Runners can be divided into two types on how they choose to deal with the wall while running long distance runs - Associative runners are runners who play close attention to body sensations such as muscle tension and fatigue, breathing rates and stride lengths and disassociated runners are those who break the wall by distracting themselves by looking at the surroundings or thinking about something really pleasurable. The big question is what effect do these different strategies have on your running performance. I use a combination of both these strategies. When I am running by myself and I don't see any girl running next to me, I try and motivate myself , think about running strides and use the associative strategy. I try and act all cool and shit when I find a cute girl running next to me and usually have a smile on my face, think about her and thus use the disassociative approach. Sometimes, I think about the fun feeling of sipping my first pint of beer after a hard week's of work
Since the wall is an inevitable part of every long run, it is important for you to understand what strategy suits you better. When you choose a running partner make sure he also has a similar strategy as yours. A runner using an associative strategy can easily distract a runner who is using the disassociative approach.
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