The Running Brain: Outsmart the wall of fatigue

Ho boy. Welp, you’re all stuck with me this week! Annie has passed over the reins of this incredible blog for me to blather on about that thing that lights me up...

Running!!

Yeah, yeah… I can hear you groaning. But here’s the thing:  Humans evolved to run. And walk! A LOT.

Seriously. Do you think we climbed to the top of the food chain because of our sharp teeth, strong bodies, sprinting abilities or our capability to withstand long periods of time without food? Nah.

We evolved to outlast our prey and to walk for hours and hours to gather and forage. Then came agriculture and industry... and then google. So now our running and walking is no longer a necessity for our survival. It has become recreation to some and a dread to too many. 

Here’s the thing though - can you describe what it is about running or walking that creates that ball of dread in the pit of your stomach? 

Think you got it?

Perhaps it’s the burn in your lungs, the sting in your thighs or the fear of injury? Maybe you’ve hurt your knee in the past and your brain is telling you that if it happened before, it will obviously happen again? Or perhaps you’ve never tried to run before, and you don’t think you can do it?

Well guess what?  

Those are all signs of fatigue! (Or pain outputs, if you’ve been to any of our other workshops!) And because we understand it, we can outsmart it.  

The Central Governor Theory

Fatigue is an effort by the brain to prevent a dangerous loss of homeostasis (your body's natural balance point) by reducing muscle activity and producing discomfort and loss of motivation (read more about mindset and motivation for runners).

Basically, the brain tells your body, “NOPE, we are DONE. I am going to make you feel things you don’t like to feel to make you sit down.” 

Things happen in our bodies, our muscles start to depolarize, our glycogen depletes, our respiration rate increases. These very normal mechanisms send little signals to our think tank. Those signals get interpreted and then our brains decide what to do with all the information. Perhaps sending a bit of a “twinge” to your knees to incite you to sit. Maybe interpreting a feeling of burn in your lungs or thighs. Or just maybe creating a lack of motivation before you’ve even tied your shoes. 

Which brings us to this concept that maybe our lungs are not actually on fire. Maybe our thighs are not going to explode. And perhaps our knees are not actually injured. What if our brain is just acting like an overprotective parent? 

Really, it all comes down to survival.

And that’s the paradox, isn’t it? We EVOLVED to survive by walking and running! 

Well, here’s the thing. We can use this knowledge to outsmart the wall of fatigue by creating more intelligent and targeted training techniques. 

Running and walking are motor programs and the blueprints to these patterns are tucked away in your think tank. So, let’s just refine the program and create the best possible directions to hold that wall of fatigue at bay. 

How to outsmart the wall of Fatigue

First, you need a plan. One that you can break without guilt.

Second, participate in cross training. And don’t forget about your lungs too! (try out our favorite breathing warmups for runners)

Lastly, clean up your stride! When it comes to running, the stride makes all the difference. The stride should be stiff, ballistic and compact. 

As far as cross training is concerned, use your stride to guide your strategy. If you aren’t landing under your hip, your knees may feel week and vulnerable. Learning to stabilize on each leg individually and understanding where the foot should land should take center stage in your training.

Here’s the other thing. We can train to outsmart the wall, but remember that we can never outrun fatigue, nor should we. If our brains are acting like overprotective parents to protect us from something, namely, death, perhaps we should know our limits and concede with humility to run another day. 

Benefits of Running

Running is NOT about speed. It is NOT about how far you go or how many races you’ve run. Running/Walking is primal. It is in our bones, our blood and our anatomy. It isn’t about any one thing. It is as you are. Unique. Individual. Special. 

The benefits of running are oh so numerous, but here are a few of my favorites:

1. Your muscles LOVE it! Your body develops a greater capacity for muscle activation thereby strengthening the communication between your brain and your muscles
2. Your world opens up! That amazing feeling after doing something for the first time? Remember when Annie told you about that release of happy juice (adrenaline) and how your brain suddenly wants more so chasing that feeling becomes a new motivating factor to do things? Yeah, running does that! 
3. Better Brain health. Running promotes this fancy little thing called BDNF, brain derived neurotropic factor, which enhances neural plasticity and neuron function. As I am a science nerd, this excites me. Why should YOU be excited about it?? Because plastic brains help us change our brain landscape, so we can adapt to new patterns to prevent injury, promote healthy movement and encourage safe interaction with our environment
4. Excuses to leave the house and not talk to anyone (i.e. an introverts dream!) 

The BIG takeaway

Your brain may be holding you back from things you love. But that’s okay, because you can develop tools to outsmart that pesky lil’ wrinkled consciousness. 

Until next month,
Amanda Bauer
Forest Coaching Breathing and Running Expert
Follow her @amanda_willrun4cookies

Ready to learn more about brain-based hacks to improve your running?

• Schedule a consult with our resident running expert Amanda to get your stride checked and create a running plan that works. 
• Participate in one of our upcoming workshops, including "The Running Brain: Run faster and Smarter without pain". View the workshop schedule here.