My first bonk session...aka Bonkfest 2009!

An effect of bonking while cycling - exhaustion can reach the point where a person is unable to stand without the support provided by the bicycle.

I can attest to this effect. That pretty much sums up part of my workout last Saturday. Just a few days prior I was telling someone that I had never bonked before and as the saying goes, "there is a first time for everything."

For the first time since I have been blogging I am going to share what my workout was since it will help set up the story and the important lessons that I learned. I have been hesitant to share this type of information so far because I don't want my blog to be focused on times, distances, speeds or paces. For me it is about what I am learning about myself and my body along the way.

Saturday's workout, as designed by Peter, was 210 miles on the bike followed by a 5 mile transition run. 210 miles was the going to be the furthest I had ridden so far in my training (and only 14 miles less than the bike leg of my race). I expected the ride to take me about 12 hours and 40 minutes to complete so as usual I started in the wee wee hours of the morning. When the alarm went off Saturday morning (well Friday night really!) I didn't want to get up. I only had 10 hours of sleep in the past two days. I should have listened to my body and slept a little longer but I decided to get up and start moving. Within the first 20 miles I knew that I was going to be in trouble. I felt heavy and sluggish and my mood was far from ideal going into a 13+ hour workout.

The first 110 miles did go by pretty quickly and I felt better with each dose of caffeine I ingested. My intention for the second half of the ride was to stop using Perpetuem and stop at a Subway and get a 6" turkey sandwich. Melinda suggested it as an alternative to all the highly processed sugar foods I typically eat. I thought it sounded like a good idea. More filling, lower glycemic index and quality protein/carbs. My workout was going to be named "Eat Fresh"! Lets just say that things didn't go according to plan. I did have food on me for the second half of the ride but the sandwich was figured into my nutrition plan for the day. There was no Subway along my route. Who knew??? I thought there was one but when I got to the plaza it was a Chinese buffet. I didn't think that would have been a good option so I just rolled by.

Lets skip ahead 50 miles of headwinds and sunny skies- after a few more hours of riding at about mile 160 I completely cracked. I had officially bonked! I hit the wall and hit it hard. The temp was in the mid 80's and sunny yet I was freezing cold with goosebumps and simultaneously sweating out of every pore in my body. I was so irrationally angry and started to get really light headed. Luckily I knew there was a store close by. I bought 2 packages of Soft Batch cookies (620 calories), some Poptarts (400 calories), Gatorade and some water. I staggered over to a random picnic table in the shade and laid myself out on it. After about 30 minutes the calories started pulling me back to awareness and I started to feel better. Nothing like a skinny kid in spandex laying on a picnic table outside of a bait and tackle shop / gas station / short order grill.

I got back on the bike and slowly made my way back to Charlotte while continuing to eat and drink along the way. I got back to Inside Out Sports at mile 188. I use the store as my aid station on my long rides since all my loops start and end there. I sat down for a few minutes, ate some more and felt started to feel even better. I got up, did a few loops around the Booty Loop, and rode back home ending up with 206 miles on the day. Close enough to 210 if you ask me! I got off the bike and started my run...

The reason I hit the wall was because I was in some serious calorie deficiency. I felt it coming on but yet I didn't stop to get more food. I wasn't thinking clearly which should have been my first indication that something was wrong. I will not let that happen again. Every weekend when I ride my stomach starts to shut down between miles 100 and 120. I have done a good job of forcing myself to eat when this happens and until this past weekend have stayed in the clear. Add to that the fact I wasn't well rested and there you have it- Bonkfest 2009! What is truly amazing to me is that once the food I ate started to be digested I went from barely being able to move to riding again and ready to run off the bike. I've always heard that the body is capable of doing so much more than the brain thinks it can and now I have witnessed that. My brain was saying that I couldn't go on anymore but my body was ready for more once it was refueled. As much as I would have rather not gone through that experience I am so glad that I did.

With my race less than 10 weeks away I now know that my body can handle the distances and I will be physically ready. The harder part will be convincing myself that I can continue to move forward when my brain is screaming to stop! Constant fueling along the way will be crucial.