If you’re a runner, the title of this entry needs no explanation. If you’re not a runner, but take up the sport, the experience is one of those that you’ll never forget it. And, if you never have plans to run or do any sort of extended physical fitness, I’ll give you a brief explanation. A bonk is often referred to as “hitting the wall” by marathoners. It’s a condition caused by depleted glycogen stores in the liver and muscles which leaves you feeling majorly fatigued with no energy to continue. What’s really tough about this dreaded condition is you never see it coming….running along and BAM!
This weekend I ‘bonked’. Actually, it was the first time I’ve bonked in a number of years. I typically do a decent job at managing my nutrition strategy on long runs. This weekend, not so much. And two hours into a three hour run, my body decided it didn’t feel like running anymore. I knew what was going on, understood the situation, knew there wasn’t a quick fix, and that the only remedy was to shuffle back home and begin to replenish my body with fluids and carbs.
I felt really bad about my running partner. We run together every weekend. Saturday mornings at 5 AM, we meet at my mailbox and pound the pavement (4 AM wake up on weekends are terrible). Sometimes small talk and other times we zone into our own world and just run without ever speaking to one another. This day I had to queue her into what was going on…..and I wasn’t happy about it. I break the news that I’m walking back and tell her to run along, and I’ll likely see her later in the day. She immediately refused and committed to walking back with me, which is incredibly long and boring, but I was so happy to have her join me on the death march.
With one hour of walking in front of us, we began to chat. The chat turned into a real conversation. Then, the real conversation turned personal. The next hour or so was perhaps the most meaningful 1:1 interaction I’ve had with a friend in a very long time. We dug deep into emotions and life experiences (both good and bad) we have in common that neither previous knew about. It was incredible, and I was grateful for the moment we were in. Think about that comment, “Grateful for the moment we were in.” I had bonked and was physically feeling terrible – but I was living life at the max.
“Slow down, and enjoy the moment. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going fast – you miss the sense of where you are and why.” -Unknown author.