I went for my lunchtime swim today, did somewhat more laps than usual, maybe swam a little harder than usual. (I am not at all an accomplished swimmer, just a recovering runner.) After my shower I just wanted to puke. I broke out in a cold sweat, felt generally rotten, and quietly wished for death. I had to lie on the bench for about 5 minutes before I could finish getting dressed. This happened only once before, 27 years ago when I ran cross country.
Questions: Is this what athletes call "bonking?" What is the physiological condition that causes it -- build-up of lactic acid? Running out of blood glucose? Not enough oxygen in the brain? Dehydration? What is the preventive -- Big breakfast? Stretching? Being in better shape? Wearing boxers rather than briefs?
Thanks for your help.
Man, sounds like the onset of the flu! Did you eat anything before you swam? If you didn't, you need to eat, without fail. If you did, it still sounds like the flu.
Okay, maybe I was a little too dramatic in my initial post. I should add that felt much better after the five minute rest, and completely fine after I had a sandwich later in the hour. It's probably not the heart -- I recently had a stress echocardiogram (part of an executive health screening), and the doctor said it was excellent. My current money is on either low glycogen (I should have eaten more), or high lactic acid (I'm out of shape).
Could be a vasovagal reaction, which can occur after very strenuous exercise. Essentially it's similar to what happens when you faint and involves the autonomic nervous system. Perhaps you were a bit dehydrated. This is usually benign but you should of course consult your physician (especially if it happens again).
Well, I did something stupid twice. Went out in race speed in a 100 yard breastroke workout and my heart was beating very fast and it took me about 5 mintues to recover. Also, had to sit down after a workout because I felt very light headed. I did sprint kicks and sprint butterflys before my conditioning was really for it. You have to be careful sometimes coming from a running background and I guess that you are also at least in your late 30's to early 50's. Another reason to be careful at workouts.
More than likely, it's because you did the extra yardage and pushed yourself harder. I've been through the same experience, both when I've begun swimming after a long hiatus (and not even pushed all that hard), and when I've upped my yardage or effort too quickly. Never something to worry about, but the feeling is enough to remind you to increase yardage/pace more slooooowly.
Sounds a lot like low blood sugar to me, especially since you say you felt better after a sandwich. Do you swim on an empty stomach? If so, you might try eating something to "fuel" your workout. I'm fond of ZonePerfect bars or wheat toast with cream cheese, and I usually eat it before leaving for the pool (giving it 30-45 minutes to settle).
I suppose some people use the term bonk in deifferent ways.
In triathlete circles the term is reserved for use when describing glycogen depletion. The most identifiable characteristic is that you are working really hard, high perceived effort but your heart rate stays low. It would be out of the ordinary to see someone who has bonked be nauseous.
I suspect that the nausea was from very high intensity swimming and the problems that tends to cause. Not from glycogen depletion.
Of course the nausea could have been from something else alltogether.
The classic symptoms of a vasovagal reaction are profuse sweating, nausea, and lightheadedness (due to a fall in blood pressure and heart rate). Not uncommon after strenuous exercise and usually benign unless it becomes a frequent occurence.
Thanks, everyone. After reviewing your responses and studying related websites, I believe that the winner is: Vasovagal Reaction.
For reference -- Wang, Sakaguchi and Babcock (THE PHYSICIAN AND SPORTSMEDICINE - VOL 25 - NO. 5 - MAY 97) have written that "Vasovagal reactions are reasonably well accepted as a cause of postexercise syncope . Vasovagal reactions consist of varying degrees of bradycardia and vasodilation . These reactions can range from pro-dromal vagal symptoms such as nausea, pallor, diaphoresis , and/or blurred vision, to presyncope or outright syncope."
This describes my episode accurately. As I understand it now, some dilation of the blood vessels is normal during exercise, as is slowing of the heart rate immediately afterwards. In combination, these may result in a mild, temporary shortage of circulation to the brain, leading to the observed symptoms. To support my conclusion I note that the symptoms began not during exercise, but while showering (i.e., I stopped moving my legs, which further decreased circulative effect), and equilibrium was restored when I put my head down for several minutes. To prevent recurrence -- I have to get in better shape, don't overexert, and cool down after workout.
"Bonking" seems to be a different effect, as it happens during exercise (rather than after), even to extremely fit long distance runners and cyclists. It has to do with depleting glycogen stores.
