Hitting a running Wall at 10 MIles and cant push past

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dweimer70
dweimer70 Posts: 3 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I started getting serious about running after the first of the year, at that time could only run 3 Miles. Im up to 10 miles and can maintain a 9:30/Mile pace, however my problem is I am hitting a huge wall starting at around 7 miles. I push myself mentally and remind myself that my mind gives up before my body does. Now Ive run into a problem (Pun intended) that my legs and body start giving up at around 10 miles and I get hit with extreme fatigue. The farthest I got was 10.81

So I want to run the Dallas Marathon in Dec, any tips advice on how to push past this 10 mile hump?
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Replies

  • LeanButNotMean44
    LeanButNotMean44 Posts: 852 Member
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    Make sure you are hydrated and nourished properly, and try slowing down your pace a bit.
  • lawkat
    lawkat Posts: 538 Member
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    Are you hydrating and taking anything during your run? You might want to start testing out the various gels, gummies, and other items to give you that boost. I generally start taking them mid way through any of my runs that are longer than 10 miles. It does help. I can go 10 miles without any assistance, but after that, I have to ingest something before I hit that wall.
  • running4thehigh
    running4thehigh Posts: 144 Member
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    1) Have a friend run with you at a slower pace. Try listening to interesting podcasts. Or create a new music playlist.
    Anything that will distract you from being too focused on how many miles you've done during your run.

    2) Try just adding quarter of a mile to your longest run. The difference will be barely noticeable. Do that every time, and
    you'll progress.

    3) If your runs are getting into the two-digits area, you might want to think about re-fueling during your run.
    Have some sort of a carbohydrate source ready (gels or drinks). Drink a little bit of water.

    4) Make sure you're not doing too much the day before your long run and that you're well rested and fueled.

    I'd try number one first. You're right about your mind giving up before your body - so have somebody else, perhaps a more experienced runner, ready to help you push through that wall! Good luck!
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
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    Just keep going. You can add in walk breaks if you're fatigued, but the only way to push that wall out farther is to run farther.

    Also: do you bring any fuel with you on these long runs? If you don't replenish some of what you've been burning, you'll run out of fuel and the wall gets worse.
  • mamahannick
    mamahannick Posts: 322 Member
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    Are you taking rest days?
    Are you increasing mileage too fast?
    Are you hydrating well enough and eating enough for that level of calorie burn?

    You might honestly just need a break if you've done too much too fast. I just took a 4 day break from running, ate well, slept well, hydrated well, and I felt fantastic this morning. Back to my old self.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
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    Try signing up for a half marathon. If your long run is almost 11 miles, you'd be trained enough to do a half. I had a ridiculous time getting past 11.5 miles. When I ran my first half, I had no choice but to make it 13.1 miles. That was enough to crush that mental block for me, and now 11.5 is no big deal. The excitement of race day will keep those thoughts of that dreaded 10 mile wall out of your head.

    ETA: I do agree with the others about making sure you're not overtraining, staying hydrated, etc. But sometimes it's just a matter of being convinced you can't do it, which was the case for me.
  • dweimer70
    dweimer70 Posts: 3 Member
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    I hydrate well before the run, tried carrying a water bottle but dont like anything in my hands when running.
    I thought about getting one of those camel packs. Being new to running I didnt realize they had gummies and gels.

    I take rest days, and on some days (like before work) I'll do short 3-4 mile runs. I do one day a week when I attempt the "Big Run"
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
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    I hydrate well before the run, tried carrying a water bottle but dont like anything in my hands when running.
    I thought about getting one of those camel packs. Being new to running I didnt realize they had gummies and gels.

    I take rest days, and on some days (like before work) I'll do short 3-4 mile runs. I do one day a week when I attempt the "Big Run"

    I carry water bottles (powerade when it's hot) in a soft backpack and tighten it down so it doesn't bounce. It has worked well until I can afford a hydration belt.

