Someone on Runners World Online (RWOL) posted a couple of videos to demonstrate examples of what it is like to hit "the wall". Someone on the message board, who is likely a physician, explained that hitting the wall is not a total deficit of glycogen, but a combination of different factors all leading to a sudden physical halt. The videos are both of leading Ironman female athletes, both world class competitors, who hit the wall and as a result fall apart pretty dramatically. One is actually really scary because the woman says that she thinks she is dying. She looks it, too. Thankfully (knock on wood!), I have never hit the wall while running. However, I have felt that weak delirium in other instances due to my poor eating habits. Sometimes I am so busy throughout the day that I forget to eat until I either get a severe migraine headache (A puke-a-palooza, if you will, topped with the constant desire to have someone steamroll over my head) or my body feels weak and worn down and my thinking gets somewhat "foggy". I have run into acquaintances and unfortunately had to attempt conversations during these episodes. I'm sure they thought I was on drugs or crazy afterwards. No. Just hungry.
Has anything like this ever happened to you?
Totally scary, right??
It is so hard to watch those videos. The debilitation is heartbreaking. I've always understood that bonking comes from running out of glycogen before your body is able to shift to burning fat (ketosis) for energy (aka, your second wind). The first time I ran a half I only made it to the finish line by force of will. A race volunteer asked me if I needed medical help, but I recovered fairly quickly after electrolytes and water. If that race was 13.2 miles I'm not sure I would have finished that day.
ReplyDeleteThe poster online said that your body does not completely run out of glycogen (like a 0), but it does go low. He wrote that starvation would be an example of a total glycogen deficit.
DeleteYour half marathon story is pretty scary. Did you eat and/or drink throughout the course? What were the weather conditions? Thankfully, you recovered quickly.
My biggest mistake of that race was a failure to properly train. Prior to that first half my longest run was 8 miles. On race day I took a gels during the run, but still ran out of energy near the end. I can't blame the weather for that debacle, it was typical early May temps. The next year I did fine because I trained for the distance and carried a mix of Roctane and water in a gel flask (3:1, gel to water ratio)
DeleteWow.. yes. This is VERY scary. I guess I've been using the term 'wall' all wrong.
ReplyDeleteThat's an eye-opener.
I think those are extreme examples. But, yes, frightening. I hope that NEVER happens to us. They were world class athletes with a lot of attention drawn to them anyway. What happens to the ordinary runner during a small race?
DeleteI have felt like this on a 19 miler where I didn't fuel correctly total BONK first time and I hope the last time
ReplyDeleteYikes! Were you able to get back home? Yes, hopefully the last time and never in a race!
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