Coopah How To: Avoid Hitting The Wall
Guess what, if you are running the TCS London Marathon you can officially say that you are running a marathon next month. I am sure I am not alone in feeling like the weeks are now flying by and before we know it, we will be carb loading (the best part of running a marathon in my opinion), drinking water like a camel to stay hydrated and making those final preparations for event day.
Hopefully by this stage you have found your groove with your training, so with that in mind for today's blog, and those going forward, I am going to be sharing more specific race day advice along with some tips and tricks that you can incorporate into your training to help make your marathon a success.
And today, we are going to be talking about something a lot of marathon runners dread… hitting the wall, but more importantly, how to avoid it.
THE SCIENCEY BIT
Hitting the wall is essentially when your body runs out of its main energy source - glycogen (which we get from carbohydrates) and tends to happen in the latter stages of the race, around 18-20 miles, but if you have not fuelled properly it could happen even earlier.
When this happens, you might feel suddenly exhausted, your legs may feel like lead, and your pace could slow dramatically. It’s like your body’s fuel gauge hitting empty, making the last few miles feel like an uphill battle, and lets be honest, not a very enjoyable experience.
This is why fuelling well is really important and should be taken seriously both during your training and on race day, and if you’re not sure where to start with fuelling then click here to read my blog all about it.
But as a general takeaway, you should be looking to take fuel (gels) on approximately every 30 minutes from the start of the race to ensure you keep those glycogen stores topped up and avoid running on empty.
STICK TO THE PLAN
Another mistake that runners make on race day is to suddenly switch up their goal and set off at a pace that is a lot quicker than they have been doing in training. It can be really easy to get carried away; race day adrenaline, other runners, thousands of people cheering you on making you feel invincible, but whilst the faster pace might feel okay for the first part of the race, if you head out a pace that is not sustainable for you, chances are you will pay for it later on.
So as hard as it may be, stick to your goal, stick to the pace you have trained at and try to block everything else out. And just remember, during a marathon the first half of the race should feel pretty comfortable. 26.2 miles is a long old way so if you’re struggling to maintain a pace early on in the race, it will feel a whole lot harder once you have been running for 20 miles.
Always remember that if you head out at a pace that is comfortable, it may mean that when you do get to the last few miles you can pick up your speed and run faster - which trust me - is a much better feeling and experience then feeling like you are clinging on for dear life at the end.
BREAK IT DOWN
As you have probably realised by now, marathon training is as much of a mental challenge as a physical one, and the race itself is no different.
Imagine you are standing on the start line getting ready to run, if you are only thinking about the finish line that will probably feel pretty daunting, so instead try breaking the distance down into smaller, manageable chunks and focus on that and running the mile you are in.
This is something I personally do for every event, and it really helps me to feel less overwhelmed about whats to come.
For example, my first goal during a marathon will be to reach 5km, then 10km, 15km, 20km, Halfway…and then continue this until the finish. And every time I reach a milestone, I will have a quick check in with how my body is feeling, make sure my breathing is controlled and makes sure I am on pace too.
But it’s important to find what works for you - mileage milestones may not work but instead you could try;
Time - break the race down into 30 minute chunks.
Landmarks - whether it’s an iconic landmark en route, or even the next water station use this to countdown to your next milestone.
Support - if you have family or friends watching, make a plan so you know where they will be and use that so you know its only X miles until you see them again.
I hope these tips help, and remember we still have seven weeks to go until event day so there is plenty of time to start incorporating this advice into your training runs, especially your long runs. In fact, start thinking of your long runs as a dress rehearsal for the main event, so by the time race day rolls around you will know exactly what you need to do to ensure you have the best day and be well on your way to achieving your goals.
You’ve got this!
Coach Jordan x