26K + Not enough fuel = BONK

Today we did a 26K run.. man am I happy that next week is 'only' 19K! Crazy that as the numbers keep getting bigger - the distances you once thought were super long become a relief.

Apparently I "Bonk'd" today. Official definition from Wikipedia "In endurance sports, particularly cycling and running, hitting the wall or the bonk describes the condition when an athlete suddenly loses energy and becomes fatigued, the result of glycogen stores in the liver and muscles becoming depleted.

The term can be used both as a noun ("hitting the bonk") and a verb ("to bonk halfway through the race"). The condition is also known to long-distance (marathon) runners, who usually refer to it as "hitting the wall"."

And, just for my own reminder..

"There are several approaches to prevent glycogen depletion:

1) Carbohydrate loading is used to ensure that the initial glycogen levels are maximized, thus prolonging the exercise. This technique amounts to increasing complex carbohydrate intake during the last few days before the event.

2) Consuming food or drinks containing carbohydrates during the exercise. This is an absolute must for very long distances; it is estimated that Tour de France competitors receive up to 50% of their daily caloric intake from on-the-bike supplements.

3) Lowering the intensity of the exercise to the so-called 'fat loss' level (heart rate of 130 bpm for a 30-year-old athlete) will lower both the energy requirements per unit of distance and the fraction of the energy that comes from glycogen."

Anyway, back to today's run. Pouring rain, 26K, approximately 40% further than I've run before. Everything went well until about 16K. I remember saying to Ali that there's 'only 10K' left...when I saw her at the 16K mark. Thanks to Ali, by the way, for today's mobile fuel station..I probably should have had more than water and nibs. Ali is one of the trainers at Innovative and was there with us in the rain biking from point to point to have energy ready for us.

At that 16K mark, my legs were feeling really, really heavy. (The good news is - my back didn't really bother me today and I continue to stretch out my hip flexors, etc.) And, in a way, like someone was doing active release on my calves. Not a great feeling. I felt like my legs were not moving properly. Once I got back to the Running Room and completed the 26K - my legs felt like concrete blocks. I didn't know what to do because they were in such pain - even stretching wasn't helping.
That's when someone from the Running Room said that it sounds like I "Bonk'd" What did you have for breakfast "Um, a power bar.." What did you have for dinner.. "Um, some ahi tuna and a salad.." Did you eat any carbs on the run.. "No.." NOT GOOD. I got home and while my lovely wife Suzanne was running me an epsom salt bath and I was groaning in the kitchen with my sore legs - I put a few spoonfuls of peanut butter on a whole wheat wrap and wolfed it down. Along with some more food, I started feeling better almost instantly.

Good learning lesson. Nutrition has always been my downfall - and I am becoming acutely aware of how important it is in this whole fitness thing.. Suzanne jumped on the computer and started searching out some of the best foods for marthon running and thanks to her we now have a fridge packed with my ammunition for my next runs. Thank you, Suzanne!

That brings me to another point about how much my training has affected not only me, but my wife as well. These long runs are always on Sundays and that means our Saturday nights are fairly mellow - and Sunday mornings come early. (Remember, we don't have kids..) As mentioned in a previous post, I've left weddings early to get rest, I've scheduled dinners earlier than normal, enjoyed less red wine than normal on a Saturday evening, stretched more in front of the TV, gotten up earlier on Sunday mornings...and Suzanne is always game. It definitely helps having a supportive partner helping you along the way.

This week it's more hill training and then a little 19K'er on Sunday.