How to break through the wall in a marathon?
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Psychological or muscular barrier, the wall in a marathon can be a real obstacle to overcome. See here what this mythical wall is, what its effects are and how to prepare to break through it.
Not all marathon runners are equal when it comes to the marathon wall. Some may never encounter it, while being aware of the difficulty, others may hit it without even knowing what it is, and finally, some experienced runners may be able to avoid it. So what is this marathon wall?
The difficulty of the marathon wall.
It is an integral part of the marathon and contributes just as much to the myth of this distance as the symbol that this event represents through the ages. The wall is a difficulty that marathon runners encounter a the 35th kilometer of the race.
While everything was going well up to that point, it is no longer possible to maintain the same pace, legs become heavy, muscles ache, accelerating is no longer possible, slowing down seems to bring relief, but there are still about 7 kilometers left, that is to say 30 minutes of racing (at best), or even 45, or 60.
The effects of the marathon wall.
This 35th kilometer is certainly the one where physical resources begin to seriously decline, after 2 hours or 3 hours of running. This is where energy resources are running low, the slow-burning carbohydrates from pasta consumed in the days before the race are no longer available, but burned, the last energy bar or quick sugar has also been consumed, there are still reserves of energy in the muscles, in the fats, and certainly the balance of salts may not be optimal to meet the demanded effort.
The finish line seems to be getting further away as the runner's speed slows down. It takes great mental strength to fight against the lingering pains and reach the finish line as a winner, with a smile on the lips. However, this wall can be anticipated during training, not by working on one's mental strength to fight against it, although it can help, but by working on one's physical condition to avoid hitting it.
How to prepare for hitting the wall?
Some aspects of marathon training.
- Distance:
Some people prepare for their marathon by running enormous amounts of kilometers. A maximum of kilometers can be reached during the week before the marathon week. Some will run up to 80, 100 km per week, but their performance is in the 2 hours 30 range for a marathon, while others will run only 60 km per week, with a target time of 3 hours. Some will also run 80 km for a target time of 4 hours. Maybe the latter will not encounter the famous wall, but it is not guaranteed. The distance covered is not actually a factor in avoiding the wall, as it is not measurable in terms of muscle work, but rather in terms of cardiac or general work.
- Power:
Running can be done in different strides, small strides that are economical and fast, or long strides that require muscle and allow for a relatively slower heart rate. Yes, slower!
With small strides, breathing is solicited to allow the legs to turn quickly, and the heart is also solicited.
With long strides, the work is in power, breathing is slower, and the heart is less solicited.
In the latter case, the muscles will work a lot, especially those of the thighs. By being solicited on the one hand, and recovering on the other hand, the muscles will adapt to the effort, overcompensate during rest, and thus help the runner progress.
If the runner has not run more during the week, he has run better because he has developed his power. He has thus made efforts that allow him to progress in terms of muscle work.
Power can be developed through various exercises:
- with long strides,
- with hill work,
- with stair climbs or bike sessions,
- or even with exercises in the pool (variety is the spice of life).
As the muscles are better prepared for the effort, they will better respond when intensely solicited after 35 kilometers with the right amount of kilometers.
Strength training and kilometers do not unfortunately make a marathon, there is also the marathon preparation, slow sugar intake, muscle recovery, and mineral salt intake... and perhaps even talent and luck. No, talent and luck, really not!
