So how many types of bonks are there and what causes them?
Lets say you are part way through the run in an IM and just lose energy - nothing hurts - you just lack the will or your legs lack the ability to turn over and push off…
Lets say you are on a 3 hour ride - pushed too hard for the first 2 hours and your heart rate jumps up and your watts drop and you are just plain tired. Whats going on there?
Do bonks from lack of glycogen, dehydration, over-extending…feel different? Are there more types?
not to hijack, but i’d like to understand the connection of when i’ve just climbed 15,000 feet in the span of a couple of hours, am rolling down the road in 98 degree heat with no shade, and i begin to see bluebirds on my handlebars.
i sucked down some gu, and 4 of the 5 birds went away. but then a small irishman appeared on my right glove and yelled at me the rest of the ride home.
he really sucked; at least the bluebirds were friendly.
I think people tend to say “bonk” when they simply aren’t in as good of shape as they thought/hoped they were. Maybe they didn’t bonk on the run, maybe they went to hard on the bike and weren’t in good enough shape to have a solid run afterwards.
Want to experience a bonk? This is what Slowman said, go ride 4 hours hard with only water, you’ll feel the bonk.
not to hijack, but i’d like to understand the connection of when i’ve just climbed 15,000 feet in the span of a couple of hours, am rolling down the road in 98 degree heat with no shade, and i begin to see bluebirds on my handlebars.
i sucked down some gu, and 4 of the 5 birds went away. but then a small irishman appeared on my right glove and yelled at me the rest of the ride home.
he really sucked; at least the bluebirds were friendly.
One of the funniest things I’ve ever read. Period. What a great mental picture!
I think it was someone on this page that said something similar.
Go ride 4hrs hard, get off do 1/4 mile repeats, go do a short hard ride 20 minute ride, get off do repeats, repeat and rinse drinking only water. Eventually you’ll really bonk.
and it’s not just feeling tired or not just feeling like quitting; it is a bonafide meltdown. the body can’t move, the mind can’t think, it’s feeling like a wet rag.
everybody has different symptoms of bonking. for me bonking on the run has predictable stages:
very sad thoughts
cry
snot down face, along with endless tears, then hyperventilation
dizzy
fall down and need 6 people to pick me up, cannot even drive or get home without help. trashed physically and mentally for next 2 days.
on the bike, i’ve reached the crying stage two years ago at TOSRV. This past weekend i was dizzy and saw stars, so was well on my way of a real bonk, but thankfully was able to snap out of it.
a bonk is a dangerous thing, IMO. it is hard to move, or get back to where you need to go. also some people feel very sick; and collapsing is a reality.
Agreed. I disagree with the 4 hour hard ride theory however, that is total hogwash. Bonking is specific to each individual and is based on calories in vs. calories out, in my opinion. When you run out of fuel and your body has to start attacking itself to continue, you are bonking. When you are face down in a ditch, you have bonked.
So how many types of bonks are there and what causes them?
I’m not sure if “Bonk” is a technical term or not but the general usage is only one definition. You have a “bonk” caused by lack of availability of energy for burning, of the sugar form. (I’ll let some guru fill in all the technical info here)
So basically only one bonk.
As other have stated a “Bonk” is not only physical but typically associated with mental issues as well as the brain is literally starving and doing weird things, AKA hallucinations, mood swings and in very bad scenarios unconsciousness.
I read once that when your mood changes in training or a race it’s time to eat. When you start becoming sad or having “Dark thoughts” without any other reason it’s likely your blood sugar is low. Take that further and things get worse.
Dehydration is different as you simply start to loose performance. For me I hardly notice it until I start to get a queezy stomach. Easy way to find out of your dehydrated is if you feel bad, especially in the stomach, lay down. If you lay down and feel better and the unsettled stomache goes away you’re probably dehydrated.
Most everything else that is called a “Bonk” is just going to hard and not being in good enough shape for that effort.
I would like to point out though, that you can suffer even when your glycogen stores are nearing their end: not only does your performance drop, but symptoms, albeit milder versions, like the above start.
I have not fully bonked, but I have been close in 1 race, and had a few low blood sugar situations in training (out of my own stupidity!). But you feel the effects before you even start. Your performance drops and the demons begin to do the hoop-la.