How to Avoid Bonking in Your Next Race

What Does It Mean to Bonk?

You have probably heard of the term “bonking” with regards to running. However, what does it actually mean to bonk?

Quite simply, it is the point when you will not be able to physically run anymore. In other words, you have “hit the wall”.

You might be able to walk and shuffle your legs a bit, but you won’t be able to run. In addition, you most likely will be feeling extremely fatigued and dizzy.^[1]RunnersConnect – Bonking vs. Fatigue vs. Cramping: What You Need to Know

Fatigue Vs. Bonking

Bonking is not the same thing being fatigued or tired while you are running.

When you run, your body prefers to use glycogen as its main source of energy. This is because it both easier for your body to use and more efficient. However, your body only has a limited store of glycogen.

If you are running a longer race, such as a marathon, you will eventually run out of it to power you forward.

Before you get to this stage though, your body will do several things in order to try and conserve energy. Namely, it will try and slow you down.

If you are running in a race, you might try to work past this by increasing your effort.

However, once your run out of glycogen, your body’s gas tank is literally empty and your body will quickly shut down.

Needless to say, as a runner, you want to try and avoid bonking as much as possible, especially in a race. However, you might not know how to go about doing it.

Don’t worry! We got your covered.

Keep reading and check out some great tips to help you avoid bonking on your next run, whether that be in training or in a race.

Train Your Body to Become a Fat Burning Machine

One of the best ways to avoid bonking in your next race, it by training your body to become an efficient fat burning machine.

While you only have a very limited amount of glycogen to power your run, you have an almost unlimited amount of fat that you can use as fuel.

However, if you don’t train correctly, you can’t access this endless source of energy.

It is very important to incorporate long runs in your training plan. It helps train your body to more efficiently use fat as your main source of energy when racing.^[2]RunningWarehouse – How to Avoid Bonking in a Marathon

If you would like to learn more about using fat as your main source of energy, check out 9 Intermittent Fasting Tips for Beginners.

Increase Your Running Fitness Level

Similar to the previous point, one of the easiest ways to prevent bonking is by increasing your running fitness level.

It helps your body to become more adapted to the stresses of running, and thus more efficient with how it uses energy.

While you will still burn your energy stores when running, rather than being a big lumbering SUV with low mpg, you can be a much more fuel efficient hybrid.

Check out these training plans to help increase your running fitness

• 12-Week 5K Training Plan for Beginners
• The 12-Week 10K Training Plan for Beginners
• 12-Week Half-Marathon Training Plan for Beginners
• 20-Week Marathon Training Plan for Beginners

Make Sure You Are Getting Enough Carbs During Training

While you can make your body more efficient at using fat as a source of energy when running, you can’t get around the fact that you will still need to use carbs for energy.

In fact, for most runners, your diet should consist of around 60% carbs.

However, that doesn’t mean you should be eating just pasta and candies!

Rather, make sure that you are eating your carbs from a variety of sources such as fruits, vegetables, breads, legumes, rice, pasta, grains, and even from dairy products.^[3]Runner’s World – Beat Your Marathon Bonk This will help make sure that you are not just getting the carbs necessary to power you through training, but will also make sure that you are getting all the vitamins and minerals you need to keep you strong and healthy.

As you get closer to race day, the amount of carbs you should be eating will increase. At around 4 days before your intended race, increase the amount of carbs to around 70 – 90% of your diet. This will help make sure that your carb energy stores are completely topped off before your race.

Fueling Before Your Race

Now that you have gotten to race day, proper nutrition doesn’t stop. In fact, making sure that you eat the proper things before racing is one of the most important things in order to help make sure that you can run to the best of your ability and not bonk.^[4]Active – Everything You Need to Know About Bonking

However, simply carbing up on pasta the night before is not enough.

On the day of your race, you might be too nervious to eat breakfast. However, it is very important to not skip this essential meal. This is because even though you might have carbed up the night before, your body’s glycogen levels naturally go down while you sleep. Therefore, if you go to the race without eating anything, you are starting without a fuel tank.

Rather, make sure to wake up a bit earlier than usual on your race day (at least 3 to 4 hours before running). Depending on your size, make sure to eat between 200 – 350 calories of food. This can include things such as sports drinks, water, and a toasted bagel with some peanut butter.

However, make sure that you practice your pre-race eating plan well in advance of your race. You don’t want to do anything that could potentially upset your stomach before running.

Fuel your body properly DURING a race

Depending on the length of your race, it is also very important that you have a proper race nutrition strategy. As we stated earlier, your body can only hold a limited amount of carb energy. If you are running a race, such as a marathon, you will burn through all of your carb energy before you can finish. This is when you can run the risk of bonking.

Therefore, it is important to consume food or drink during your race to help. This can include easily digestible things such as jelly beans, gels, and sports drinks. However, it is important that you practice your race nutrition strategy while in training in order to find out what works best for you.

