Amateur Running Psychology

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Session Notes The Purist
Addressing:

The Wall

That devastating moment in long races when your mind goes to war with your body, typically around mile 20 in a marathon, where every step feels impossible and your brain screams to quit while negative thoughts flood in uncontrollably

How The Purist Can Overcome The Wall in Amateur Running

Posted on December 19, 2025 ~ min read
📋
For: The Purist athletes in Amateur Running
Focus: Session Notes - The Wall
Read Time: ~8 min
Session Notes December 19, 2025
Profile: The Purist
Sport: Amateur Running
Challenge: The Wall

In amateur running, The Wall is the sudden, overwhelming sensation that your body has stopped cooperating. Your legs feel like concrete. Your brain screams that continuing is impossible. This typically strikes around mile 18-22 of a marathon, though it can appear earlier in half marathons or long training runs when glycogen stores deplete and mental reserves collapse simultaneously.

For athletes with intrinsic motivation and self-referenced goals, The Wall presents a unique psychological trap. You trained for months. You followed your plan. You hit every split. Then your body betrays you, and the internal dialogue that usually fuels your running turns hostile.

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Vladimir Novkov

M.A. Social Psychology | ISSA Elite Trainer | Expert in Sport Psychology for Athlete Development

My mission is to bridge the gap between mind and body, helping athletes and performers achieve a state of synergy where peak performance becomes a natural outcome of who they are.

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