Bonking/hitting the wall

dm38

Just wondering if anyone has had any experience/tips with bonking/hitting the wall while cycling. I'm an extremely active woman in my mid twenties and have been doing the same level of training (alternating between endurance cycling and marathons) for at least 4 years with a combined total of 22hrs a week of running and cycling but I have never felt as bad as I did yesterday and wondering if I experienced the dreaded bonk. My day started with a 30 minute run followed by a hr commute to work which is usually quite intense. My food intake for the day was normal (I'm a creature of habit so have the same thing during the working week) which was 2 slices of toast for breakfast, a cream cheese sandwich for lunch, 2 apples and a yogurt.

Anyway I did my usual evening long cycle but 2 hrs into the ride I started feeling a bit shakey/tired which is not my usual self and I felt exceptionally thirsty- I stopped and had a drink of water but it didn't seem to work and by the time I got home (a total of 2.5hrs) I was shaking terribly, nauseas, short of breath and tight chested and felt ridiculously tired and sleepy - about an hour after dinner I started to feel ok again and woke up today feeling fine.

I'm just wondering if I hit the wall/bonked out. The majority of the sugar in my diet comes from the two or three pieces of fruit I have a day but apart from that I've cut out all drinks high in sugar including sports drink and fruit juice and all simple sugars/refined carbs. It's just odd as I've never experienced that before and I've done much much longer rides on nothing else apart from water - I cut this ride short because I just wasn't feeling all that good. Maybe as I get older I just need more calories/salt to get me through the miles.

rc856

Hi and welcome
Sounds like you certainly know what you're doing from a fitness point of view.
Are you fine now? Not coming down with anything?
I've bonked a few times and it's awful.
I think I really know when it's happening when even the slightest of rises in the road feel like hors category cols!!!
Even though it's happened before, it still happened again despite my best efforts.
Maybe it was an unfortunate off day for you?

SNACK-HEAD

Just cut my 3.5 hr ride to a 1hr steady loop myself. Other non-exercise stresses on the body can wear me out . I can`t be on the ball evey time i decide to train. By the sound of your experience you hit the wall.
Some days despite the enthusiasm you just haven`t got it. Rest/Cake.

birdy247

That is feck all food for that level of exercise. That would all have been part of my breakfast....

sheffsimon

dm38 wrote:

Just wondering if anyone has had any experience/tips with bonking/hitting the wall while cycling. I'm an extremely active woman in my mid twenties and have been doing the same level of training (alternating between endurance cycling and marathons) for at least 4 years with a combined total of 22hrs a week of running and cycling but I have never felt as bad as I did yesterday and wondering if I experienced the dreaded bonk. My day started with a 30 minute run followed by a hr commute to work which is usually quite intense. My food intake for the day was normal (I'm a creature of habit so have the same thing during the working week) which was 2 slices of toast for breakfast, a cream cheese sandwich for lunch, 2 apples and a yogurt.

Anyway I did my usual evening long cycle but 2 hrs into the ride I started feeling a bit shakey/tired which is not my usual self and I felt exceptionally thirsty- I stopped and had a drink of water but it didn't seem to work and by the time I got home (a total of 2.5hrs) I was shaking terribly, nauseas, short of breath and tight chested and felt ridiculously tired and sleepy - about an hour after dinner I started to feel ok again and woke up today feeling fine.

I'm just wondering if I hit the wall/bonked out. The majority of the sugar in my diet comes from the two or three pieces of fruit I have a day but apart from that I've cut out all drinks high in sugar including sports drink and fruit juice and all simple sugars/refined carbs. It's just odd as I've never experienced that before and I've done much much longer rides on nothing else apart from water - I cut this ride short because I just wasn't feeling all that good. Maybe as I get older I just need more calories/salt to get me through the miles.

Doesnt sound like nearly enough to eat for the volume of exercise you did in the day before dinner IMHO.

Plus I couldnt see any mention of crisps/cakes/choc in your description. These are essential.

Only suffered from bonk twice, fixed it with a can of coke and a mars bar.

ColinJ

I reckon for once, we have someone asking if they'd bonked who actually had!

I usually tell people if they are not sure if they bonked, then they didn't, because bonking (hitting the wall) isn't a subtle thing with nuances to discuss.

If you could ride up a steep hill - no bonk. Ride at 20+ mph - no bonk. Hold a sensible conversation - no bonk. Still loving your bike and enjoying the ride - no bonk.

