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"Bonking" on the Run portion of a race?

m2tall2's picture
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started by m2tall2 on August 27, 2007

O.K., so I am not sure what to do: I have some run issues besides being slow and mechanically challenged. I’ve only ever done 2 sprints (first 0.5, 12.5, 2.8 on July 29th & then 0.5, 17, 3.5 yesterday), both this summer and had the same experience on the run (and mind you I stink at running, it’s something I’m working on).
About ½ to 2/3 through the run I start to get a strange, strong faint/lightheaded feeling. I don’t know if the lightheaded and faint feeling is from not enough practice running while exhausted or if it’s from not enough fuel. (Maybe both.)
On the practice side, during the event, I check, and while my heartrate is high, it is not insane or at the limit. However, running is my hardest event and I only average 11 to 12 minute miles for a 3 mile run. I’m still working up the amount I can run and have not gotten good enough to do more than 3.5 miles at a time in a workout. Usually it’s only between 2-3 miles. But I’m working at it.
I’ve gone hard and strong through the swim and bike, both times doing PRs for the distance. I’ve practiced bricks (although my bricks are usually only a 1 mile run at the end).
On the fuel side, both times, I drank about 32 ounces of water between waking up and the time the gun goes off. Yesterdays fuel example is similar to the first…
I had a reasonable breakfast, yesterday an Egg Sandwich with 6 oz coffee 2 hours before and a Banana 30 minutes before the race maybe with a swig of Powerade. At T1, I took a healthy swig of water and ate a small handful of trail mix. On the bike I took several swigs of Powerade and had a bite or two of a granola bar. Upon returning to T2, I realized although not thirsty, I should have drank more on the bike (guessing about 6 ounces on the bike), so drank probably another full 6 ounces. I can’t remember if I grabbed another bite of trail mix but I was not hungry and felt reasonable. At 0.75 miles was the first aid station. I drank the whole cup of water... looked like eight ounces. At 1.75 miles was the second aid station, again, a cup of water. Then at about 2.25 miles that total lightheaded, strange feeling hit. At the previous race, I begged for sugar at this point, had a few sports Jelly beans and made it to the end. At this race, there was no food but I was only about 1.25 to the finish line. I practically dragged myself across the finish where I promptly consumed plenty of food and beverage.
So my question, Do I really need this much fuel for a race that lasts me between 1 hour 40 minutes and 2 hours? I do tend to need to eat very regularly on a given day. Should I be bringing some sugar on the run? Or, am I really having a salt problem? And a given but I am not sure if it’s the sole contributor, do I just need more practice running while exhausted?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!

tri-ac's picture
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tri-ac posted 1 year ago.

plan to work your practice runs up to double the distance at a zone 3 (max!) pace, increasing weekly volume by 10% each week and backing off every fourth by 25%.

it sounds like you just need to keep working on your base endurance

don't worry
be consistent and your time (punny, huh?) will come...

Triguy98's picture
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Triguy98 posted 1 year ago.

I agree. Its a fitness thing, not really nutrition. That said, during the summer, I make sure I take in at least one bottle on the bike for sprints and olys.

It could simply be that you arent pacing properly on the bike and blowing yourself out, but that doesnt sound like the case. It simply sounds like you need more base. 1+ on the bike and 2+ on the bike for your long days should do it. Your events will be faster and more enjoyable.

Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.

m2tall2's picture
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m2tall2 posted 1 year ago.

Triguy98;77564 wrote:
1+ on the bike and 2+ on the bike for your long days should do it.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by this...could you explain?

Thanks!

Triguy98's picture
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Triguy98 posted 1 year ago.

One hour or more on the run and two hours or more on the bike per long work out. Sorry, I forgot to add the "hour" in there ;)

Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.

oztrigal's picture
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oztrigal posted 1 year ago.

To me it seems like an awfully large amount of solid food for a sprint tri.. Could be that your body can't handle digesting the solid food when you're racing at such a high intensity? Maybe experiment with sports gels instead as they're easier to digest..

m2tall2's picture
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m2tall2 posted 1 year ago.

Yeah, I am thinking it is probably both pieces. I think having not enough base is the first problem and I am coming up with a plan to address that issue. Nice to know a one hour run is a good goal, that is what I was hoping to reach. And my long bike (1.5 hours) may not be quite long enough.

I think perhaps it's also a food issue. My watch said I burned almost 1700 calories in that 2 hour race. So, if I burn 500 to 750 calories in a normal one hour workout where I do not need to eat but get pretty darn hungry by the end, that means at the end of the hour, I am on empty and need a boost to get through the next 500 to 750 calories. I should figure out a regular pre-workout food that I get used to and figure out how much before I need to eat it. AND figure out how to get the simplest easy to digest foods to boost that second hour.
I should practice it specifically with the run...what to eat 1.5 hours before the run and then what to eat 10 minutes before the run. That sounds like a small/medium banana is good 30 minutes before...trail mix and granola BAD during the event. Hmmm...I'll bet that banana takes a little over 2 hours to digest. That puts me right around the time my body revolts on me in the run. I think maybe I am draining all my energy reserves and the trail mix/granola isn't doing much to replenish it immediately (althought the powerade should do something).

I'll have to see what works.

Thanks!

PJT's picture
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PJT posted 1 year ago.

Think about carb-loading the 2 days before each race. You should be able to store up to 2000 calories of glycogen for fuel during exercise this way.

In sprints, my nutrition plan is very basic.

Breakfast: 1 bagel (no toppings), a bottle of Boost or Ensure, water, and maybe a banana 2 hours before the race.

Pre race -- water as I need it, maybe a bit of gatorade, then 1 Gu 15 minutes before the race (always with water)

Bike -- 1 bottle of gatorade, usually 1 Gu & water about 5 miles from the end of the ride.

Run -- gatorade & water only as needed.

Afterwards (very important) eat something carb-heavy, but low fat, within 30 minutes.

The sprints I do normally put me in the 1:20 to 1:30 range. If I were doing a 2 hour sprint, I might change things by having 1 Gu at the beginning of the bike, and 1 towards the end. (That's what I do in Olympic distance races).

Triguy98's picture
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Triguy98 posted 1 year ago.

I would keep any nutrition at all to a quick burning gel. Bulky food at high intensities doesnt mix well.

Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.

triyodie's picture
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triyodie posted 1 year ago.

Try a saltstick tab or enduralyte cap before you start your run with a good amount of gatorade/water. (about 10 minutes before your run) I had similiar feelings when I first started with sprints and Olys and once I started training with nutrition/sweat loss/etc, the problem has not come back.
Maybe a little longer run after your rides, 1 mile or 10-15 minutes after every ride. This is tough mentally to do after riding but it pays on race day. Hope this helps.
Good luck and keep training.