Careful, there's a wall out there

I've heard people talk about it, but really didn't give much heed to that "wall" that exists in the running world.

This past Saturday, August 23 was my first, and hopefully last, experience of hitting that wall.

My running coach, Jeff Nearing, has graciously developed a training plan for me leading to the October 12 Valley Harvest Marathon where I plan to run the Half Marathon (21.1K) distance.

My weekend long run plan called for me to do 15K at a 5:45 min/km pace. The previous weekend Jeff introduced me to the BLT Trail so I ventured out on Saturday to do my training run alone.

Approaching the 7.5K turnaround point I was feeling great. The average pace was on target ranging from 5:23 to 5:51. The temperature was perfect so I got it in my mind to do the full half marathon distance. The furthest long run to that point was the previous Saturday completing just over 14K. A little cocky, I was thinking what's the big deal, it's just another 6K, so why not go for it.

Everything was fine until I started approaching 16K. That's when I started hearing the guitar strums from the beginning of Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall Part 1. I could feel the energy draining quickly as 'the wall' approached.

The next 5K was excruciating. My pace was slowing exponentially, slipping to 6:35, 6:58, 7:37 and 8:02 through kilometres 17-20, respectively. The last was completed in 7:25 min/km since I could see the end of the madness and it got my legs moving ever so slightly.

When I stopped my head was spinning and I simply sat in my vehicle with the air conditioning on maximum and chugging the litre of water I had left behind. I could not even stand to complete the after run stretch routine. After 10 minutes or so I was feeling less light headed and headed home for some badly needed nutritional intake.

Sitting for lunch, I began to get very, very cold and shivering uncontrollably. I Googled the symptoms to see what was up and I learned quickly about the post-run shivers and thermoregulation. It was off to the bed to bundle up and regulate my body temperature. About two hours later I was back to normal, with the exception of very sore legs and some bad blisters on my feet. Hitting the wall is a real thing.

I am grateful to my beautiful wife Charlene for keeping me fuelled for the rest of the day as walking was a real issue into Saturday evening. It was a quick recovery though. We spent Sunday on an awesome kayaking adventure and enjoying our own secluded beach on Cape LaHave Island.

Lessons learned:

• "Respect the distance" - those were the words from Jeff when I texted him about what I had just attempted and was experiencing. He's right. By percentage, increasing from my longest 14K run to 21.1K is nearly a 36% increase in distance in one week. Research tells you to only increase by 10% maximum per week;
• "Don't try crazy new distances on your own" - luckily I did not pass out and collapse on the route. The trail is heavily used, but it's not worth tempting fate. I did not even have my cell phone with me if anything did occur - not smart;
• "Eat more food" - before I left for that run I consumed two muffins and a couple cups of coffee equating to 310 calories. During the run I burnt 1,830 calories. Obviously the math does not work;
• "Bring more water and some quick absorbing energy food" - all I had with me was a small bottle of water. The research I have done since talks about carb induced drinks and gel packs to keep energy flowing;
• "Stick to the plan" - when an experienced runner, and your coach, gives you a training plan, stick with what the paper says. Straying from the game plan can be hazardous to your health;
• "I can do the distance" - on a positive note, I did finish the half marathon distance that day. It took 2:10:23 at an average pace of 6:11 min/km, which considering, is not that bad for a first timer. But as per the goals in the blog post last week, I have a lot of work to do.

Gratefully, I can look back a few days later and chuckle about the situation. During those last five kilometres there was not a lot of chuckling going on. I was hurting, a lot, but I am actually glad it happened. It was a little bruise on the ego. Since starting running in January, I have experienced some great progress in endurance. Sometimes we take things a little too lightly and get a Superman complex. Hitting the wall brings everything into perspective.

I was not quite as bad as the folks in this short video, but it was not too far away.

So it's back to the training plan. Happy running everyone, but be careful, there's a wall out there some place with your name on it. Listen to your body - it knows best. Stay safe.