Breaking the wall

As I said not too long ago, I am planning to really kick things up a notch in preparation for the next Nairobi Marathon event. Well, I am not planning any more, I’m already doing it and I have to say things are looking pretty good. If you have ever run a marathon or half-marathon for that matter, I’m sure it came to a point in that race when you felt as if you just couldn’t keep going; that’s called the wall and it is what this post will focus on.

‘The wall’ basically refers to a point where you body runs out of fuel and for most recreational runners this is usually at the two thirds mark for long races. As you might be aware, carbohydrates are what power us on a daily basis and so if your reserves are depleted during a race, every part of your body will try to convince you to stop. So how do you go through this wall? Well, it’s quite simple really, keep your body well-fuelled.

It is recommended that one ingests carbohydrates and electrolytes every 45 to 60 minutes of running. You should however ensure that you go into every race with sufficient reserves so as to avoid hitting the wall too early. The best fuel for your body while running can be found in a sports drink. But not everybody fancies the idea of running around with a bottle in hand so a good alternative will be to have a number of Gummi bears in your pocket. The idea is to consume a few whenever you feel your body is running out.

Carbohydrates will definitely help you keep pushing in those long races but you need to understand that, that is not all you need. Here’s the reality, running long races is not just a physical battle but a mental one as well. What this means is that regardless of how well you trained for the event, there’s still a chance that you will get to that point where every part of your body turns against you; and this is where will power comes in.

You need to be a very strong-willed person to complete a full marathon or even half that distance. In fact some people say that all the training in the world will only take you to the ¾ mark after which, it is up to you and your mind. I have to say that I have experienced this a number of times and since I have only done half-marathons, this mental wall hit me at around the 16-17K mark. At that moment you will have some of the fiercest battles in your mind and if you can’t manage to convince your body to keep going, you’ll simply stop.

Usually you’ll feel your calf muscles and just about every other muscle in your body tighten up, your breathing will become restricted; simply put everything will be working against you. If you are participating in an event, it would be a good idea to run next to someone who is going at your pace, this way your competitive instinct will awaken and trust me this will power you for a good distance. I tried it a few years back and I have to say it was one of the main reasons I was able to comple