    You might benefit from increasing your weekly mileage. Adding length to your "short runs" is going to make your long run a smaller percent of your total distance. That might also be your problem...not enough weekday running to support your long weekend run.
  • aelphabawest
    aelphabawest Posts: 173 Member
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    Gels about half way through your run help a lot. I use the Stinger Honey Gold. Kind of gross but works and easy on your stomach.

    I also plan out my mileage so I have to run - at 10.5 miles, I'm still a half a mile or more from my house and so it's just a matter of getting home. How much mileage are you upping every long run? I found I could really only up it by half a mile every weekend, anything more than that was just super hard to get past.

    I also carry water and gatorade on anything over an hour - it makes a huge difference.
  • dweimer70
    dweimer70 Posts: 3 Member
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    I have been increasing milage about a mile every couple of weeks.
    So on the subject of Gels, I'm a vegan so anybody know of a vegan friendly gel? (Unfortunatley cant do Honey)
  • kbolton322
    kbolton322 Posts: 358 Member
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    Hey I'm in the Dallas area and I'm training to do a half right now... might even think bout doing the Dallas marathon.. we will just see how I feel in the next few months...
    I run alot better and farther when I have somebody running with me.. when I'm on my own I like to give up cuz I get bored... not sure why since I love running but its just how I am..
  • itodd4019
    itodd4019 Posts: 340 Member
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    The fact that you are bonking within an hour it's obvious you need something to end up making it further

    sodium, calcium, magnesium, pottasium period!

    also, as a vegan, you probably don't get the iron you need for good muscle recovery

    supplement iron daily, take it slow at first, it can bind you up

    then take endurolytes during your long runs, with water

    to eat during your run, you can have dried cranberries, figs, and blueberries and they will chew up nice and and juice your mouth up good

    if you keep pushing and do not give your mucles the stuff they need, you will pull a hammie, or calf cramp and end up on the side of the road

    If you don't want to carry stuff, drive some zip lock bags of water out and hide them. I like to freeze the furthest out ones, then I get ice water. And I can just put the zip locks in mjy waste band when they are empty.

    that is all
    Todd
  • GillianMcK
    GillianMcK Posts: 401 Member
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    You can get belts that you can put your water bottle in and they tend to have loops for gels as well.

    I have stashed water before when I'm running the trails.

    Check out High5 gels, they're actually quite palatable and made with fruit juice (I'm not vegan so I don't know what you can and can't have), remember when you start taking gels that you have to keep taking them until you're finished or you crash again.

    The High5 gels say to take 3 per hour of exercise (maybe if you're Mo Farrah or Usian Bolt), I take half a gel approx every 45min (or I'll switch that the every 5k/3miles when I'm doing the marathon thanks to the nice mile markers), gels are basically carbohydrate in the form of sugar that will top up your energy quickly and can be consumed easily on the move, when you first try them try them towards the end of the run as some people can get upset stomachs (don't want a Paula Radcliffe moment), if you're doing a half marathon or full marathon find out what nitrition they will have out on the course and practice with that well in advance of the race, if you're stomach doesn't agree with what they're providing you need to look at carrying your own gels.

    Personally the hydration doesn't affect me as much as the nutrition does, so play about with them both and see what you need (I can go 13miles without water but really need to start taking gels around the 8mile mark, it took several long runs to figure out how far I could go without fuel and then another couple to figure out how often I needed to top up on it, hopefully have it right for the weekend)!!
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
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    I have been increasing milage about a mile every couple of weeks.
    So on the subject of Gels, I'm a vegan so anybody know of a vegan friendly gel? (Unfortunatley cant do Honey)

    There are some basics about gels and specifics about vegan gels discussed here: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/energy-gel/ :)

