The Wall.
So today my husband went out for his long run and it didn’t go so well for him. He hit the “runners’ wall” for the first time since he started running. He ran 30km and it took him almost 5 hours to do it. He came back and was visibly shaken and in pain and tears. I knew right away what had happened.
When I was marathon training I remember hitting the wall the first time. It was a bad, scarey, dark place, and I do not like that part of running. I have managed to find some music to help me through and some thoughts that empower me in the dark moments. I think of my girls and how I want to set a good example for them, and show them what a strong powerful women looks like. I also think about my sister, and run for her since she can’t. All these things that I think about however, are ones that Steve can’t really use. I mean he can’t think of how he’s going to show his daughters what an independent woman looks like, because of the whole him being a man thing.
So when he came home, I got him new clothes so that he could warm up a bit, brought him nuun, soup, and got him hot tea. After he rested a bit he went and had a nice long, hot bath. Then he rested some more, and watched the girls eat dinner while I hung laundry. Then I gave the girls a bath, and after they were clean (we had a poop in the tub incident today – not fun for the record) he put them to bed.
So now I am trying to think of how to help my hubby break through the wall. I know it’s hard to run in that dark place, but you feel so good after you finish and achieve this great feat of finishing a marathon. He’s starting to count down to the marathon now since he’s running to the point that his immune system is broken and is making him sick all the time.