10 yards of a 2% slope has you off and walking AND maximum speed on the flat 3 mph AND fantasies about burning your bike when you finally get home AND not enough strength to speak... you bonked!

It definitely sounds like you need to eat and drink more. Are you on some sort of crash diet? (Even if you are - you still need to eat more because starving yourself isn't a healthy way of losing weight.)

Pep

I bonk cycling many many times per year.

I now learnt how to notice minutes before it happens. You learn it by experience. When get the signs, eat small amount of carb like cereal bar or biscuit. That's what's worked for me at least, for the last 10yr.

bilirubin

+1 for all the replies re not enough food because it does not sound a lot compared to the level of exercise you are doing.

I would say you "bonked", however the real fun starts when you find yourself laying on your side half way up a steep hill, still clipped in, thinking "what happened there" before throwing up

Keep it up and eat more!

plowmar

+ 2 re food and nourishment.

Down our way though 'bonking' is something completely different and not possible to do on a bike.

newtez2

Bonked out many times! feels awful! i take some food when im on a long bike ride in cause this happens, sugary sweets will help!
I can tell when it comes on head gets really heavy everything slows down and you just want to sit on the side on the road and do nothing,
Its all about timeing your food intake before a ride, enough carbs etc,

Buckled_Rims

It doesn't sound like a full bonk. Bonking will usually stop you off your bike and have to sit down with a feeling of never wanting to run or walk ever again.

I also agree with all those saying you're not getting enough food intake. You also don't mention your weight as that has some baring on all that exercise.

A quick (and dirty - not sure how energetic you are) calculation of calories required for 22hr running and cycling brings up approx 9,000 cals . As a woman, you'd also need 14,000 cals to stay level. So, the question is do you eat 23,000 calories per week?

whyamihere

I came very close today. 67km as my first ride longer than 2km since about September. As I cut through my university's campus right at the end, I could barely turn the pedals in my lowest gear on a gradient that I barely even notice normally. I'd cut through the uni because I decided it was unsafe to be on the open roads, I was wobbling everywhere, feeling dizzy and seeing at least double. When I got back and my housemate asked how the ride had been, I couldn't work out how to speak to answer for about a minute, and was shaking like a leaf.

That wasn't a full bonk though. It was unpleasant, but could have been a lot worse.

fastercyclist

Probably. The worst bonk I ever had was a 40 mile ride (didn't think it was long enough to bother taking food on) I ended up getting picked up by a friend and driven home. Was weaving all over the road, felt like I was in a tunnel etc. You seem to be suffering similar mindfuck problems (nausea) etc.

If you don't want to eat more during the day (you should anyway) at least take some carbs with you when riding just in case it starts to happen again. You can eat and it'll go away. I personally have tesco value flapjack tray thing in my fridge during busy cycling weeks and just carry one all the time.

Pokerface

I guess I've never had the 'full bonk experience'. Many a time I have suffered badly and been running on empty - but it's never been so bad that I couldn't carry on, albeit veeeeeeery slowly. It becomes almost like tunnel vision - only concentrating on the 3 feet of tarmac in front of you and just trying to turn the pedals over enough to get home.

dm38

Thank you all for your replies which are all really helpful.

Nope no crash diet, just badly organised and under prepared. I was brought up on a whole foods diet which has stuck nothing extreme but generally stay away from refined sugar, additives, anything white or processed. But I had neck surgery over a year ago and couldn't consume anything but liquids for a long time and when I did start eating solid food i just couldn't eat normal sized portions and definatley don't get anywhere near 23,000 calories a week - probably just over half of that. But up until now this has never really had a negative impact on my performance, training or stamina and my weight is normal at 20.4 on the BMI scale. I'm reluctant to attribute it to anything like 'overtraining' as i do have a rest day every second week and have a total rest week every 8 weeks.

I took it easy today but grabbed a couple of bananas on the way to work, will do another long ride tomorrow and hopefully get past the three hour mark. I don't really have time to snack during the day at work but will give the flapjack thing a go and make some this weekend to have with my breakfast or just before I go on my long ride.

ColinJ

I'd suggest having a good breakfast would make a huge difference so you won't be playing nutritional 'catch-up' all day. Two slices of toast isn't really enough, in my opinion.

Starting to eat a large bowl of porridge every morning made a huge difference to me.