Before are a few tips to help you figure out what works best for you.^[5]Healthynomics – 11 Marathon Fueling Tips for a Faster And More Enjoyable Race

Fueling Tips

• Make sure that you are taking in a mix of glucose and fructose. According to research, this produces the best results with providing you energy during your race.
• Follow the Rule of 15. That is aim to take 15 grams of carbs every 15 minutes. This is a good starting point to figure out how much carbs your body needs when racing.
• Try adding caffeine. According to research, caffeine has the ability to help us block the feeling of pain. With regards to running, this means that we are more likely to focus on running rather than how much it hurts. Try to take around 100 – 200 milligrams about 30 – 60 minutes before racing and 25 – 50 milligrams each hour that you are running.
• Study the course that you will be racing. By doing so, you will understand where you might need a bit more energy in order to overcome the more difficult portions of the course. As such, you can adjust your nutrition plan accordingly.
• Start fueling early. If you are starting to feel the bonk or are feeling thirsty, it probably is already too late. As such, it is important to start fueling as early as 15 minutes into your race.
• While many races that you attend might provide nutrition and hydration along the course, don’t be dependent on it. Perhaps you have special nutritional needs, or the particular race doesn’t provide anything. Make sure to you have properly prepared your own nutrition and hydration.
• Remember that hydrating during a race is dependent on the weather. When the weather is warmer, you will need much more fluids in order to stay hydrated. A sip of water every 10 minutes is a good starting point to make sure that you are staying properly hydrated while running. ^[6]Runner’s World – What Elites Drink Midrun
• Occasionally train in a fasted state. This will help your body get used to using fat and not carbs as you main source of energy. Check out 9 Intermittent Fasting Tips for Beginners for more information to help.

Focus on Your Form

One of the first things to go when you are bonking is your running form. Your legs feel like dead weights, and you have a hard time standing up straight. However, this can form a bad and quick downwards spiral as bad form leads to you only getting tired quicker.

Good running form not only helps you run quicker, it helps you be more efficient with how you use your body’s energy.

Fortunately, there are several things that you can control and pay attention to in order to make sure that you are running in the most efficient manner possible.^[7]verywellfit – How to Run Without Getting Tired or Winded

Form Tips

• Make sure to monitor your heart rate. Depending on the distance you are running, you will perform better at certain heart rates. To learn more, check out How to run faster and stay healthy by running below your aerobic threshold.
• Make sure to keep a good posture when running. This means that your torso should be upright. By bending at the waste, you compress your lungs and decrease your body’s oxygen capacity.
• Focus on breathing from your belly. This will help fill your lungs much more. In addition, you will be less likely to feel the painful side stitch when running.
• Work on your arm swing. When running, your arms should be relaxed at your side at a 90 degree angle. They should naturally sway back and forth and not cross your chest. When your left leg goes forward, your right arm should swing forward and vice versa. This will help propel you forward without using as much energy.
• Focus on relaxed breathing. An easy way to do this is by syncing your footsteps with your breathing. A popular breathing patter is the 2:1 LRC pattern where you take a breath for every two steps you take.

Mind Over Matter

You might have heard the saying that you mind is your strongest weapon.

In running, this is very true. While you can’t think your way out of a bonk, there are coping strategies you can use to help prevent and deal with it.

One of the most important mental strategies you can use is disassociation. When you run, you will naturally get tired. However, if you can keep your mind off of the fatigue, you will notice the race passing by much quicker. A few things that you can do to help disassociate yourself from the pain include chatting with other runners, looking at all the pretty sites around you, fantasizing, or even singing!

When running in a race, there is bound to be points where negative thoughts cross your mind. If you don’t know how to deal with it, you will quickly see your race strategy crumble and bonking become a real possibility. One of the best tricks that you can play on your mind is to every time you have a negative thought, to take some food.

Usually when you run, your body translates negative thoughts into physical fatigue. Therefore, whenever those negative thoughts come in, make sure to eat something tasty. Not only will this fight the physical fatigue, but it will also give your mind something positive to look forward during the race. ^[8]Coach –  Why Runners Bonk: How to Avoid Hitting the Wall

What Do I Do Once I’ve Bonked?

Despite doing everything right, there are times when you still experience bonking during a race.

Usually, the best thing to do at this point is call it quits and come back another time.

However, if you have already run 25 miles of a marathon, most likely you don’t want to stop that close to the finish line.

In these situations, the best thing to do is start consuming fast absorbing carbs as quickly as possible. This is one of those situations when you might want to start eating/drinking as many sugars as you can.

A gel or even a can of coke can really help pick you up. However, remember that since you are running on empty, those carbs that you are adding back into your body, will be quickly used up. As such, rather than getting back into your original running pace, it is important to understand that you aren’t out of the bonking zone. Slow down your pace, and focus on getting more carbs into you. If you don’t you are in danger of re-bonking in your race.^[9]openfit – How to Avoid Bonking While Working Out

It is also worth to note, that in your bonked out mind, most likely you won’t be able to taste things the same way as usual. As such, things that might normally be tasty for you, might taste disgusting. As such, it is important to gulp them down anyways.

Right now flavor is not what is important. Rather, you need to be focusing on getting sugar into your body as quickly as possible.

Some Parting Words

Bonking is never fun. However, like it or not, it is a reality of running. As such, it is important to understand what things you can do to prevent it as best as possible as well as know how to minimize the suffering that you will experience when bonking.

Good luck!