What to Do When You Hit the Wall

What really happens when you hit the wall? Biochemically speaking, you run out of glycogen, a form of glucose that’s kept in the liver and
muscles. As Jeannine Stein tells us in this piece in the L.A. Times, glycogen is the main fuel used during sustained exercise and
largely comes from carbohydrates such as pasta, bread, fruits and
vegetables. Stein talks to Dr. Robert
Sallis, director of sports medicine at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center
in Fontana and president of the American College of Sports Medicine, who says low blood sugar doesn’t just distress muscles, it confuses the brain. In fact, the brain is actually more sensitive to low sugar than the muscles are. In a marathon, that
depletion can happen at any time — often around mile 20, sometimes at
about two hours. The telltale signs can develop slowly or quickly; many
runners describe it as a switch being flipped.
What to do? When hitting the wall, says Sallis, runners should slow their pace and immediately
take in carbs in the form of sports drinks, gels, energy bars or fruit. He suggests taking in carbs every 45 minutes or so during
the race and being aware of any major drop in energy or feelings of
wooziness.
Read more about what to do when hitting the wall in the L.A. Times.