RACING: ANATOMY OF A “BONK”
“There are three strategies for race day.
1) Start hard and fast and fade in the latter stages of the race.
2) Start slowly and run a faster second half of the race.
3) Run the whole race at a steady, consistent pace.
My recommendation is run the whole race at an even pace. This approach will, in theory, produce the best times for the runner. Start too fast and you will discover an early and deep fatigue created from early oxygen debt. Running the final stages of the race is a challenge because of the deep fatigue.”
- John Stanton, author of Running – The complete guide to building your running program
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Training for a key half-marathon this fall, the Anonymous Runner decided to run a series of three 5K races, each two weeks apart, to help prepare for this key race. After looking at the results from these three races, the Anonymous Runner concluded that she or he “bonked” in one of these races.
When the gas tank - our blood glucose and muscle glycogen levels – is depleted, we crash or “bonk”, as runners say. The body signals to the brain (which strives to maintain a consistent blood sugar level) to get the runner to slow down, stop or take in calories immediately.
Below is a table of results from the Anonymous Runner’s three 5K races. For readers, my question to you, which race did the Anonymous Runner “bonk” in?
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If you picked that the “bonk” happened in race #3, you are in agreement with the Anonymous Runner. Even though the overall time of 26:04 was the second fastest in the series; when looking at the splits, Km 1 was the fastest by quite a bit, yet Km 4 and 5 were the slowest by quite a bit compared to all the other splits from these three races. These times match the way the Anonymous Runner felt after this race - extremely drained and tired. These numbers confirm that she or he started out race #3 at an unsustainable pace.
The Anonymous Runner decided to race her or his upcoming half-marathon at an even pace, along with these strategies to help prevent “bonking”:
- Running at an even pace involves establishing a comfortable rhythm. Settling into a comfortable rhythm needs full attention. So keep your mind on running – remind yourself to relax, stay loose and run easily.
- After settling into your even pace and comfortable rhythm, try to make the most of your advantages. To do this, you must acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses. Some runners are best downhill, others uphill and still others on the flat. Put extra effort into your strength; the advantage you gain will likely discourage opponents.
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Thanks for reading!
I have written about the Anonymous Runner before, check out CLEANING UP THE ATHLETE'S DIET .
Also, check out the Training & Racing section in the EOOC TABLE OF CONTENTS.
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Experiment of One Coaching covers topics ranging from running, strength training, health & wellness, sports nutrition to travel. I usually post once or twice a month.
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