The dreaded WALL!

19 watchers

JohnnyO Apr 2012 2:35pm, 10 Apr 2012 12,390 posts	0 JohnnyO HR drops as you slow down because of lack of glycogen. The problem isn't oxygen delivery, its a lack of metabolic substrate for continued running, and the delivery of this isnt flow dependent until you hit rock bottom. If you dropped your blood sugar further (to the point where you were suffering hypoglycaemia) your heart rate would go up, for a number of reasons.
TRO Saracen Apr 2012 2:42pm, 10 Apr 2012 6,290 posts	0 TRO Saracen Great thread. A few comments/experiences. My first marathon I ran with the OH, I was probably in shape for a 3:45 but stayed with her and ran 4:07. I did not hit the wall; I'd wanted to hit the wall beforehand as part of that 'first marathon' experience (oddly dissatisfied afterwards as well). So conservative pacing, even in your first marathon, should avoid it as long as the training is there. Second one was a totally different experience. Trained myself into fantastic condition, was probably in shape for around 3:20 but wanted to try for 3:15. Set off quick, aware that it was probably too quick but convinced myself I could run through it, tough it out if and when it came. Wrong. Ran too fast too early, messed up nutrition, smashed into the wall at 23 miles. I tottered over the line like a Saturday night drunk, cried bucketloads. There is no way you can speed up, or hold pace when you hit the wall. If you can, you aint hit it yet! Oddly have also 'bonked', hit low patches and all sorts in other events, including Ironman, but none have been quite as intense as that marathon wall. Ironman, for example, you get ebbs and flows mentally and physically but nothing as race ending (in terms of target pace) as the marathon one. You can get through it, recover - you lose some pace but not catastrophically. I think marathon is perfect for maximising the impact, you are still working quite hard compared to a longer event, and fat is a lower % of your overall fuel - so when gycogen runs out there is a much bigger drop off. And the time it usually happens is late, when there really is not time to recover and regroup so that's it to the finish line.
sprouty76 Apr 2012 2:48pm, 10 Apr 2012 2,079 posts	0 sprouty76 I'm training for my first marathon, I've done 23 miles in training and not hit it yet so I'm optimistic that my pacing and nutrition have been ok so far. I have hit it on the bike though, absolutely horrible feeling but brought it on myself by totally inadequate fuelling through the day.
Max71 Apr 2012 4:08pm, 10 Apr 2012 27,365 posts	0 Max71 My trigger signs are definitely my ability to calculate simple sums i.e. not being able to take 12 away from 38 once had me in such a mess, I get cold and then I just want to cry.
WobblingTime Apr 2012 4:10pm, 10 Apr 2012 910 posts	0 WobblingTime Ah, I always struggle with sums when I'm running. I think I hit the wall on my first 18 miler, I just wanted to cry and I was definitely weaving a bit along the path. I blame messing about with my fuelling strategy, as it's not happened again.
sprouty76 Apr 2012 4:14pm, 10 Apr 2012 2,082 posts	0 sprouty76 Yeah, I get that on all runs too.
jono82version4.6 Apr 2012 5:33pm, 10 Apr 2012 8,983 posts	0 jono82version4.6 Not very experienced but broadly speaking train as you mean to run, by that I mean drink when your thirsty not to a schedule, take on nutrition. In the same form as you will during training - training consistently will save you having to do sums in your head train hard fight easy kids - now as I'm a bit of a thread killer I don't expect any comments
paul a Apr 2012 5:45pm, 10 Apr 2012 9,134 posts	0 paul a Has anyone mentioned yet that if the hydration, nutrition and pacing strategies are right that the wall doesn't exist?
JohnnyO Apr 2012 6:43pm, 10 Apr 2012 12,392 posts	0 JohnnyO Definitely true, but every time I think I have got it right, I find a new way of getting it wrong.
OllyW Apr 2012 7:04pm, 10 Apr 2012 5,416 posts	0 OllyW I haven't hit the wall in a marathon since I increased my longest long run to 23/24 miles and increased the number of 20mile+ runs to at least 6. I suspect that multi-marathoners like Paul don't hit the wall due to this sort of training more than any other factor.