I think your question was: I guess basically I am asking what the difference is between a bank time vs a bonk time?

 

To me, there is a difference. If I bank time, finish feeling spent, but strong, and hit my goal time, my banking time strategy definitely worked. In general, for me, that works to about 10 seconds faster per mile the first 10 or 13 miles, then I usually go GMP the next 6 or 8 miles, then I slow down. If I don't walk at all and manage to still run the last few miles in my GA range and I hit my goal time, I figure I did it right. Bonking for me happens if I go faster than 10 seconds over GMP, over too many miles in the beginning. When I did that (on two occasions, actually), I knew at mile 16 that the last 10 miles were going to be rough. In all my other marathons, it was only in the last 2 or 3 miles that I'd start questioning my sanity, not before that.

 +1