Wall? What wall?

So, yesterday I went for a run. It was a spur of the moment thing. I did some very basic stretches and went out for the six mile run. Started out really well, and then...I just kept going.

I figured given my week of inactivity I would walk a few times, but it never happened. I just kept running, and running well.

When I got to 5.5 miles, no wall seemed apperant. So, even though it was dark, I tacked on the extra mile.

Seven miles. The best part was, I got it in at about 1:20, or 10 minutes faster than I ran six miles the week before.

The key, I think, is not avoiding the wall, but to avoid creating it. If you slow up and walk, it throws you out of rhthym. These mini-walls, if you will, are more or less mental. Your mind thinks you need a break. If you can push past it, the feeling usually passes. If you cave in though, you may experience a short burst of energy, but the feeling returns eventually. And those small breaks are building towards one, very real wall. The big wall, which is that absoulte feeling of exhaustion, is also mental, but at the end of the run, you really are tired. Your muscles are going to ache, your going to be sore (I am this morning) and you're going to be tired.

If you can avoid the minor walls along the way, the walls that pop up when you're actually fairly fresh, you can run through the big wall at the end.

Now, watch me crawl home after hitting a bigtime wall tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.