How to Turn a Bonk in to an Opportunity

Baseball Running is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.” Yogi Berra (Joe the Runner)

I know that most of you are just like me, your parents, spouses, and people with full time jobs and limited time. So, the time that we get to run is premium time and can’t be wasted. Every training session is important. And, just like me, I am sure there are times that you get out on your run and things do not go as planned. That speed session just isn’t very speedy, or your long run turns in to a long run/walk. Hey, stuff happens. So; what to do?

The answer is that we need to stay flexible with our training sessions and make sure that we always extract something from them, no matter what happens. Now I’m not giving you an ok to just constantly fail during your training sessions. Most of my sessions reach the intended goal, BUT, from time to time something goes awry and I adjust. Here is a recent example.

Last week, I went out for a simple 13k EASY run. I was trying to hit about 5 minutes to 5 minutes and 5 second per KM, nothing special. Then, at KM 10, I just blew up. Bonked… Maybe it was because this was the fourth day in a row in the heat, or maybe it was in my head, I don’t really know, and it doesn’t matter. I slowed to a 5 minute 25 second pace and felt like crap!

At this point you have some decisions to make. You can bag it and walk it in, but as discussed, our training time is too valuable to waste. You can simply put your head down and drag ass home like a zombie, this is a better choice, but still not the best. Or, you can switch from body work to mind work! What I mean by this is, start to practice as if you were in a race.

This is what I did, I said to myself, “Ok, you’re in a race with 3 KM’s to go, and the wheels are coming off, what would you do?” So, I went in to my bonk management routine. I started to scan my body mentally from head to toe, “Is everything ok? Am I in pain or am I injured? I’m not injured, so check! Keep going.” Then I started to think through if anything was hurting or if I was simply gassed. Turns out I had no real pain, and I was just very tired. So, I took a minute to “own” that. I said to myself “Ok, you are cooked, but that won’t stop you from moving forward, so let’s focus on form and try to run as efficiently as possible and get your ass to the finish line.”

As I started to work through my form, I got upright, got my head back up so my breathing became easier, and suddenly started to feel a little better, and during the process of performing that mental check and making adjustments, an entire KM clicked off! So now I only had two to go. Those last three KM’s went 5’ 28”, 5’ 24”, and 5’ 18”. Not exactly a speed demon, but they were getting faster and I finished! So instead of letting that bonk ruin my training session, I actually improved it by working on damage control and putting some more tools in my toolbox.

Let me finish this post by talking about your “toolbox”. Some people call it a “cookie jar”, or “going to the well” or whatever… The point is, that in my opinion, your training is a set of experiences that prepare you for your races. Every time you encounter something in training and overcome it, you are putting a “tool” in your “toolbox”. Ran a tough 10k in the heat, that “tool” goes in the “toolbox”, blew up at KM 25 of a 30 KM long run and finished anyway, another “tool” in the “toolbox”. Once I started to acknowledge the mental side to our training, I started to look at rain, snow, heat, and any other obstacle as opportunities to put more “tools” in my “toolbox”! If I’m a beast, then I go out in the elements, I attack hills, I run in the mud, etc. You get the point.

You’re probably thinking, “Ok, I’m building this “toolbox” so what?” This is where you can go during your races when the shit is hitting the fan and could be the difference between a DNF and a finisher’s medal. I don’t know about you, but I hate surprises during races, and the “toolbox” is my coping mechanism. More hills than I thought, no problem, I’ve run 100,000 feet of vert in training. Tons of rain and mud, been there; done that. Keep pushing Randene… Trust me, when the pain comes, and it will, you’ll be glad that you can reach in to the “toolbox” and pull out the right “tool” to get the job done!

So, the next time you wake up and it’s raining, get excited! Embrace the opportunity to work on your body AND mind, and go buy that “tool” with your blood, sweat, and tears. THAT is what a beast would do.

I hope that this post and this blog helps you achieve your dreams! To receive new post notifications, newsletters, and post previews, please SUBSCRIBE!

For behind the scenes photos and comments on my training and personal life, follow me on Instagram: joe_the_runner  Strava: Joe Randene

Questions, comments, feedback? Please leave them in the comments section BELOW and we can have a discussion!

4 Replies to “How to Turn a Bonk in to an Opportunity”

  1. This is one of my all time favorites of your posts. It took me a couple days to get around to looking it up to read it again after my race, but reading it again after finding myself at the bottom of the cookie jar in mile 78 almost has me in tears. I had nothing to prepare me for what an attempt at 100 miles was going to feel like and all I could do at that point was to reframe it and ask myself “What do you want in your cookie jar on the next 100-miler: I sat in a chair and cried and gave up, or I pulled myself together and got back on my feet and kept going?” I’m glad I chose the latter- that cookie jar is now well-stocked for my next race 🙂
    Keep the great posts coming Joe!

    1. Ara, thank you for the comment! That was an amazing effort considering to was your first attempt. 82 miles is just mind blowing and I knew you weren’t going to let that effort go to waste. You learned so much from that day and it will definitely be something that you can reach back to when the need arises on your next attempt. I can’t wait for the next race in September and am so grateful that I am a part of your team!

  2. I just re-read the tool box. I am inspired. The comments also made me smile because Ara has now completed the 100 Mile race and earned her buckle. She must have put a lot of experiences in that tool box. Yay Ara! Yay Joe!

    1. Rose, I learned so much from watching Ara, my toolbox added some new tools! I hope it helps me to achieve my goal this year. Peace Joe the Runner

Comments are closed.