No, not that kind of bonk - the cycling variety. For non-cyclists a bonk is when you literally run out of steam - its related to burning off available carbohydrates. Anyway, 2 hrs into a cycle is when I bonk unless I get some carbs into me.
Today I did my 8k run and I am asking the question because I noticed towards the end of the run I was getting that dead weary feeling and then hunger pangs that felt similar to the early stages of a bonk. So I'm wondering if I should have something at the hour mark to stave this off? Grannyhugs has a jelly baby (seriously, just one???) - any other suggestions?
Written by
Fionamags
Graduate10
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I giggled and thought "I beg your pardon!" when I saw the title for your post! 🤣
Then I read on and understood, but kept giggling!
This type of "bonking" is new to me, so thank you for adding to my education FM. I shall now equip myself with bonking jelly-babies or something similar, just in case, so that I don't bonk-out as my runs get longer 🤣😂. 🤗
That's not a bad idea - I love apricots and I could just eat a couple. Don't know if I could stop at just one jelly baby. Wait.... I'm getting deja vu now - there was a v similar discussion recently, wasn't there??? Oh dear - senior moment strikes again....
🤣🤣you have no idea how much I have to eat after my run. Big bowl porridge, yogurt fruit and as I clear that away the kettle goes on for a pot of tea and some home made fruit and nut oaty cookies🤣 if I time it well theres only a couple of hours to wait before lunch.
The trick is to fuel up a couple of kms before you need ot, so if you feel tired at 8k, eat something at 6k to give it time to work through the system. I did a 10k 1hr 10min run this morning so had ½ banana just as I left the house. I'm planning a 10 mile run soon and will run layevmorning so I can have said porridge/fruit/cookies at breakfast. Thus, only 1 jelly baby needed on run 🤣🤣happy running 🤗
Ah ok that makes sense. It also explains why I'm getting a roaring appetite some days. A bit tricky as I'd like to lose a bit of weight rather than gain... not lost an ounce so far. Must be bristling with muscle 🤣🤣🤣
Don't just go by weight, take your measurements, you may be pleasantly surprised. It's a real balancing act getting enough of the right calories in at the right time as you increase activity.
I got so frustrated at not losing any weight on my first C25k last summer that I put the scales in the back of the airing cupboard. They are still there..... As Grannyhugs says, going by clothes size is a great idea, but my jeans don't feel any looser though as I've now got a bottom that I never had before. Honestly, sometimes you just can't win!
Well I ran 10 miles yesterday and didn't "bonk" perhaps if I had gone to the HM distance I may have bonked, I do still cycle but just short distances since I started running.
About 30 years ago I did go two or more hours bike rides, in that time you can get almost the equivalent of a running marathon distance, that's halfway, you still have to 🚴 cycle back, I always had drink with me and also sandwiches to eat as well, altogether those cycle rides were around 50 miles, perhaps if I had done a hundred miles I would have suffered from what you have described.
You might be like my husband who seems to be less susceptible. I don't get it on an easy 2hrs - it would tend to be with a lot of climbing. Eating at 2hrs staves it off so maybe longer without food to really hit it?
It was only once I came home from a long bike ride in a state of collapse, I was around 20 at that time, I went a long bike ride, the temperature gradually rose to above 80F, there also was a hot south east wind against me on the way home, I had no drink with me, just got home and almost collapsed.
From that day on I have cycled in similar hot conditions, shorter bike rides and of course I have had plenty of liquid with me and no collapsing.
Oh my!! I've never heard of this😂😂😂but like Delly I appreciate the giggle and the education 😚
I tried eating half a banana before my.last 5k. I can't say it helped in fact towards the end of the run I was feeling a little sick. I just have a drink before a run as I try to go out as soon as I'm up. I find the exercise kills the hunger pangs. I'm not seeing any weight loss but my legs are becoming more toned.
Anyhoo good luck coping with the honking Fionamags whatever you try🤞😂😂
🤣🤣 I was going to say not before a run but I see that’s not what you meant, .....looks like I need to stock up on jelly babies but will have to get Mr Jorge to put them in the safe until Run day 😀
I found that when I was doing long runs before the injury hit me, I could sometimes feel a bit nauseous at the end, which I think was related to hunger. I nearly always run before breakfast. I take a tiny pack of raisins with me, or jelly beans and eat a few after about 30 minutes. It is rather comforting somehow to rummage in my belt while running and pull out sweet things. Like you're on a voyage! They are chewy so quite nice to help concentration. And they stage off the running out of energy!
Thanks. Thats a good idea. I don't think I could run empty though - I don't do well exercising on an empty stomach. So jelly beans will be added to the line up!
Oh how I needed a giggle and this was the perfect post for it 🤣🤣 for me it depends what time of day it is... if I run first thing I either set off having eaten nothing (plenty of water though) or half a banana. But like grannyhugs I'm starving afterwards... big bowl of fruit and yogurt, scrambled egg on toast.. maybe some toast and honey..
If I run in an evening I go 2+ hours after tea, and sometimes don't need anything when I get back. I haven't needed to eat or drink whilst running yet...
Yes, what marathon runners used to call “the wall” is usually referred to nowadays as bonking. In theory this shouldn’t happen until 90 minutes or more into a run as that’s usually how much glycogen we have stored in the muscles ready to go.
