"There comes a point in every race - it could be the fifth mile, it could be the 25th- but, eventually,you're gonna hit ... what runners like to call "the wall. " And when you do ... you won't be able to breathe or think or even move. All you're gonna wanna do is give up."
I don't know how many of you have watched the 2007 Simon Pegg film 'Run, Fatboy, Run'. For those who haven't, I strongly recommend that you do; it is absolutely hilarious. Those who have watched it, will remember the villain of the film delivering the above monologue to Pegg's character. As a runner, I believe that no truer words were spoken in this movie.
Whether you are pushing your limits on a treadmill, running in a competition or simply aiming for a better time, you often 'hit the wall'. In that moment your body tells you it is certain that it can't go on any longer and begs you to stop, just for a little while. How well one deals with this is what separates the champions from the runner-ups. I don't know how other people deal with it when they 'hit the wall'. For me the method has changed over time and most would probably seem bizarre to others. For example, when I was younger I'd repeat 50 Cent lyrics in my head over and over again. When I was learning to drive a stick shift I'd think of myself as a car so that when I'd feel like stopping I would just imagine shifting to a lower, heavier gear which could handle the strain.
As I now train for cross-country, visualization is the driving-force in my training. As I run, I am totally disconnected from my surroundings. My mind goes into a different world painted with my ambitions. I see myself getting that 4.0 GPA and see myself leaving behind the competition in the last leg of a race. I see myself lounging on a beach, obviously ripped in nothing but my yellow Billabong beach shorts. I see myself in a fine Italian suit, looking down at Manhattan from my multimillion-dollar pent-house apartment, surveying my kingdom. And in that moment, when my body is begging me to stop, all my desires and ambition become tied to me finishing the race. In my head, I believe that if I can only keep going, beat my earlier times, then my desires will be waiting on the other side of the finish-line. With that thought, the wall comes crumbling down, I push harder, run faster, look and feel stronger. In that moment I already feel like a champion and it's almost too easy to keep going.
P.S. Progress report; I'm now running 2.32 miles in 20 minutes, up from 2.17 last week. I'm encouraged but still keeping in mind it's still a ways to go to my 5 mile-a-day (separated into two 20 minute runs) target.
I have never been a runner because I have asthma and I tend to get asthma attacks if I try to run, but this is very inspiring. I think maybe if I tried to take it little steps at a time and train my lungs to be able to handle running I might be able to run for longer than about a minute. Your progress is great and I think you will definately get there!! You're so close already!
ReplyDeleteThe wall is something I'm very familiar with. I run pretty frequently and since my lacrosse team has just started conditioning twice a week, we often run great distances. It's funny because I can really relate with this blog. There always comes a point in the run where it's just like - Okay I need to stop. I'm not really sure how far along in the run this occurs but when it does I try really hard to mentally get through it. All of a sudden, after the wall I get a random burst of energy, and I find myself accelerating and I'm suddendly so eager to finish what I have started. I'm definately going to watch this movie. Your techniques for overcoming the wall are really interesting, maybe I'll try reciting some 50 cent lyrics next time at conditioning. Great Blog!
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