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What Marathoners Mean When They Talk About “Hitting the Wall,” According to Trainer Christopher Lee in Buffalo, New York

Marathon-Hitting the Wall

The term “hitting the wall” is one that’s frequently heard among runners. Whether you’ve just started running or you’re a marathoner, it’s a feeling that’s like running out of steam before you reach the finish line. According to personal trainer Christopher Lee in Buffalo, New York, though, hearing about “hitting the wall” and experiencing it personally are two very different things.

Some runners anticipate that they’ll simply push through the pain. However, there’s much more going on than meets the eye.

In this article, trainer Christopher Lee in Buffalo will break down what “hitting the wall” entails and how a runner feels when it happens. He’ll also pinpoint some responses that can help you get through the experience.

What Happens to the Body When You Hit the Wall

Many runners assume that “hitting the wall” is nothing more than a feeling you get when you can’t run your hardest at the end of a race. Some consider it to be a mental barrier that has to be overcome.

The truth is that this phenomenon is less of a mental mystery and more of a science when it’s broken down into its parts. Many experts attribute this debilitating sense of fatigue to be an athlete’s diet and genetic makeup.

When a runner “hits the wall,” they are experiencing depletion of the body’s glycogen reserves. This important carbohydrate is stored in the liver and muscles and is transformed into usable energy.

When the human body is in the process of burning an excessive amount of energy (like it would in a marathon), the body depends on glycogen for fuel. When glycogen runs low, the body runs out of energy.

Trainer Christopher Lee in Buffalo often explains to his clients that the brain actively begins slowing down at this point to preserve any excess energy. Ultimately, this can lead to a runner experiencing particularly negative thoughts when they “hit the wall.”

Many runners get this feeling between mile 18 and mile 20 in a marathon. This is because the body only stores between 1,800 and 2,000 calories worth of glycogen. An athlete uses about 100 calories a mile when running. At some point, the reserves simply vanish.

How You Might Feel When This Happens

Many clients turn to expert Christopher Lee in Buffalo, New York when they’re looking for answers on what to expect if and when they “hit the wall” while running a marathon. The answer holds some degree of continuity for all athletes.

Symptoms of “hitting the wall” begin to show up as soon as the body begins to transition away from processing glycogen and starts to process fats instead out of necessity. This is called the crossover point.

At the crossover point, blood sugar levels drop significantly. While it’s unlikely that an athlete’s heart will falter, runners will most likely experience symptoms that include extreme weakness, disorientation, and fatigue. Some runners experience severe headaches, blurred vision, or even collapse.

What to Do in Response

The best response to “hitting the wall” is to immediately increase your caloric intake. While resting, runners that are recovering from this experience will need to consume a sports drink, fruit juice, running gel, or another form of high-sugar beverage.

Immediately consuming anywhere from 150 to 200 calories is highly recommended. If the experience happens during a race and finishing is the goal, it can be done but at a drastically reduced pace.

Runners will need to plan on taking in 50-150 calories every 15-minutes between the time they “hit the wall” and the moment they finish the race.

Your Partner in Fitness

Christopher Lee in Buffalo, New York, is a certified personal trainer and fitness guru. He has a knack for honing multifaceted approaches to health and fitness that are easy to customize and fun too!

People turn to Christopher Lee in Buffalo for his expertise in everything from athletic performance to science-based nutrition. He also specializes in functional training options and weight loss solutions.

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