Episode 42 : MARATHON PREP #2 How to Demolish "The Wall" Before You Even Start 🧱

Episode 42 : MARATHON PREP #2 How to Demolish "The Wall" Before You Even Start 🧱💬 Got a question or feedback? Write us at: [email protected]☕ Buy a Gel Caf for Lactate to support the work: ko-fi.com/lactateSummary: The Wall is not a metaphor for fatigue; it is a quantifiable bioenergetic and neurological crisis where the body's safety mechanisms override your will. You face an inevitable thermodynamic deficit: a marathon requires roughly 2,950 kcal, but your body only stores around 2,000-2,200 kcal of glycogen. When your leg muscle glycogen drops below 70 mmol/kg, your engine shifts from fast carbohydrate oxidation to slower lipid oxidation, while your brain's Central Governor preemptively induces fatigue to prevent homeostatic failure. Your pacing and VO₂ max dictate this mathematical limit; exceeding your optimal speed burns fuel exponentially. To demolish this barrier, elites utilize gut training to absorb 90-120g of carbohydrates per hour using hydrogel technology, bypassing the traditional 60g/h intestinal limit to spare liver glycogen. As an amateur, you should target a safe zone of 30-60g/h to avoid gastrointestinal distress, coupled with a 36-48 hour supercompensation protocol of 10-12g/kg of carbohydrates. The physical reality of peripheral failure was starkly demonstrated in 2015 when Hyvon Ngetich physically crawled to the finish line after her glycogen hit absolute zero.Keywords: marathon, glycogen, central governor, hydrogel, carbohydrates, pacing, supercompensation, the wall🎙️ Lactate, the podcast that deciphers science to improve your performance.Key references :Bergström, J., & Hultman, E. (1967). A study of the glycogen metabolism during exercise in man. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation, 19(3), 218-228.Rapoport, B. I. (2010). Metabolic factors limiting performance in marathon runners. PLoS Computational Biology, 6(10), e1000960. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2958805/Volek, J. S., Freidenreich, D. J., Saenz, C., et al. (2016). Metabolic characteristics of keto-adapted ultra-endurance runners. Metabolism, 65(3), 100-110. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283976781_Metabolic_characteristics_of_keto-adapted_ultra-endurance_runnersNoakes, T. D. (1997). 1996 J.B. Wolffe Memorial Lecture. Challenging beliefs: ex Africa semper aliquid novi. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 29(5), 571-590.Sherman, W. M., Costill, D. L., Fink, W. J., & Miller, J. M. (1981). Effect of exercise-diet manipulation on muscle glycogen and its subsequent utilization during performance. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 2(2), 114-118.Viribay, A., Arribalzaga, S., Mielgo-Ayuso, J., et al. (2020). Effects of 120 g/h of Carbohydrates Intake during a Mountain Marathon on Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Elite Runners. Nutrients, 12(5), 1367. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7284742/Voices generated by artificial intelligence from the scientific report produced by the Lactate team.