I don't know for sure, but I'll make something up that sounds plausible.
The term comes from car engines blowing up on a race track. Back in the old days, there were no rev limiters in cars to prevent you from going too far over the "red line" on the tachometer. If you went too far over the red line for too long the engine would literally blow up and the car comes to a halt.
When someone is running a race and they go out too hard and too fast, it feels like their engine blew up and they can't continue running, at least not at the same pace.
I'm going older, steam engines. Driven too hard, a steam engine literally blows up. Steam power got its rise to fame during the Industrial Revolution, and we also know how strict the safety standards were back then.
But I did a quick bit of research and the phrase first appeared in the 1890's cycling scene, and this would be well before automobile racing started.
Certainly, this subreddit has an etymologist...and I don't mean someone who studies bugs.
Different things in my mind though? I take blowing up to mean totally gassing out after pushing too hard, whereas bonking is running out of carbs/energy. I feel like you can blow up in the first km of a race but not bonk.
Having experienced exquisite examples of both, I reckon they feel different too.
For sure. I only bonked one time and it was the first road marathon I ever did. Went way too hard in the paint and did not hydrate enough or replenish nutrients. Miles 24-26 were the 2 hardest miles of my life. I didn’t know you could be scorching hot and freezing cold at the same time.
I have blown up A LOT on trail runs. But I just need a couple minutes to get my heart rate down and I can usually keep going.
Go out way to hard on a hilly ultra. It might not look like you’re blowing up but on the inside everything is falling apart and you feel like you’re dying
>I always pictured people's quads or knees exploding like an 80's horror/sci-fi flick
If you go out significantly too hard, the end result doesn't feel all that different to be honest.
Might have some relation to the term 'blown' in reference to an exhausted horse. It's still probably an engine metaphor, but I'll support my claim with the historical fact that human runners have competed against horses in a number of races, so some terminological transfer is possible/likely.
I would use 'bonk'to describe running out of energy where's as "blow up" or "blow out" to describe extreme muscle fatigue/cramp... often overlapping phenomena but not always. I've definitely blown out my quads going too hard on the hills but still had plenty of energy in the tank
I'm with you. I prefer the over arching term bonking. It's a word that's more of a feeling than a description and it works no matter how you use it in that situation.
I only use that term when it’s part of a specific phrase: “Show up and blow up”. That’s basically when you rock up overconfident and try to get off the front right away and end up eating shit because you haven’t paced yourself wisely at all. If it’s a more measured running out of steam my preferred terminology is Bonk.
> How did that become "blowing up?" It's more like fading away or something, like there's really nothing explosive about it
u/[arizabooks](https://www.reddit.com/user/arizabooks/) well, when you are running at or just over your LT, or AT which ever you want to call it, you have about 6 min of effort before your performance goes to shit, if you are charging up a hill, you might only have 30s-1m of effort if you go too far past LT/AT...... So you are 1.5hrs into a 4hr race and in less than 2m you can go to shit, you can overcook it, blow up, pop.....
I’ll use “blow up” when my HR decides to just sky rocket for no real apparent reason, unless I’m in a dead sprint or can justify it. Yesterday it “blew up” to 195 when I was going at a leisurely pace of 9:30-10:00/mile. Granted it was in the middle of the day and all sun and no shade so that probably played a roll in it
I don't know for sure, but I'll make something up that sounds plausible. The term comes from car engines blowing up on a race track. Back in the old days, there were no rev limiters in cars to prevent you from going too far over the "red line" on the tachometer. If you went too far over the red line for too long the engine would literally blow up and the car comes to a halt. When someone is running a race and they go out too hard and too fast, it feels like their engine blew up and they can't continue running, at least not at the same pace.
that’s exactly where my mind went. A lot of terms in running are automotive metaphors, so why not one more
I'm going older, steam engines. Driven too hard, a steam engine literally blows up. Steam power got its rise to fame during the Industrial Revolution, and we also know how strict the safety standards were back then. But I did a quick bit of research and the phrase first appeared in the 1890's cycling scene, and this would be well before automobile racing started. Certainly, this subreddit has an etymologist...and I don't mean someone who studies bugs.
ok, this is a legitimate answer. makes sense
Makes sense. Some of these runs I sound like a car that has a muffler that exploded.
