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Gi pain during run
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Bit of background first, I'm about 5'9 at around 145lb's. I started running a few months ago and have seen progress in my abilities, but one thing that has continuously held me back is abdominal pain and cramping. Last week, i was able to force myself through it to finish my first half-marathon at 2:24 (slow, i know). About 5k in, i started having this bubbling feeling in my stomach which continued and got worse throughout the entirety of the run. I don't remember exactly all i ate that day, but i believe it was 2 packets of oatmeal for breakfast, a bagel round 11 and an apple during the run, which i started at 1. I feel like to starts to happen at around a 5:30/k pace and anything faster than that just turns my stomach upside down. This type of diet is typical, though not as much volume, for me. Any meat i eat is at dinner, i'm always hydrated, i've mostly cut out diary and do a core specific workout at least once a week.

What can i do to lessen this pain? I picked up running to maintain fitness in the cycling off-season and to maybe do IM one day, but i'm not sure if i have the perseverance to continue if it's always going to be like this. It's very painful, and also frustrating to know that i'm being held back by such a stupid thing. I tried looking up gi related issues but was unable to come up with anything relevant. Please, i need help to get through this
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Re: Gi pain during run [Gehena] [ In reply to ]
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try running first thing in the AM before you eat anything.

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD
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Re: Gi pain during run [Gehena] [ In reply to ]
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Ahhh... Welcome to the Wonderful World of Running...

First question: do you ever have any other GI related issues, ever? Because I do, and I've found that it is important to know how your GI system feels as it is doing it's thing. Then it is a matter of adjusting what you eat, when you eat it, how you work out, and how they all relate together. For example: I can not do ANY workout without first hitting the bathroom. As soon as things start jiggling around in there, things start moving. Also, if my stomach starts gurgling, that isn't a big deal, just might mean I took in a little too much fluid; it usually goes away. But, if a little lower starts gurgling, then I need to find a bathroom then, not a mile from then, but THEN. And I still get things wrong at times; it just happens, you deal with it, you continue your workout. That's my take on the bubbling and gurgling issue.

However, on the cramping side of things, while this could still be caused by other abnormalities in your GI, it could also have to do with what you have eaten or drank. I, for one, can no longer drink Gatorade or Powerade or anything such as that at any point during the day prior to a workout. If I do, I get some horrendous cramping. Stopped the Gatorade, and so did the cramping. So pay close attention to what you are ingesting and do some trial and error.

Wish I had a definitive answer for you, but this could very well be a trial and error situation to find what works for you and what doesn't. And if you find something that doesn't work, drop back down below that 5:30/km pace for the rest of the run - no harm in running at an easy pace. Hope some of this might help.

- Jeff
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Re: Gi pain during run [jkstevens] [ In reply to ]
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When i get jiggling, it's usually just gas, but if i let it develop, it leads to discomfort and pain. I guess i haven't been running long enough to really figure out how it affects my body. As for what i drink, i only drink water. I have felt, however, that i might be drinking too much so i might try cutting back a bit.

I'm also going to try running in the morning before i eat. Gonna be a bit difficult in 0*f, but i'll try whatever might take the pain away.
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Re: Gi pain during run [Gehena] [ In reply to ]
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I have the same issue, though it's not just gas. I'm still working out the specific causes (for sure ID'd that coffee is an issue, others TBD), but runs over 30 minutes usually end with me calling my husband for an evac...or if it's the dead dark of way-too-early and desperation ensues, well. We'll just leave that one there. And that's on both empty stomach and one that's eaten, though empty is more sporadic than eaten. FWIW.
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Re: Gi pain during run [Gehena] [ In reply to ]
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I used to have this problem. I could run comfortably in the morning on like a banana, but if I ran in the afternoon i'd run myself into serious pain. I always thought it was my ulcerative colitis that acted up but I had an appendectomy about two months ago and when they were doing it they closed a small hernia for me. Since they closed it I have had no pain at all regardless of run time and what i have eaten before.

