Is it all just a marketing Sham? (Read 1698 times)

I dunno. When I am vigilant I think about loads of things rather than shut off my mind. Getting to the finIsh line requires a unary focus and a lack of thought...just do it, don't think.

I wonder though if there is a difference between shutting off (dissociation?) and shutting down (unable to concentrate, focus). Not sure how they measure vigilance (maybe it would help if I read the article) This following section is from the marathon and beyond article, dealing with cognitive strategies. Sounds like you both (Trent, Mikey) use the internal association strategy. Cognitive Strategies A 1998 study by Clare D. Stevinson and Stuart J.H. Biddle, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, made a further distinction in marathon runners’ mental strategies, describing four types of thinking used by nonelite runners in the 1996 London Marathon. The first type was internal association, or focusing on how the body feels while running. The second type of thinking was external association, in which the runner’s attention is focused outwardly on things important to the race: calculating split times, negotiating water stations, or jockeying for position with competitors. The third mode of thinking was inward dissociation (or distraction): daydreaming, singing silently (or aloud!), or solving mental puzzles. Runners who used the fourth mental strategy, external association, tended to focus their attention outwardly on events unimportant to race performance: the scenery, the cheering crowds, other runners dressed in kooky outfits. The researchers found that the most prevalent mental strategy for all runners, whether they hit The Wall or not, was inward association. But those runners who reported hitting The Wall tended to use inward dissociation much more frequently than their wall-avoiding competitors. The authors speculate that “It is likely that being distracted from sensory signals and important aspects of the task meant that runners were not able to judge their pace very well and failed to stay fully hydrated, contributing greatly to ‘hitting The Wall.’ ” While it might seem plausible that external dissociation might lead runners into a similar trap, the authors found this not to be the case, possibly because “noticing spectators, aspects of the scenery, or, in particular, other runners, made runners inadvertently aware of the speed at which they were running as they passed by them or were overtaken.” On the other hand, the researchers suggest that paying too much attention to the body (inward association) made their subjects magnify their discomfort, making The Wall seem to appear much earlier and for a longer period of time. Their advice: make brief but regular checks on your body, rather than constantly monitoring every step of the race. Focus most of your attention externally: be aware of critical race-related factors and enjoy the atmosphere of the race.

Contact McDonalds suggest they sponsor a race. I can just see running through the golden arches picking up a burger

Seriously...when I'm on a long run and realizing I'm REALLY hungry, cheeseburgers are one thing I definitely crave. I think it's the combo of protein, carbs, and fat. And cheese. Put some bacon (mmms...salt!) on that baby and I'd be in heaven. Though at race pace even gels can turn my stomach a little if I'm not careful.

I do think it is sad that the first 2/3rds of the portland marathon is ugly and the last 1/3rd is pretty. Because by then the only thing I remember is the yellow line in the road.

I thought hitting the wall was all about running along at your best Marathon pace and all of a sudden out of the blue, bam out of gas. Not to be confused with just running out of steam because one couldn't maintain the pace. Sure many, many people stagger across the line or can't finish but that wasn't hitting the wall. That was just not being in condition to finish. Sort of like trying to hold your breath until you passout, next to impossible if not impossible. Although in a world of over 6 billion there may be a handful that can do it. I salute all Marathoners that were fit enough to deplete their energy and hit the wall. Not to be confused with the ones that were just too tired and not fit enough to finish. I hope that makes some sense. Maybe someone can word it better than I, if people still don't know what I mean.

Not sure I see the difference. I would suggest strongly that the "steam" that these people who couldn't maintain the pace ran out of, was glycogen. And nearly everyone who starts a marathon can and does finish, but a high percentage of them hit the wall...because they go out too fast for their fitness level. You don't hit the wall by running along at your best marathon pace. You hit it by running along at slightly faster than your best marathon pace. Unless you were depleted to begin with.

If I try and run as fast as I can for as long as I can, eventually I will have to stop. I wouldn't have depleted my glycogen to 0. That's just all I could do, I had to stop, I couldn't go on anymore........but I didn't hit the wall.

Well I guess but I'm not sure what that's got to do with anything. Even the inexperienced and stupid who start marathons know not to go charging out "as fast as they can." It's going slightly faster than they are capable for 26.2 that does them in.

Mikey, I think Scout's got what backstretch was aiming for; the difference between wearing down from lack of conditioning and bonking. The first, I liken to more of hammering away at a 5k, and not being able to hold the pace. I'm pretty sure a runner wouldn't bonk in a 5k by running too hard, but they'd certainly fade (who hasn't). But to truly bonk in a marathon would be to, as you said, run slightly faster than you're capable until you run outta fuel. And that's when the friggin' elephant jumps on your back (or so I've heard, as I've yet to experience this).