Day 17 - Bonk

Today's scheduled run: 5 miles

Today's completed run: ~1 mile
Pace: Who knows?

It's a good thing I began this blog with a post about a run on which I totally bonked, because I'm now free to write another, and likely more in the future. As excited as I was to tell you about the 8:10 pace yesterday, I am equally disappointed in telling you about today's "run," which was, in the words of some, an epic fail.

It was a chilly (around 43) but sunny morning in Baltimore, and I set out feeling pretty good about getting in the planned 5 miles. However, around minute 6, every organ in my abdominal cavity began protesting any and all movement. I mean, those puppies were rolling around. I think they were playing tag, or something. I slowed, thinking maybe I could run it out, but it only got worse, turning to dull pain punctuated by sharp pangs. I stopped to walk across a street, thinking that might settle everything, but it didn't. Those organs just kept on hopping.

So, I turned around; and I did the nearly 20-minute walk of shame back to my house. The walk of shame itself wasn't so bad, even though I was dejected and plagued by more rolling organs for most of it. The worst part was that I'd dressed just warm enough for running at 43 degrees -- shorts, long-sleeve shirt, thin pullover and a hat. As you may surmise, this is not warm enough for walking in 43 degree weather, with wind, in the shade of tall buildings. Brrr.

By the time I got home, I couldn't feel my hands or my legs. Not my best moment.

I'm glad to look back on some stronger runs these past few weeks and remember that a bonk is not forever. Thankfully, tomorrow will be a new day.

Did you know that the official definition of a "bonk" is when an athlete depletes their glycogen stores in the liver and muscles? I didn't know this until this morning. Technically, then, I'm using the word bonk incorrectly, because that's not what happened here; but I like the term so much, that I'm going to keep it.