I suggest:

1 measure of porridge oats
1 measure of water
1 measure of skimmed milk

(Pick the size of measure to suit yourself. I'm a big lad so I use 225 mL. You might prefer about 150 mL)

I add a tiny pinch of lo-Salt (reduced sodium), half a teaspoon of honey, and a dessert spoonful of raisins to the mix. I chop a banana into the freshly made porridge. It's really nutritious and tasty.

My porridge takes just 4 minutes to prepare, so I can't believe it when people say that they don't have time to make breakfast!

I find that easy to get down even when I'm not feeling very hungry, for example when I get up early for a big ride. It keeps me going a long time, so I rarely feel hungry during the day and can just top up as and when I feel like it.

Oh, and don't buy the brand-name packets of oats. You are paying over the odds for packaging and marketing. You can buy a 1 kg bag of porridge oats for well under £1 from most big supermarkets - a fantastic bargain.

Garz

Pokerface wrote:

I guess I've never had the 'full bonk experience'. Many a time I have suffered badly and been running on empty - but it's never been so bad that I couldn't carry on, albeit veeeeeeery slowly. It becomes almost like tunnel vision - only concentrating on the 3 feet of tarmac in front of you and just trying to turn the pedals over enough to get home.

Very similar for me. I know I'm struggling and it usually co-insides with a sore perineum from too many miles in the saddle in a short space of time.

Crapaud

Welcome to BR, dm38.

I'm not sure it's the bonk ...

dm38 wrote:

... Anyway I did my usual evening long cycle but 2 hrs into the ride I started feeling a bit shakey/tired which is not my usual self and I felt exceptionally thirsty- I stopped and had a drink of water but it didn't seem to work and by the time I got home (a total of 2.5hrs) I was shaking terribly, nauseas, short of breath and tight chested and felt ridiculously tired and sleepy - about an hour after dinner I started to feel ok again and woke up today feeling fine. ...

... I don't recall thirst or a tight chest as a bonk symptom. I you don't have time for snacking, could it be that you haven't drunk enough and were dehydrated? I did a quick google for the symptoms of excessive thirst and came up with this:

5% dehydration

•Increased heart rate •Increased respiration •Decreased sweating •Decreased urination •Increased body temperature •Extreme fatigue •Muscle cramps •Headaches •Nausea •Tingling of the limbs ...

... 10% dehydration

•Muscle spasms •Vomiting •Racing pulse •Shriveled skin •Dim vision •Painful urination •Confusion •Difficulty breathing •Seizures •Chest and Abdominal pain •unconsciousness

... which seems to mirror some of your symptoms (you needn't have all the symptoms). However, excessive thirst can have many causes including early pregnancy.

It could just be an off day. I wouldn't worry about it unless it becomes a regular thing then go to the docs.

NB, I am not a doctor.

Pokerface

Wow - that just seems like a very low caloric intake for all the exercise you do. Especially as you're not (presumably) looking to lose weight.

But you know your own body so am not preaching. But possibly worth keeping an eye on - especially if your performance begins to slip at all.

Richa1181

Was it particularly cold on the day you went out? I suffer blood sugar issues and I'm no stranger to passing out after a missed meal - thankfully something that doesn't happen very much any more due to a good diet, but on the bike I do quite well until the cold sets in. Of the 3 rides I've done in really cold conditions none were too pleasurable and one even ended with me collapsed in front of my house under my bike for 20 minutes half blind at 8 in the morning. From what people have said here, probably an authentic bonk and not a near bonk experience, possibly caused by the body working overtime trying to keep warm as well as ride hard? I can usually get away a decent morning ride after some food but never when the cold has set in.. It's the only variable I've found that messes me up, but it's possibly just me being a big girl!

BeaconRuth

Why are you training for 22 hours a week and only having a rest day once a fortnight? I can't think of any sport or performance level which requires that amount of training on an ongoing basis - other than that of a pro cyclist or triathlete. Also there is no way that what you say you are eating is enough to support that amount of exercise. You had neck surgery and couldn't eat solids for a long time about a year ago............ and now you're training 22 hours a week on fewer than 1700 calories a day............ something doesn't add up at all.

With respect to what you experienced, it was not the bonk if it took an hour after your meal before you felt OK again. If you had bonked you wouldn't have stopped to prepare a meal - you would have grabbed the nearest, sweetest, sugary food and wolfed it down, and you would have felt fine again about 5 minutes later.

