With record numbers of runners lacing up to run marathons, more of them will face the infamous experience of \u201chitting the wall.\u201d Hitting the wall is the phenomenon where runners experience a sudden onset of debilitating fatigue, difficulty keeping pace, and often, a shift away from their goal pace towards surviving until the finish line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The wall is brought on by a depletion of the body\u2019s energy stores after prolonged physical exertion, often around the 34-kilometre mark of the marathon. While nutrition and pacing may prevent the wall, about 50 per cent of recreational marathon runners, especially novice ones, report being acquainted with this running \u201crite of passage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even if runners avoid the wall, most runners will experience fatigue and discomfort over the course of a marathon. The fatigue and suffering can feel like an unfair payoff after months of training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have run 10 marathons and during some, I hit the wall. As an exercise psychology researcher, I was disappointed that I didn\u2019t cope better when I first encountered the wall. My initial response involved typical negative thoughts (for example, I will never finish), emotions (despair, panic) and a desire to quit. Like many other runners do, I tried to distract myself, deny what was happening and suppress my negative thoughts and emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This didn\u2019t work well and research explains why. Such coping strategies can use up cognitive resources, paradoxically increasing rumination and undermining performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since those early marathons, I have learned a lot about mindfulness through my research and teaching at the University of Manitoba. I was able to bring mindfulness to a recent marathon where I was reunited with the wall. This approach offered me an alternative to trying to suppress and control my thoughts and feelings, which allowed me to cope better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rather than trying to change what is happening, mindfulness involves changing our relationship with what is happening. When mindful, we intentionally pay attention to and allow whatever is happening, without judgment. Mindfulness allows us to be objective observers of our present experience which creates distance from, rather than entanglement with, our experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What might it look like to bring mindfulness to the experience of hitting the wall?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Observe without judging<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Notice the present moment without judgment. Get curious about what is happening and try not to judge things as good or bad \u2014 just observe them. Upon noticing the sudden onset of fatigue, runners may ask themselves, \u201cwhat does fatigue feel like?\u201d, or \u201cwhere in my body do I feel fatigue the most?\u201d In answering these questions, runners can maintain objectivity by describing what they feel such as, \u201cmy legs feel heavy\u201d instead of inserting judgment (for example, \u201cmy legs are shot\u201d). This objective stance may help runners stay present with the experience and not get carried away interpreting and judging what is going on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This curious and objective noticing can also be applied to thoughts and feelings, which can often become catastrophic when runners hit the wall. A runner may observe themselves thinking, \u201cThis is terrible. I will never finish.\u201d They can aim to notice the difference from the discomfort they feel and the stories they tell themselves about this discomfort, which are not absolute truths. By noticing thoughts and feelings, runners are less likely to get carried away by them; mindfulness has been shown to help people cope with dysfunctional thoughts and feelings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Focus on the present<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Bring your attention back to the present moment. Runners may also notice when their attention shifts from the present to the past (what they could have done differently) or the future (the entire distance they still must run). When facing the wall, it may help runners to anchor their attention in aspects of the present, such as physiological sensations, the rhythm of their steps or the immediate sights and sounds. The last time I hit the wall, I found it helpful to limit my focus to the kilometre I was running, rather than thinking about those I had yet to run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Accept the present moment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mindfulness also involves accepting the present moment. For marathon runners, this acceptance can be extended to the discomfort associated with hitting the wall. Given that hitting the wall is common, especially for novice runners, runners can accurately interpret the phenomenon as what happens when the body runs low on energy \u2014 rather than some catastrophic sign that all is lost. Phrases like \u201cthis is the hard part\u201d or \u201cthis is part of running a marathon\u201d may help runners accept rather than ruminate about the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While I offer these strategies to marathon runners who hit the wall, they can be applied to the general fatigue and discomfort inherent to any endurance activity. Mindfulness has been associated with many positive outcomes for endurance athletes including flow experiences, mental toughness, improved running economy, reduced catastrophizing about pain and reduced performance deficits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, the benefits of mindfulness have been established broadly, beyond the athlete population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Much like marathon training, mindfulness is best developed through ongoing training. Runners who regularly practise mindfulness \u2014 whether through a daily meditation, everyday mindfulness or both \u2014 will more easily apply this skill when needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In my experience applying mindfulness to the wall, it did not make the wall go away, but it helped me keep a level head while I approached the rest of my race one kilometre at a time, and ensured I had a good enough experience to sign up for another one!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shaelyn Strachan<\/a>, Professor, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, University of Manitoba<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With record numbers of runners lacing up to run marathons, more of them will face the infamous experience<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[137],"class_list":["post-14923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-marathon"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tMindfulness and endurance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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