This scene still makes me laugh after so many years.
Anyway- I actually experienced this last night after I my 63rd mile this week.
It's supposed to rain today and the high is 41 degrees Fahrenheit and I could barely get out of bed, so I decided to drive to work.
I know, I know. Mind over matter. I'm already lazy!
These are self-defeating thoughts that I have to push aside to be healthy and commute daily (or almost daily) like I want.
Let me explain what 'bonking' feels like and why I seriously wonder why anyone would consider using this as a training tool without very, very scrupulous and attentive athlete-professional guidance.
So...
Monday. I bike to work and feel great. I bike home and feel great. Very energized. A little sore, but I take a hot bath and feel better.
Tuesday. I bike to work and feel great. I bike home and feel a little tired. Less energized. A little sore, but not too bad. I take a hot shower and go to bed early.
Wednesday. I bike to work and feel sluggish. I try to bike home and have difficulty biking in a straight line. It takes almost 10 minutes longer than the days before. I get home and I'm shaky and so hungry I feel sick. I three slices of a large pizza after a warm bath and go lie down at 7:30pm. I'm asleep by 8:30pm.
Thursday. I wake up and feel sick, dizzy, and like I'm going to pass out.
My mistake, methinks, is my choices of food over the last few days. I already struggle with maintaining my blood sugar. I am genetically predisposed for diabetes and while I don't have diabetes, I am often hypoglycemic. I have 'bonked' even without much exercise.
This is due to the fact, I think, that my meals are too few, small, and far between. I've had to be very aware of my calorie intake since High school, as I have a tendency to under-eat for my activity level and metabolism. I just don't have much appetite most of the time, so I can't tell when I need more carbs or fat or protein or just food in general.
Something is out of whack.
This experience has led me to do a bit of research on bonking. It frightens me that people think it's okay to do this on a regular basis. I would say, just based on my own experience: WHY. From what I've read, it takes too long to recover to make it worthwhile and if you're not incredibly careful, you'll end up losing some of the muscle you've worked so hard to achieve.
If I can help it, no thanks.
But, anyway, just reading articles alone, I'm having a difficult time finding the answers to some questions I have about my own personal situation, like, what I need to eat and how much? I would love to be told, "stuff your face with bread all day!" which is what some of the articles sound like, but I wonder if that's the best approach.
Most of the articles I've found tend to focus on men athletes and diets/bodies than women.
I'm a woman, and I'm sort of small. Maybe I should look up articles on lady-trainers/athletes.
I'll do that next.
But, I know, whatever happens that I do not ever want to bonk again. I hate the sensation more every time it happens, either from exercise, or my own erratic eating habits.
This biking 2 hours a day, although I've hit a set-back today, I think will help me be healthier in the long-run because it's bringing to light the problems of how I treat my body day-to-day. Like not getting enough nutrition or calories to sustain what I want to do.
This venture will help me harmonize with my body in a better way, which I think will ultimately benefit me. So, I must see this hazy, tired, and sluggish feeling as a learning tool, and not as a failure.
So...
Monday. I bike to work and feel great. I bike home and feel great. Very energized. A little sore, but I take a hot bath and feel better.
Tuesday. I bike to work and feel great. I bike home and feel a little tired. Less energized. A little sore, but not too bad. I take a hot shower and go to bed early.
Wednesday. I bike to work and feel sluggish. I try to bike home and have difficulty biking in a straight line. It takes almost 10 minutes longer than the days before. I get home and I'm shaky and so hungry I feel sick. I three slices of a large pizza after a warm bath and go lie down at 7:30pm. I'm asleep by 8:30pm.
Thursday. I wake up and feel sick, dizzy, and like I'm going to pass out.
My mistake, methinks, is my choices of food over the last few days. I already struggle with maintaining my blood sugar. I am genetically predisposed for diabetes and while I don't have diabetes, I am often hypoglycemic. I have 'bonked' even without much exercise.
This is due to the fact, I think, that my meals are too few, small, and far between. I've had to be very aware of my calorie intake since High school, as I have a tendency to under-eat for my activity level and metabolism. I just don't have much appetite most of the time, so I can't tell when I need more carbs or fat or protein or just food in general.
Something is out of whack.
This experience has led me to do a bit of research on bonking. It frightens me that people think it's okay to do this on a regular basis. I would say, just based on my own experience: WHY. From what I've read, it takes too long to recover to make it worthwhile and if you're not incredibly careful, you'll end up losing some of the muscle you've worked so hard to achieve.
If I can help it, no thanks.
But, anyway, just reading articles alone, I'm having a difficult time finding the answers to some questions I have about my own personal situation, like, what I need to eat and how much? I would love to be told, "stuff your face with bread all day!" which is what some of the articles sound like, but I wonder if that's the best approach.
Most of the articles I've found tend to focus on men athletes and diets/bodies than women.
I'm a woman, and I'm sort of small. Maybe I should look up articles on lady-trainers/athletes.
I'll do that next.
But, I know, whatever happens that I do not ever want to bonk again. I hate the sensation more every time it happens, either from exercise, or my own erratic eating habits.
This biking 2 hours a day, although I've hit a set-back today, I think will help me be healthier in the long-run because it's bringing to light the problems of how I treat my body day-to-day. Like not getting enough nutrition or calories to sustain what I want to do.
This venture will help me harmonize with my body in a better way, which I think will ultimately benefit me. So, I must see this hazy, tired, and sluggish feeling as a learning tool, and not as a failure.
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