Forums > Health and Nutrition > "Runner's Stomach" cure?
First time post, new to the forum, so I apologize if I should have searched for an older thread dealing with this...
When the weather starts getting warm here in Chicago, I notice my stomach gets much more upset at the fact that I'm doing some longer runs (8 - 20 miles) and keeps me on the toilet for a good 20 minutes post run. I've experimented with types of food, time of intake, etc., but nothing seems to be a good fit for my body. Not to mention that no gels/beans/gatorade type of intake during longs runs either - nothing like a 15 minute bathroom break during my first Chitown Marathon in '09! Anyways, I've resorted to avoiding food at all costs in the a.m prior to runs and even try to avoid food late night when I know I'll be running the next morning. Obviously, this is not the best formula for hot weather and long runs. I was talking to a fellow runner and they swear by Ensure drinks prior to long runs as a primary source of fuel claiming it's much easier for the body to digest.
Anyone else ever use Ensure consistently or know of any other "out of the box" ideas that might fix my poor digestive tract?
Fitz
___________________________________________________________
00:20:20 5k (2008)
1:47:00 Half Marathon (2009)
4:00:45 Marathon (2011)
2011 2012 Goals:
1:35:00 Half Marathon (9/11/11)
3:59:00 Marathon (10/9/11)
3:59:59 Marathon (5/20/12)
I wouldn't say it's due to a poor digestive tract. This is generally caused by what you put in to your body and what you don't.
It isn't necessarily food that's causing it. Do you hydrate sufficiently throughout your run? Dehydration can cause diarrhea or "runner's trots".
Are you drinking caffeine before? This can cause it for some people.
I do remember reading once something about adjusting your meal times, because food takes x amount of time to be processed and exercising speeds this process up. I cannot remember for the life of me where I read this, maybe Men's running mag? Anyway, perhaps give this a shot?
Never forget the man who mistook his wife for a hat!
Ποτέ δεν ξεχνά τον άνθρωπο που μπέρδεψε τη γυναίκα του για ένα καπέλο!
I am not a nutritional expert at all but I have had my share of post Long/Hard GI distress will share what works for me. I generally do my long run first thing in the morning with nothing but water before. During the run I don't bother with gels, chews, beans and just drink water or Gatoraid. Post run more water or Gatoraid but nothing else for an hour or two. This seems to work for me.
My understanding is that exercise, especially in the heat, draws blood flow from the GI tract to muscles and to skin for cooling. In this situation the body has trouble properly dealing with any food remaining there / added to it, this can lead to irritation and "motility issues". This explanation is woefully incomplete on my part but the idea it leads to is what helps me out. Make sure you GI tract is mostly empty / done doing its job if you are going to rob it of its blood flow, and then make sure your body has had a chance to return to normal before you ask you GI to return to normal operation.
I'm sure others here will give you a much better explanation and advice.
Do you eat before races? I do the same as you and run first thing in the morning on an empty stomach with just water. I never have any stomach issues. Different story for races. After a race I have stomach issues and I always eat before. I've tried changing up what I eat before races and it still happens. Funny thing is, I had the stomach issues after my last 5K. I never remember this happening before after a 5K, usually just HM or 10K's.
For me last food before a race is 3+ hours out, I think this is the key. It gives the food time to clear mostly out of my upper GI. When I eat after depends on the intensity....after a 5k if I eat in the next 2-3 hours I am going to be sitting on the toilet for hours.....after a marathon I'll probably eat something light in an hour or two.
I used to have increased stomach issues during hot weather as compared to the cooler months. I found these help. Last year I recommended them to two of my friends who were having stomach issues during the summer as well. They now swear by them as well. My problem was more taking in a lot of liquids, still feeling thirsty because it was hot/humid, drinking more and then feeling like the liquid would just sit in my stomach. These helped remedy that for me. Best of luck in finding what works for you! Hope this helps.
http://www.succeedscaps.com/main_scaps.html
S! Caps™ easy-to-carry capsules provide:
* Alleviation of cramping* Buffers to help stabilize the stomach* Protection against potentially fatal hyponatremia* Sodium and potassium in effective amounts* Phosphate and citrate for energy production* S! Caps is the ONLY electrolyte product that delivers the correct ratio of electrolytes ( cations and anions ).