Same things you take while cycling should do the trick... my friend swears by tailwind. I’ve managed to run for two and a half hours with no carbs... but I did spend a long time becoming fat adapted with some slow running... and as those that have met me will attest, I carry enough fat to do a few hundred miles 🤣
Thanks. I see from what everybody says that I'm a bit of an outlier. As I said to Grannyhugs - might be just the legs and looking for an excuse. 🤣🤣🤣 But I do know from cycle touring that I need to get more carb into me way earlier than my husband. So I might experiment with a couple of apricots, jelly babies or beans and see what happens - if nothing else, might be a great placebo effect!
I experienced it on my first 8k. My husband is a cyclist and thinks I should take a gel with me. I’ve only run a couple of longer runs since and it hasn’t happened again but I carry jelly babies now as psychological support 🏃♀️
😂😂I always have breakfast on a longer run and have also started to take jelly babies with me. Usually have a couple about 5 miles. Don’t know if I really need them but I do enjoy them and psychologically think they help!
Simple answer is 'all humans bonk when they run out of energy, the more energy you are using the more the bonk will seem catastrophic'.
A professional cyclist on a climb will be putting out 300-600 watts of energy, so running out of fuel for the muscles is dramatic. We are probably maxing out at 150-200 watts, so it seems like a general tiredness and slowing down.
There are basically 2 sources of fuel for the legs, the glycogen in the muscles that gets used up fast, and fat that the liver converts on the fly to sugars. If you use it faster than the liver can go or the blood can deliver, and you have finished the stored glycogen, you will feel tired. The trick is to run at the pace that your liver/blood can cope with, and also train your body to do better.
Thanks that is very helpful. I think in my case my body may be a bit slow to convert fat to sugar if I compare how I deal with cycling compared to my husband. However I already run very slowly for my long run eg it took me 71:40 to run 8k yesterday. So if I slowed down I'd be out there all day. 🤣🤣🤣
I will certainly bear that in mind though as breaking down fat would be a bonus!! May have to resort to a couple if jelly babies as well 😉
I'd just like to suggest that if you want to get to 10K or even 21 miles, then you are going to have to either train your liver/cardiovascular system to be better at converting fat to sugar and delivering it to the muscles, or you are going to have to run slower.
I chose the run slower option, and now enjoy my longer runs. I never take sugars while on a run, although I do actually carry a wine-gum in my shorts as a 'get me home' emergency fuel.
By the way, almost all the fat converted by the liver is taken from the store actually in the bloodstream. Other mechanisms in the body maintain that fat level from food and from the stores that we call body fat. This is why it's so hard to loose weight by exercise alone.
70 Minutes for 8K isn't anything to be ashamed of. Just think how proud you could be of sitting on a chair for 70 minutes 😄
Thanks for the boost! Any thoughts on how to train my liver?? I will certainly bear your advice in mind. I totally agree about slowing down - i did that a few weeks ago for my long run and suddenly found my 'happy pace'. But maybe ur right and I need to slow down even more.
You train your liver the same way you train everything, I guess. Run for longer. It seems to have worked for me, despite being 70. 3 years ago I could barely run 100m, now I am sorely disappointed if I can't find time (and weather) to run 7 or 8Km. But I am not fast.
What an interesting post and useful answers 😊. I like to run in the morning without eating, just water. I have managed a slow 10 miles with only water. Once when running in an event (13km) I had a small breakfast because the event started later but then felt sick near the end. Still don’t know if that was caused by eating or not drinking enough during the run. I now always run with water and sip a little as I go along. Everyone is different of course, but it is interesting reading advice from others 😊
We're all different so what works for one person may not work for another. You'll have to experiment with what you eat and when you eat until you find your own personal formula. I exercise - running, Inferno Hot Pilates, Yoga first thing in the morning. I fly high on an empty stomach. When I exercise after food I feel sluggish and for thing like yoga that may include compression postures or even lying on your stomach it's a nightmare. However, different strokes for different folk. Experiment and you'll get there 🙏🏿
In regards to a long run, yes...I used to take a couple of jelly babies with me on runs of anything over an hour, and take them about 40 minutes in.
Currently as my long runs are over 90 mins I'm using the High 5 aqua gels...again I take at around 45 mins, if the run is making me unsettled I take half, then the rest 20 mins later. As my distance is increasing I may try a second gel. Jelly babies are nicer but I struggle to eat them when breathing heavy.
With regards to any other kind of bonking, as a single lady I'm afraid not 😉
Everyone is different but broadly speaking, your body uses up its stored carbs (glycogen) around 60 to 90 minutes and you are basically out of fuel. Whatever strategy you use when cycling, perhaps try that on longer runs 👍🏾
Thanks! I would usually munch on a low GI/oaty snack bar or banana but can't quite imagine doing that while running? I'll try the jelly babies to start with and see how they go. It will probably take somewhere in the region of 90 mins to do a 10k so I'll need to just experiment.
Yeah, jelly babies are a popular choice. I was worried I'd choke on them, as I'm a bit accident prone... I tend now to have either SIS gels or the Torq Cherry Bakewell, but it's more that I don't really like sweets (I know, right?!)
I don't usually bother for around 60 minutes, but if I know it's going to be longer, I probably have a something every 20-30 minutes. I have been known to start off on a run with a cereal bar and, aside from dropping a bit on the floor and being bitterly disappointed, it was ok to eat. Depends how much you rely on breathing through your mouth! Good luck.
Answer is yes, but not usually with an hour run, unless you are going REALLY hard. But if you are running out of energy, you should eat some complex carbs an hour or so before you start your run
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Merry Christmas Runners
Do runners need salt.
Runners red!
Why do we run?
Oh I do like to be beside the seaside 
