When you hit the wall, it feels like you have run face-first into a stack of bricks. Your legs start feeling like concrete posts, every step is a triumph of will and you seriously doubt that the race actually has a finish line!
How can you prevent hitting the wall?
Practice, practice, practice. The more you get comfortable with the distance, fuelling, hydration through training, the more your body will be ready for the marathon challenge. You will very unlikely be running marathons in training, but should practice marathon pacing. Specific session training through tempo’s, progressions and long runs will target this specifically! Don’t forget, working with a running coach get really help here! 🏃♂️
The key to everything is strategy and pacing during your marathon, bringing all the aspects together. Being aware of your limits taking calculated risks. 😎
