The Wall

I goofed up on my second 20 mile run. My energy level has been increasing fast over the last couple of weeks and I’ve been able to run my short 6 mile runs much faster. So when I started my 20 mile run I started out at a faster pace than my first 20 mile run. The faster pace felt good. Based on my heart rate during most of the run it seemed to be the optimum pace. After 16 miles I felt good and I was on pace shave off 17 minutes from my previous 20 mile run. But at mile 17 I totally ran out of gas. It wasn’t due to a high heart rate, just a lack of energy. This is what runners call “The Wall”.

When running fast the body burns glycogen for quick energy. The body can only store enough glycogen for about 18 to 20 miles. After glycogen runs out, the body needs to burn fat for energy. Fat does not convert to energy as fast as glycogen and therefore cannot sustain the energy level needed to continue running. When a runner hits The Wall the body starts shutting down for protection. Then how does one run a marathon (26.2 miles) without hitting the wall?

One way to extend The Wall to a longer distance is to run slower at the begging, thus burning more fat and saving glycogen. However that increases the time for completing the race. Another way is to maximize the amount of stored glycogen by eating a lot of carbohydrates during the last couple of days for the run. This is called carbloading. A third way to extend The Wall is to consume some carbohydrates during the run, such as an energy drink or energy gel. I did none of these for my second 20 mile run.

I’ve learned my lesson, again. One cannot go out and run 20 miles without good preparation and expect a fast run. This week I need to give my body some time to heal so my long run will be only about 16 miles. The following next two weeks I plan on making my long runs 23 miles. I’ll carbload the evening before by eating a big meal of spaghetti. Then I’ll bring some energy gel packs on the run. I did this last year and I noticed a big improvement in how fast I could complete a long run without running out of gas. If I prepare right I think I can complete my last two long runs at a pace of 10 min/mile or better. That would result in a marathon finish time of 4:22. I would be very happy with that considering a few weeks ago I wasn’t even sure I would be able to complete the race within the 6 hour regulation time.