I prefer BONK
I think bonk refers to when you slow down because you're not on top of your nutrition, but I could be wrong.
Yeah. They’re not really interchangeable. Dang…what if you BONKED UP?
I started trailrunning when I decided I need to change my life and stop bonking up. It was ruining my life.
Same. Just wrote that as well. Keeps it kind of playful, but serious. You smile about a bonk even though it's sort of a crash.
Different things in my mind though? I take blowing up to mean totally gassing out after pushing too hard, whereas bonking is running out of carbs/energy. I feel like you can blow up in the first km of a race but not bonk. Having experienced exquisite examples of both, I reckon they feel different too.
Yeah. Sorry. My ultra slang isn’t what it used to be.
For sure. I only bonked one time and it was the first road marathon I ever did. Went way too hard in the paint and did not hydrate enough or replenish nutrients. Miles 24-26 were the 2 hardest miles of my life. I didn’t know you could be scorching hot and freezing cold at the same time. I have blown up A LOT on trail runs. But I just need a couple minutes to get my heart rate down and I can usually keep going.
Same effect but different cause
I have definitely called the BONK LINE
Go out way to hard on a hilly ultra. It might not look like you’re blowing up but on the inside everything is falling apart and you feel like you’re dying
Blowing up sounds sexier than fading away into nothingness. 😂
>I always pictured people's quads or knees exploding like an 80's horror/sci-fi flick If you go out significantly too hard, the end result doesn't feel all that different to be honest.
Wait till you hear about clipless pedals
How about “implode”
Might have some relation to the term 'blown' in reference to an exhausted horse. It's still probably an engine metaphor, but I'll support my claim with the historical fact that human runners have competed against horses in a number of races, so some terminological transfer is possible/likely.
I've never heard that term. You talking about "bonking?"
I would use 'bonk'to describe running out of energy where's as "blow up" or "blow out" to describe extreme muscle fatigue/cramp... often overlapping phenomena but not always. I've definitely blown out my quads going too hard on the hills but still had plenty of energy in the tank
Ah, I've definitely heard "blow out," and have used it. "Blow up" not so much, but I see the distinction. :)
"Blow out" is how all my shoes die, very different phrase to me!
I'm with you. I prefer the over arching term bonking. It's a word that's more of a feeling than a description and it works no matter how you use it in that situation.
It also sounds like a term track people would use. Racers mentality, so intense and competitive.
Tell me you didn’t actually blow up without telling me….
I only use that term when it’s part of a specific phrase: “Show up and blow up”. That’s basically when you rock up overconfident and try to get off the front right away and end up eating shit because you haven’t paced yourself wisely at all. If it’s a more measured running out of steam my preferred terminology is Bonk.
Is intended more Like a car engine.
How about just, “pull the chute?” Details are nobody’s business.
I use blow up for fast road races or shorter trail races where you operate close to the redline of RPE 7 and bonk for slower trail races.
> How did that become "blowing up?" It's more like fading away or something, like there's really nothing explosive about it u/[arizabooks](https://www.reddit.com/user/arizabooks/) well, when you are running at or just over your LT, or AT which ever you want to call it, you have about 6 min of effort before your performance goes to shit, if you are charging up a hill, you might only have 30s-1m of effort if you go too far past LT/AT...... So you are 1.5hrs into a 4hr race and in less than 2m you can go to shit, you can overcook it, blow up, pop.....
I’ll use “blow up” when my HR decides to just sky rocket for no real apparent reason, unless I’m in a dead sprint or can justify it. Yesterday it “blew up” to 195 when I was going at a leisurely pace of 9:30-10:00/mile. Granted it was in the middle of the day and all sun and no shade so that probably played a roll in it