The Call of Cthulhu

Peter Pfitzinger writes that the three worst adversaries of a long-distance runner are 3Ds: dogs, drivers and dehydration. I am convinced he is completely correct about them. What he has not written about - perhaps wanting to protect his readers or running enthusiasts - is Cthulhu. The more I run, the more I think Cthulhu should be included in running manuals.

You're just about to pass the 29k mark, and there are 3k left to your home. But you stop. You stop to catch your breath: you take a sip from the near-empty bottle and gingerly attempt to start running again. But you do not really move. Your muscles might contract and relax a few times, but there is only one thought on your mind. Stop. It's not worth it. You cannot make it. Cthulhu has won. I do not think there is a runner who does not know the feeling of the mind filling with ice or sinking into animal-like emptiness. The remaining traces of activity center around stop or slow down. 

Cthulhu has more power over you if your track consists of multiple long laps. Remember when you last tried to run 20k in two laps. When you are finishing the first one, when you are almost at home... Don't you recall? You're tired. You have other tasks to turn to. You do not want to overtrain yourself. You might be carrying an old niggle, you can feel it - especially when you're turning the corner around your house. You must return home, it is the only reasonable thing to do. If you do, you have lost to Cthulhu.

Fortunately, there are a few tricks that might help. Extra sugar, or sugary sport drink will lift your morale (and sugar level as well), so your thoughts of cutting the run short might disappear. Also, company plays a big role, as Cthulhu is - for reasons unknown to the writer - unable to affect a determined group of runners, or runners spurred on by crowds.

To end on a positive note, not all tiredness and fatigue stem from Cthulhu. There is a small chance you are exhausted and should really cut the run short.