What Happens When You Hit the Wall?

Have you ever felt like you’ve “hit the wall”?

“Hit the wall” is actually a running or cycling term and it refers to not having enough glycogen in your muscles or liver to continue doing the work that you’re doing. It sucks to hit the wall. I’ve definitely experienced that few times.

The most memorable time was doing a marathon in Vancouver a few years ago. I’d done a few races leading up to that particular marathon and I’d “raced” them and my legs didn’t feel as fresh as I wanted them to.

My travel day to Vancouver also didn’t go as planned – I missed the ferry from Victoria and was stuck eating some pretty crappy food while I waited for the next ferry. I was hoping that all of this just wouldn’t matter, that I was “fit” enough to push through that discomfort and reach my time goal.

I seeded myself appropriately in the start line and started my race exactly as planned running at my marathon pace. It was a pretty crowded course and I was actually feeling pretty good for the first 18km. Around 26 km I was beginning to feel a little crappy, my muscles were aching and my tummy was feeling upset and a little nauseous which made me not want to eat or drink anything as I felt like puking. But I kept going.

At 36 km I hit the wall.

I felt dizzy. My legs were screaming. My quads and hamstrings were cramping. I had a headache. I did not know how I was going to go on. Combine that physical pain with emotional/mental shit storm I was unleashing on myself by thinking crappy thoughts like:

• I suck, I don’t know why I even bothered to sign up for this stupid race
• Who did I think I was to want to run it in 3:30
• I’m clearly NOT a runner so why am I doing this

So, I had two choices, listen to the nasty thoughts inside my head and stop and quit OR stop, take a walk break, stretch, drink some water, eat something, adjust my goal, and keep trying.  Because I’m stubborn and pretty determined at finishing the things I start I chose option two.

The last 6.2km did not feel good but I did it with a time of 3:42 which for me wasn’t too shabby after all.

Sometimes I feel like I’ve “hit the wall” in my business…and in my relationship…and in my parenting…. Sometimes it feels like the demands around me so exceed my capacity to deliver.  And what I’ve noticed is this feeling of “hitting the wall” happens most when I haven’t taken care of myself – I’ve been pushing too hard on all fronts for too long and that simply isn’t sustainable.

So, I do the exact same thing – I drink some water, I eat something I take a break, I readjust my goals, I nurture myself so I can continue, and I come back. I try again. I learn from my mistakes and trust that I know more this time around than I did before.

Tell me, have you ever felt like you’ve hit the wall in work, life or love? How did you recover. Drop down in the comments box below and fill me in!