How To Run a Marathon

Here's something to think about when it comes time to set your goals for 2018: What if running a marathon was easy? Okay, maybe not easy but certainly more of a psychological challenge and less of a physical challenge than you probably think. There is some evidence that physical fatigue is a psychological phenomenon rather than something determined by VO2max and lactate threshold. This is the Central Governor model of fatigue, and it argues that the fatigue you feel is the fatigue your brain creates. Some of this research has been done with marathon runners and it supports the idea that your brain regulates your physical output to prevent (what your brain believes to be) physical harm. This model also explains why we're all capable of moments of hysterical strength in emergency situations (as the crisis overrides the normal settings of the central governor). The model is far from perfect but it does suggest that at least some of the physical fatigue we feel is an illusion that takes place in our heads rather than in our muscles. Which is exactly why the US Navy Seals have a mantra that says when your mind is telling you you’re done, you’re really only 40 percent done.

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