Ruth

kettrinboy

well IF it was the dreaded bonk as opposed to dehydration, just taking water wont help,as your body needs energy in this situation, but an energy bar or gel may have been what you needed,on a 2 hour ride i would always have a gel or two in my back pocket just in case,on my own personal bonk or near bonk experience, my first 50+ mile ride, first 45 miles, ave speed 17 mph,the last flat 11 miles ave speed 8 mph,and having to stop every mile and wonder if i should phone my dad to come and pick me up,basicly i didnt drink and eat enough before and during the ride, so i learned the hard way.

ireland57

plowmar wrote:

+ 2 re food and nourishment.

Down our way though 'bonking' is something completely different and not possible to do on a bike.

Same here.
You English have no imagination.

Dm38.....

Your breakfast and lunch diet would be brilliant if you are the size of a large dove or a small chicken.

Mate, you need to eat more to do that amount of exercise.

Maybe something other than more fruit too.

rock_hopper

I think it's astonishing that the OP is doing that much exercise/training on so little calories and only one rest day in 2 weeks!!!!!! The symptoms of tight chest/shortness of breath sound a bit more serious than bonking and would maybe suggest a trip to the doctor to be on the safe side. I'm not a coach, dietitian or doctor but racking up 22 hours a week on such a small amount of calories makes me think a body would start to shut down, I agree with Ruth, something doesn't add up.

Pross

I've bonked a fair few times, most recently on my last outing 8 miles from home. It's the worst feeling in the world, all you want to do is curl up and lie in a ditch at the side of the road. Even the most minor tump that you never noticed in your previous umpteen rides on the road looks like Everest but you don't go any slower up it as it isn't possible to ride any slower than you already were without falling off. In fact, all your energy is taken just trying to stay upright and even free wheeling downhill feels like an effort.

I wouldn't be surprised if the OP had bonked on that amount of food, as others have said it seems far too little for someone doing a high level of exercise. However, I'd say Crapaud's guess is more likely and it was more hydration related.

Pross

Forgot to say, if you bonk sugary foods pick you back up most quickly (would have gladly mugged a passing toddler to nick a Mars bar off them on my last ride and seriously considered stopping at a village shop and leaving my car keys in return for chocolate as I forgot to take money with me!) but if you still have some way to go they can be counter-productive. To prevent it in the first place you need to ensure sufficient intake of slow releasing energy.

rozzer32

Your only have 1 rest day every 2 weeks??!?!?!?

In my current training plan I have 2 rest days a week (although it is base training at the moment).

It sounds like you need to look at your food intake as others have said and I would suggest having at least one rest day a week. Overtraining and the lack of food intake could lead to very serious problems which this "could" have been a warning for.

Although I am no doctor or expert coach so what do I know

Karl2010

dm83= troll or someone doing reseach. only two post in total, and still no reply.

Zingzang

"training (alternating between endurance cycling and marathons) for at least 4 years with a combined total of 22hrs a week"!

You are mystified about a sudden loss of performance. I think a lot of us on here are mystified how you can keep going at all after four years of that.

With the greatest respect, I think you need some expert help with your training, particularly the psychological side of things.

If you owned a prize-winning race horse, would you flog it up and down like this every day, or treat it as it deserved? Not my sentiments but a certain J. Friel's.

NPH

Was your neck surgery for a thyroid problem?
If so, get it checked.
And +1 for getting some psychological help with your training.

dm38

firstly I'm trying to figure out what is the better of the two being a troll or a nutcase who needs to see a mental health expert to get my head seen too - yes this is my first post but i'm not new to bike radar or the forums - just never had anything I wanted to as before if that's ok.

The food intake was what I had during the day not including dinner or anything else I may have in the evening or weekend - I'm not big on breakfast and like I said previously I just don't have the time during the day to stop for snacks. Yes I am very active and more so than most people I love running and cycling and it's nothing new or unusual. When I was 14 and going into my GCSE curriculum my parents stopped me from doing more than 3 sports a week as I did anything and everything. 12 of those hours a week are from my commute to work and back and although they are no Sunday stroll I get no pleasure from them and enjoy going on a couple of long rides with my partner every week. And then there is running which I love more than cycling. thanks for the responses some of which were very helpful. But I think I will pass on seeing a psychologist and be very careful about what I post or ask next time and i'm sorry if I offended anyone or asked an inappropriate question.