Live the Adventure. Enjoy the Journey. Be Kind. Have Faith!
I asked my doc about it because for a while it was a major issue for me. She said pretty much that running relaxes the colon which then tells the body 'bathroon time'. I've identified certain foods that seem to make it worse and avoid those. I also plan my runs where I know there are stops along the way, just in case!
Cherrie " I May not be able to change every Thing that I face, But I cannot Change ANYTHING until I face it...." author unknown "All that I am or hope to be I owe to my mother"....Abe Lincoln
"It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop."Wisdom of Confucius
I used to have increased stomach issues during hot weather as compared to the cooler months. I found these help. Last year I recommended them to two of my friends who were having stomach issues during the summer as well. They now swear by them as well. My problem was more taking in a lot of liquids, still feeling thirsty because it was hot/humid, drinking more and then feeling like the liquid would just sit in my stomach. These helped remedy that for me. Best of luck in finding what works for you! Hope this helps. http://www.succeedscaps.com/main_scaps.html S! Caps™ easy-to-carry capsules provide: * Alleviation of cramping* Buffers to help stabilize the stomach* Protection against potentially fatal hyponatremia* Sodium and potassium in effective amounts* Phosphate and citrate for energy production* S! Caps is the ONLY electrolyte product that delivers the correct ratio of electrolytes ( cations and anions ).
I was also going to recommend replacing salt. I find when I run long runs in hot or warm weather, I sweat out a lot of salt (can tell just by feeling my forehead after I'm done). My stomach problems went away when I started taking salt pills if it's hot. Actually don't need fancy pills - the main electrolyte you lose is sodium chloride. I just buy empty gel capsules on the internet, fill them with table salt and pop a few during the run
I'm not a heavy sweater, but I can always experiment and see if salt replenishment helps. I've tried every combination of food/timing of food intake possible and nothing seems to work. Might as well just give the salt pills a go. I was hoping someone would have tried the "Ensure" route prior to experimenting with that as well. I have nightmarish images of what my stomach would do to "Ensure" if it can't handle the most blan of foods. Thanks for the insight...to be continued....
Fitz,
I did try ensure for couple of months a couple of years ago. The butter pecan tasted the best, I think. It worked okay for me except this one time where I drank an entire bottle at once during a 50K. Life was bad for a couple o' miles there. If I only had half or less at a time, everything seemed to be okay. After that little entire bottle episode, I stopped using it during long runs. I will sometimes have it a couple of hours before a long run. Now I mostly use hammer gel while running. Ensure is a bit of a pain to carry.
Back off!
Been my biggest challenge for 10+ years ... still experimenting but have not found the perfect answer yet, to my dismay!
Bugs
When I started running I really struggled with runner's trots. Like you I avoided eating. I got really skinny. I avoided anything remotely junk like, or vegetables before a run. The days before a race or long run I lived on fruit, tomotatoes and pasta. This diet worked for me until I became an early morning runner. My poor RP just got used to me having to make a pit stop four miles into a run.
Now I have switched to a mostly plant based diet. I have no issues now that I am on a very clean diet. I eat very little meat of any kind, glutton, dairy, or any of that stuff that is not really food. I'm eating oatmeal, rice, nuts, beans, flax seeds, chia seeds, alvocados, fruits, and tons of veggies. I can eat a spinanch and cucumber smoothie and run without issues. Weight is falling off pretty quickly too.
Google, "Low inflamation diet", and approach with open mind/willingness to try. If you want to try removing just one thing, I'd try eliminating dairy, as I believe it clogs most people up.
I'll throw my 2 cents in also but your problem may be more intense than mine. I was having major issues as well and then I did two things different - energy chews (used them as I was trying to resolve the problem) but then I was convicted by an Olympian that I simply wasn't drinking enough water with my gels. I made a conscious effort to slow down to a walk while taking my gels and then 4-6 ounces of water. Walk just a little and then start back up. It changed everything for me. Good luck to you because I know it's an awful situation to correct.
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