There comes a point in every race where you run out of steam – for marathoners its the dreaded wall around mile 18-20. You’re running fine and then sometimes you just feel like everything stops. Legs are like mush, your lungs might be struggling for that next breath and your body starts to sag. Typically you train up to around at least one 20 mile run in a marathon training cycle. Those last 6.2 miles are a hurdle to get through. And you wonder – why didn’t I run the full 26.2 in training so I at least know I can do it?
Funny thing is – you don’t need to run the whole distance to be prepared for the race. After four marathons I know this. But – that doubt always creeps in. Sometimes there isn’t even a wall – you run and run and run and wait for it to come – but it doesn’t. Those are both the best and the worst races. Like you are waiting for something to happen, it doesn’t, so you aren’t sure and are thrown off your game. Confidence and trust in yourself is what you need to break through both the physical and mental walls we build for ourselves.
This year I hit a wall. Some of them were unavoidable – like the disk issue in my neck which took months to recover from (and some days I’m still dealing with tinglingly thumbs and a sore neck) – others were of my own creation. I had planned for this blog to cover all 26 (.2) pieces of advice that I have learned while training and completing marathons. But, for this race, I’ll take a DNF. I got in my own way somewhere back around July or August and didn’t have the confidence to get over the wall. Yes, I ran a decent marathon in October, after canceling on an earlier one, but my running never jumped up or improved like it did the year I ran my personal best.
So I need to do something different to get over the wall. I’ve got exercise and strength training covered – and I’m well aware of my body and what I can do or not do because of strange issues like the disk in my neck. Other areas I can focus on this year to help build up my foundation would be diet, stretching, and confidence. I shouldn’t doubt that I can do tough things. Maybe it may look different than someone else, but I need to bring back that positive attitude and confidence in my skills – because I do have them!
I might have also only gotten through half of my marathon advice this year in my blog. But – I have to find the balance between letting the world into my journey and also keeping some of my goals and thoughts private. Just like running, sometimes you need a good few miles with a runner friend, when other times just getting out there by yourself and your thoughts is the best thing ever.
As this year closes, I wish you many happy miles running next year, and I promise to keep good on my end of the deal and continue updating on what I’ve been learning on how to be the best runner (and hopefully then wife, mother, sister, friend and person) because of it. There is a lot more road ahead to cover!
