Bonked

I'm a dummy...I didn't adhere to my normal nutrition plan and hit the proverbial wall. In other works I "bonked' after just three hours of riding (I wasn't even riding for all of those hours). One minute I'm fine and the next I'm screwed. It was yesterday and I was doing one of my regular rides to the market. It was still early, about 10:00 in the morning, the heat is steadily rising into the high 80's and it's not slowing down. I'm well into what was planned to be a 30 mile ride, loaded down with groceries from a stop at the market. Most of the 1,700+ feet elevation gain is behind me. I'm keeping hydrated and I'm enjoying the ride and not paying attention to what I'm eating. All of the sudden I'm paying the price for being an idiot and I feel lousy. Right away I know I need to get my blood sugar back into gear...I need food and I need it now! I have energy bars with me but my brain is crying out for a banana! Luckily there's a gas station directly ahead with a convenience store and a pile of bananas in a basket. A banana has always been my "go to" fruit when the body doesn't feel right. One banana and an energy bar later I'm back on the road. For the remainder of my ride I never feel quite right and slowly made my way home. I cut about 5 miles off my planned ride and ended up with a total of 25 miles. 

With stopping at the market, some slow climbs, a couple of unplanned rest stops to recover I was out almost 4 hours. I'm not young anymore and I need to keep nutrition up to par while riding. At the minimum I should of had 1,200 calories of high energy eats (300 calories an hour) for the entire ride. With the heat, elevation gain and time on the road add another 600 calories or more. In the three hours, up to the time I bonked, I had only 220 calories from an energy bar. The last part of the ride, about an hour, I downed another 600 calories. 

I feel I should of had 1,800 calories or more while out for 4 hours. I ended up at a little over 800. I wasted no time chowing down a lunch when I got home. The rest of the day I was zoned out. I took advantage of my diminished state to plant my butt on the sofa and watch "Wuthering Heights" on TCM.

Getting "bonked" by low blood sugar is "so" avoidable. I was at the market, why didn't I buy some food to eat while riding!!?  Whether you're riding 10 miles or 100 miles pay attention to the riding conditions and give your body what you know it needs before it's to late. If you wait for your body to tell what it needs you may be screwed for the rest of the day.