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| No-Bonk Marathon Strategies (Read 672 times) |
va |
posted: 7/28/2007 at 4:18 PM |
When asked if they had any advice for a first-time marathoner, an experienced marathoner (14 marathons completed) told me, the best advice is to take it slow for the first 5 miles. They said it, "it's impossible to run too slowly at the start" and it "makes the difference between being able to run the whole way and bonking and hitting the wall and walking". They went on to say, "When you don't hit the wall, it feels like an entirely different sport!". Have you ever run a marathon and not bonked? If so, what do you feel is the key?
Thanks!
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| view log Runs with the pack |
posted: 7/28/2007 at 4:49 PM |
| I've run four marathons and always 'bonked'. And I've always thought that I went out too fast. I usually set my half marathon PR during the first half of the marathon! It would be great not to be totally shot the last 10k AND still run a PR. I can't imagine that is possible. Maybe it's possible to run a slow time and not BONK if you paced properly, carbo loaded the day before and then took in the proper fuel along while running. |
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| view log Santa needs new shoes |
posted: 7/28/2007 at 4:50 PM
modified: 7/28/2007 at 4:53 PM |
At the expo before my first marathon in Chicago, I got to hear the legendary Bill Rodgers speak. He said that at some point of the event, you will have a "dark time", a couple miles where you will probably feel discouraged and have a desire to quit. His encouragement was to think about all the training you've done and to tell yourself "I don't want to have to do this again. If I quit now, I'll have to do it all over again." Once you are able to get through the dark time, you'll be fine. I thought this was interesting and, sure enough, at miles 14-16, I felt lousy - got thru it and successfully finished.
In my opinion, a good training program, proper hydration, GU, lube, and having an encouraging running partner, particularly someone who has run previous marathons, have been the keys to avoid bonking. |
| Twin Cities Marathon 10.5.08 - COMPLETE! |
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| view log |
posted: 7/28/2007 at 11:14 PM
modified: 7/28/2007 at 11:17 PM |
It may be helpful to define what it means to "bonk". There is a difference between bonking and feeling fatigued, sore, tired, etc. In my last marathon (Tues, Jul 24), the women's winner wanted to quit at mile 16 (it was a hard, hot, humid, hilly marathon). However, she says she looked around, didn't see anyone, so she just kept going. When you bonk, you really don't have much of a choice about going/quitting. Generally, to stop and walk is not 'bonking'. The decision to walk is far more mental than physical. When you bonk, you feel weak, light-headed, drained, etc. You have depleted your energy stores and it feels as if you have been fasting for 24 hours. Is bonking inevitable? I don't know yet. I will say that I have run 20 marathons, and have never bonked. I have hurt, been fatigued, couldn't wait to finish, wanted to quit, etc, but never 'bonked' (I have, however, bonked on a long (20 mile) training run--but that is because I only had a couple of drinks and no gu's, etc. I was running a depletion run too fast).
What you were told about starting slow is sound advice. The biggest mistake marathoners make (especially newer ones) is to go out too fast. You are using energy that you will have to pay for later. You cannot 'bank' time in a marathon. The best way to avoid bonking is what Ken D mentions--plus start slow (yes, you'll feel strong and fast at the start--don't get sucked in to what the rest of the field is doing). The last marathon I 'raced' (I only really race one per year, the others are training marathons), my overall pace was 7:39. However, my first mile was 8:25. The second half of a marathon should be the faster half.
So no, you don't have to bonk. |
My Masters (>50) Race PR's:
5K - 20:17
10K - 42:36
HM - 1:31:22
Marathon - 3:20:48 |
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posted: 7/28/2007 at 11:16 PM
modified: 7/28/2007 at 11:17 PM |
| (Post twice in error) |
My Masters (>50) Race PR's:
5K - 20:17
10K - 42:36
HM - 1:31:22
Marathon - 3:20:48 |
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| view log Blaine Moore |
posted: 7/30/2007 at 3:19 PM
modified: 7/30/2007 at 3:21 PM |
I have run 8 or 9 marathons now (8 states, Boston twice) and have not "bonked" for a couple of years now. In fact, when I finished running the New York City marathon last Autumn, it felt like an average long run. I was not sore, and I had plenty left at the end despite running a PR. My last two miles, I dropped my per-mile pace down by around 30-40 seconds over what I had been doing. My friend's family couldn't even tell that I had run a marathon that day.
