Bonk Part II (or… the Meltdown)

For the second time this week I let poor nutrition help lead me into a major bonking episode. I am certainly aware the in order to keep the running engine moving, I have to eat, and eat right, but sometimes I get too busy and neglect to take care of myself properly. That, combined with 30 miles in 4 days, was a recipe for a serious bonk.

My typical day starts at 4:40 AM. I head out the door to work by 5:15. (Hey, I was in the Army, I can move fast when I need to) By 6 AM I am working. Sometime between 6 and 7:30 I grab a bagel or something for breakfast at the cafeteria or eat one I brought from home. I eat lunch at 11:15. If all goes well by 2:30 I am back on the road for home. If traffic cooperates I am home by 3:15 – 3:30. By 4 I am heading out for my run. When I get home I shower and head off to pick up the boys. Around 5:45 I cook dinner. (Wife gets home at around 6:15 and we’d be eating at 7 if she cooked… which doesn’t work well) This week I am working OT so by 7 I am on my computer and working from home. Between 9 or 10 I call it quits, fall asleep within 3 minutes of my head hitting the pillow. Lather rinse repeat.

Yesterday the forces of evil were plotting against me. I ate less then usual for breakfast. (Strike one) I had a service award for lunch, but they were serving pork roast (ARGH!) which I passed on so I just had some potatoes veggies and rice. (Strike two) Then I decided I would go to the gym today to run. GASP shock. I am trying to decide whether to cancel my membership since I haven’t been there in months, but I figure on very poor weather days it might be a nice substitute for running outside. I hate the treadmill but they have 1/12 of a mile indoor track, so I thought I would give it a try. My GPS watch wouldn’t work in door so I didn’t know how fast I was running and it was difficult to gauge since I was indoors. Needless to say… it was too fast for having covered 8 miles the day before. (Foul ball!)

The usual dinner time had to be bumped because of parent teacher conference. (Foul ball!) Then as the family was finally heading to eat… we have to stop for gas… (foul ball!) and my wife decides since we are at Costco… she would run in and pick up her glasses that were ready.

(Here comes the pitch!) Finished getting gas… park by the Costco door… and wait… and wait… and wait… (It’s a curveball!) and wait… my blood sugar-o-meter has been on 0 since the parent teacher conference but I start losing it. (He swings with all his might! And WHOOOSH!!!! STRIKE THREE, he is OUTTA here)

When my 8 year old asks where mom is for the 5th time I mumble something about her being a sloth. Not nice I know… and I shouldn’t have said it (but at this point I already struck out and was dejectedly heading back to the dugout). Of course my son taking after his dad… opens the door as my wife approaches and calls her a sloth. (Uh oh… this one is getting ugly… a brawl is breaking out! Both dugouts have cleared and they are going at it)

Instead of heading to eat… I drove home and when straight to bed. I couldn’t sleep though… just stayed there half comatose until the boys where in bed and it was time to make up.

Lesson learned? Eating is important to running. You can’t run well if you don’t eat right. If you try to keep running without eating right… get ready for a bench clearing brawl.