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The Last 10K

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* '''Muscular Fatigue.''' This may be most obvious the day or so after the race. If you have [[Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness]], this is an indication that your muscular system was a limiting factor. Dull pain in the legs is also a symptom of muscular fatigue.
* '''Fuel.''' Feeling hungry is the most obvious symptom. Running out of carbohydrate can make the legs feel 'dead', and can also reduce mental capacity. Feeling depressed or defeated can be a symptom of carbohydrate depletion, as can the inability to solve simple math problems. A rapid rise in heart rate [[Heart Rate]] could also be a symptom of carbohydrate depletion, but there are many other causes. * '''Hydration.''' Feeling thirsty is not a problem as long as you are able to take on fluid so you’re your thirst is sated. If your thirst persists you are probably dehydrated or electrolyte depleted. Another symptom of dehydration is a steady rise in heart rate [[Heart Rate]] for a constant pace. Checking your body weight before and after a race may help, but it's usually hard to weigh yourself soon after a race. (Your body weight should drop a few pounds through glycogen [[Glycogen]] depletion.) If you have swelling in your hands, this is most likely hyponatremia [[Hyponatremia]] due to a lack of salt. See [[Practical Hydration]].
* '''Fortitude.''' The last 10K can be as mentally demanding as it is physically punishing. Beware that feeling mentally unable to continue can also be a symptom of low blood sugar.
* '''Overheating.''' Heat makes hydration and fueling more of a problem, but even if you have both of those under control, heat still takes its toll. Symptoms include nausea, panting, slowing down without other explanation.
===Muscular Fatigue===
* [[Downhill Running]] can build up muscular endurance.
* Extending the [[Long Run|long runs ]] to greater distances or running at closer to race pace can better prepare the muscles.* Taking in more carbohydrate, or protein[[Protein]]+carbohydrate may help protect the muscles see [[When to eat Energy Gels in the Marathon]].* [[Caffeine]] can mitigate some of the weakness associated with [[Muscle|muscle ]] fatigue.
===Fuel===
* The obvious solution is to take in more carbohydrate, or protein[[Protein]]+carbohydrate - [[When to eat Energy Gels in the Marathon]] and [[Nutrient Timing]].
* Increasing carbohydrate levels before the race may help ('carb-loading').
* Eating a higher fat diet the day or so before the race helps some people more than 'carb-loading'. See [[Pre-Race Meals]].
* [[Caffeine ]] has been shown to increase the percentage of fat used for fuel.
===Hydration===
* Starting the race well hydrated is important. This means not just drinking sufficiently before the race, but also ensuring your electrolyte intake is adequate.
* Drink to satisfy your thirst. You may have to slow down at aid stations [[Aid Stations]] to take on adequate fluid. The seconds you save by not drinking can be lost later in the race due to dehydration.* Beware hyponatremia [[Hyponatremia]] and make sure your electrolyte intake is adequate. See [[Practical Hydration]] and [[The Science Of Hydration 101]]
===Fortitude===
===Overheating===
* Find a cooler race. Seriously - you will always be slower in warm weather. The best you can do is to slow up less than those around you, which is useful if you are concerned about your place on the leaderboard rather than your absolute time. 40f is generally considered the idea temperature - [[Impact of Heat on Marathon Performance]].
* Do [[Heat Acclimation Training]] to get used to running [[Running in the heatHeat]]. This will offset some of the slowdown from the heat, but not all of it.
* Follow the [[Running in the Heat]] tips
==Hitting the wall==
The phenomenon known as 'hitting the wall' is where your pace falls precipitously towards the end of the race. There is only one root cause of hitting the wall; going [[Going out too fast]]. If you've trained for the distance and you go out at the right pace, you should be able to maintain it, abet with a struggle, for the 26.2 miles. (The right pace might be a run/walk or walking the whole race of course.)

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