A lot of what I suggest to people got written up on my site last year as a half dozen of my friends got ready for their first marathons and I wanted to make some suggestions for them. The secret to not bonking is to be prepared to and refuel yourself along the way.
9 Article Series: Marathon Preparation
I am in the process of writing an eBook that expands on those articles and fleshes them out a bit more. I'll drop a link in here once it's ready, I am sure.
Quote from Pron8r on 7/28/2007 at 11:14 PM:In my last marathon (Tues, Jul 24), the women's winner wanted to quit at mile 16 (it was a hard, hot, humid, hilly marathon). However, she says she looked around, didn't see anyone, so she just kept going.
A few years ago when I ran Boston, it was extremely hot (mid-high 80s) and humid. The first American woman, Emily Levan, quit at around 16 or 18 or so, but was told that she'd have to wait for 30 minutes to get picked up so she decided to keep running. She wound up running a 2:43 or so if I remember correctly.
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| view log Blaine Moore |
posted: 7/30/2007 at 5:44 PM |
After replying to this thread this morning, I checked my stats this afternoon, and somebody had searched yahoo for bonking and found this article that I'd written a year ago: Is "bonking" actually good for you?
It deals more with purposefully bonking in training so that you don't in a race, but is kind of related. |
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va |
posted: 7/31/2007 at 11:12 AM |
| Everybody, thanks for the tips! |
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| view log esq. |
posted: 8/1/2007 at 9:54 PM |
The not going out too fast too soon advice is really solid.
I never thought it applied to me (who does?)  , but it did at Marine Corps. I did the first 13.1 in about 1:50, and thought I would surely make my goal of a sub 4 hour marathon. I was exhuasted and hurting around mile 20. I didn't stop running, but I did slow down ... drastically. At Richmond, I am certainly going to watch my pace, and not pick it up just because I'm feeling good. |
| 2009: BQ? |
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| view log Barefoot and happy |
posted: 8/8/2007 at 5:21 PM |
You bonk when you run out of carbohydrates. The amount of carbs you can store is relatively fixed by your genetics. And the amount you can absorb while you're racing is also not very large (because it takes time and energy to process what you eat into usable forms), though it can certainly help.
To run a fast marathon (or just run one without bonking) you need to burn the carbs you have efficiently. This is where the concept of aerobic base comes in. The stronger your aerobic base, the greater proportion of your energy is coming from fats instead of carbs, which allows the carbs to last much longer.
That's also why going out too fast will make you bonk -- the harder you're working, the greater proportion of your energy is coming from carbs, so you deplete your stores sooner. Fast marathoners can maintain their race pace while still keeping their intensity low enough that they're burning a high proportion of fat.
Having studied all this stuff, I'm working on putting it into practice with an extended base-building period this summer. So far, so good. |
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| view log My Little Pal |
posted: 8/9/2007 at 2:16 AM |
| I've had at least 3 (out of 13) that were no-bonk. All 3 were BQ's as well. The training for the first one was totally different than the last 2. The first was a 3:22 in '96, the second, a 3:38 in '06 and the 3rd, a 3:42 in '07. All 3 had the emphasis on the long run. Average weekly mileage for the first one was around 48 miles for the 15 weeks prior to race week. My max long run was 28 miles. The weekly mileage for the last 2 averaged about 35 with long runs of up to 22 miles. On the last 2, I went 18 or more every other week for at least 10 weeks prior to race week. |
Sometimes it doesn't matter where the train is going, just that you get on.
Masters Group |
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