It is the rare runner that never experiences the marathon wall when running longer distances. This is something that intimidates many new runners to the point they doubt their ability to make it through on race day.
It is something that concerns even the most experienced runner, especially since they already know the agony that it can bring and how difficult it makes finishing a race.
If you are concerned with the marathon wall as well, or just want a better understanding of what it is, then keep reading.
Understanding the Marathon Wall
This term does not refer to a real wall, but hitting it does feel much like smacking face first into the side of a brick building.
This occurs later in the marathon when your muscles have been working hard for quite some time and you are struggling to maintain your mental focus and motivation to continue putting one foot in front of the other.
Your muscles start to run low on glycogen (stored energy), and eventually become depleted. That is when you hit the wall.
There are two aspects to hitting this wall:
1. Physical: many runners report a tingling sensation, numbness, and eventually agonizing pain. The legs may burn or feel like they are made of concrete that is incredibly difficult to lift and move forward. Other parts of the body may ache, tingle, or feel numb as well.
2. Mental: many runners report struggling to think clearly and push themselves to keep running forward. All of the motivation and inspiration to finish in a certain time goes out the window as you struggle just to keep in the race.
You have to be emotionally strong to handle the mental pressure in addition to the physical pain that comes from hitting this wall.
First time marathon runners that discount the power of the wall are quickly humbled when they are forced to drag themselves over the finish line in agonizing pain and complete exhaustion.
Surviving the Marathon Wall
For most runners, it is not a question of if you will hit this wall, but when you will plow into it full force.
The best thing you can do to survive is to be aware of what it is and have a plan. This ensures you are not caught off guard when it hits, and know exactly what to do to pull through it. It is much easier to remain calm and finish the race if you know what is happening inside your muscles and what to do to help yourself.
Once you feel that you have plowed face first into the wall, focus on mental clarity. You may try speeding up, trying to make use of different muscle fibers that were not depleted at the more moderate marathon pace.
You can also focus your mind on maintaining the marathon pace you trained for, distracting your mind from the pain to the goal at hand.
You may also take in a source of calories if you have something on hand, hoping to replenish your muscles at least a little and give yourself the fuel to reach that finish line.
It is a mental game once you hit the wall. You have to push yourself mentally to keep your body physically moving toward your goal. If you have trained well in advance of the race (read below), this will be far easier than pushing forward without proper training. Marathon training and running can be really tough!
Avoiding the Marathon Wall
You may not be able to completely avoid hitting the wall for every marathon, but you can reduce your risk of hitting it full force by training efficiently for your marathon.
This means going out on all of your marathon long runs without excuses. Those long runs are what prepare your muscles to continue working when the glycogen levels start to run low.
Throw in at least one twenty mile run during your training schedule, just to get your muscles used to running very low on glycogen or running out completely. I prefer to include at least three twenty mile runs.
Some marathon training runs should be performed at that pace you want to keep during the marathon. If you only train at a slower pace and then speed it up on race day, your muscles will burn through their glycogen much faster than you were prepared to handle.
If you have been training at a given pace throughout the training period and keep that pace consistently on race day, your muscles will burn through glycogen consistent with the rate during training. You will be more likely to delay the onset of the wall until much later in the race.
One final tip is to fuel up on carbohydrates before the race, and keep a source of carbs with you during the race. You can use those carbs to refuel your muscles when you hit that marathon wall.
Return from Marathon Wall to Marathon Training Schedule
Return to Marathon Training Tips Home