This probably isn't your problem, but something else to think about.
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Re: Gi pain during run [Gehena] [ In reply to ]
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I've had intestinal pain a lot when I'd run. After a race the pain would be bad for a couple days and often would impact my sleep at night. Those issues seem to have gone away when I went vegan over 3 years ago. Another thing that did it was a sweetener in hammer nutrition heed. I looked up the ingredients after I had some during a 50mile ride at aid station and intestinal pain came back. A side effect of the sweetener is that it could cause some ppl to have intestinal pain.
Maybe some probiotics like kombucha and other stuff could also help with intestinal stuff if it's related to digestion?
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Re: Gi pain during run [Gehena] [ In reply to ]
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You may be lactose intolerant and not know it. Running puts a lot of stress on the GI tract and can "magnify" regular GI issues that you otherwise think are normal or didn't think much about before. It could be some other food allergy or intolerance as well. It can also just be the fiber – I once raced a 5k, hard, after eating an apple, which was caused incredible abdominal pain, likely due to the fiber.
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Re: Gi pain during run [Gehena] [ In reply to ]
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As another poster suggests running seems to magnify GI issues. I recall GI issues being really common in HS when everyone was pretty much a new runner. I think to some extent your stomach will get less sensitive as you gain more running experience. It may also be a matter of figuring out which foods cause trouble. I do know that now I can eat things and run that I could not have handled in HS.

Fructose (like in an apple) causes trouble for some people. Experiment in training, try a banana one day, a boiled potato another.Try different energy gels...
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Re: Gi pain during run [Rambler] [ In reply to ]
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I have irritable bowel syndrome and used to get severe pain. I have found that coffee is one of my main causes, so if you are drinking that, trying reducing it and seeing how you go.
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Re: Gi pain during run [Gehena] [ In reply to ]
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My bet is that it was the apple- you don't want to ingest fiber like that during a run, or just before. This may take some time, and some trial and error to figure out what works best for you. Try something like peanut or almond butter on a piece of toast, followed by a coffee (if you are a coffee drinker), 60-90 minutes before your run (or ~ 2 hours if its a hard effort). This should digest easily, and the caffeine will help you in the restroom department before you head out the door. Avoid any dairy products pre-run to weed out that possibility.
Keep things simple, stick to smaller meals and snacks before your run, and you will find what works for you-- good luck!
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Re: Gi pain during run [Gehena] [ In reply to ]
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Take solace in the fact that GI issues while running is very common.
Echoing everyone else, you need to do some experimenting to figure what what causes problems and what doesn't. Fiber, dairy and caffeine are common factors, but there are others. An apple during a run is a red flag, for example. Best advice I can give you is to keep a detailed log of your food choices, runs, and outcomes, and with some trial and error you can identify the combinations that do and don't work.
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Re: Gi pain during run [Gehena] [ In reply to ]
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Gehena wrote:
Bit of background first, I'm about 5'9 at around 145lb's. I started running a few months ago and have seen progress in my abilities, but one thing that has continuously held me back is abdominal pain and cramping. Last week, i was able to force myself through it to finish my first half-marathon at 2:24 (slow, i know). About 5k in, i started having this bubbling feeling in my stomach which continued and got worse throughout the entirety of the run. I don't remember exactly all i ate that day, but i believe it was 2 packets of oatmeal for breakfast, a bagel round 11 and an apple during the run, which i started at 1.

Oatmeal = soluble fiber = gas.
Apple = high in fructose = gas, if you have fructose malabsorption.

Most carbohydrates, especially sugars (gels) can cause GI troubles during running.
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Re: Gi pain during run [dailywalking] [ In reply to ]
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dailywalking wrote:
Oatmeal = soluble fiber = gas.

Interestingly, for me anyway, instant oats give me huge problems.....but steel cut oats do not. In fact, steel cut oats are one of my 'go to' meals before a long run. I'm sure some nutrition guru probably has an explanation for this, but just an example of why it's important to experiment.
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Re: Gi pain during run [sjn] [ In reply to ]
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I've had similar problems, and found what generally works for me based on advice from some ultra runners. I help direct the USATF 50 mile road (running) championship and lots of those folks like to take an anti-gas pill with the pre-race meal, and then half an Imodium pill 30 minutes before race start. This strategy seems to help reduce gas/bloating in the stomach and reduces other GI issues that can cause distress.

Otherwise, experiment with the diet on training runs to see what works best. Never try anything new or different (food or equipment) than what you have trained on.
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Re: Gi pain during run [Gehena] [ In reply to ]
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Gehena wrote:
i'm always hydrated

I often get GI issues during runs. I just discovered, after about 7 years worth of ducking into bushes, that drinking water ahead of runs was a primary culprit. Try drinking nothing 2 hours prior to your runs. Don't worry, you won't shrivel up, and it may make your gut feel better.
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