    And I agree with others about the timing for gels: I do gels about every 45 mins or 3 miles, depending on the distance. I use Clif Shot Blox, so I'll do one block (~35 calories) starting at 3 miles and then every 1.5-2 miles after that. It's important to make sure you stay hydrated and fueled during long runs or your body just runs out of energy to power you onward. If you experiment with some gels/fuels on your long run, I think you'll find you can power through that wall in no time!
  • stefa711
    stefa711 Posts: 196 Member
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    I have been increasing milage about a mile every couple of weeks.
    So on the subject of Gels, I'm a vegan so anybody know of a vegan friendly gel? (Unfortunatley cant do Honey)

    I also am a vegan runner (marathoner), I usually use GU brand gels, most are vegan. You can also try dates, almonds, or bananas, but gels that contain caffeine work best for me. I usually have half of an english muffin with almond butter before I run (for anything 3 miles or more).

    I use fuel during a run on runs that are longer than 8 miles and I usually take them every 4 or 5 miles. You want to take your fuel before you feel like you need it, because once you feel like you need it, you've already depleted your body's glycogen stores and it's going to take more than a 100 calorie gel to restore them. Hence why you're hitting "the wall".

    Good luck and happy running!
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
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    In all honesty, you shouldn't need a gel for a 10 mile run. If you're bonking at 7 miles, its an overall nutrition problem. Normal glycogen stores should be enough to last you 2-3 hours of slow running. How many calories are you eating? What is your weekly mileage?
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    I take rest days, and on some days (like before work) I'll do short 3-4 mile runs. I do one day a week when I attempt the "Big Run"

    Sounds like you're not working to a plan of any kind, so to add to all of the debate about hydration and nutrition I'd sugest that you need to look at the balance between your various runs in the week.

    Your long run should be 25-30% of your total weekly mileage, so if your long run is 10 miles you should be about 25-30 miles of shorter runs, although not all short 3-4 mile sessions.

    For my HM training most of my runs are in the 5-8 mile range with long runs of up to HM distance.
  • athensguy
    athensguy Posts: 550
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    I don't usually need nutrition during a run, but if I take some, I generally use Clif Shots. I think all flavors are vegan. I like to get them with caffeine.

    I find that I can generally go 20 or so as long as I eat something before I go. I like Oatmeal + dried fruit or Fruit + Greek Yogurt (or a serving or two of each if I'm getting closer to 20). Usually, I'll eat about the number of calories I'll burn past about 15 miles if I'm going further than 15. So, for a 20 mile run, I'll eat 5 miles worth of calories. I don't eat anything before regular morning runs. It's also a lot easier for me to run if I've had coffee.
  • girlschmoopie
    girlschmoopie Posts: 140 Member
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    On fueling, you don't have to have a running specific food, it just needs to be something that replenishes your energy stores and doesn't bother your stomach. The best thing is to experiment. I have a friend that takes bites of a chewy granola bar, and I take regular old jelly beans.

    As for timing, you want to make sure you eat before that wall is getting close. For example, I can run 6mi with nothing (food or water if the temps are cool) if that is as far as I am going. However, when I am doing my long runs of 9-13+mi, I eat two jelly beans between miles 3-4. Then I eat two more every 15minutes until I finish the run. For *me* it is just the right distance and amount of fuel. Like I said experiment. I tried gu and wasn't a fan of the flavors.

    Oh, one more thing, check out the book Thrive, it is written by a vegan athlete (Brendan something-my library had it), and he has some power drink and gu like gel recipes. I did use his recipes for my marathon, and carried my two homemade gels with me and they got me through the 26.2 beautifully.

    Best wishes!

    ETA: I found a link to the book, the author is Brendan Brazier and he has a couple of books, but his is the one I was referring to:
    http://www.amazon.com/Thrive-Nutrition-Optimal-Performance-Sports/dp/0738212547/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400519341&sr=1-2&keywords=thrive
  • dlkingsbury
    dlkingsbury Posts: 90 Member
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    i think you definitely should try gels. i use shot bloks or GU. if i don't, i bonk around mile 8. start before mile 10.

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