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No porta-pottie visit on the IM run?
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I have IMLP coming up in a bit over six weeks, and in every other IM I've done I've had to take a porta-pottie break (#2) on the run. For those who get through the run without needing to 'go,' what do you think helps in that regard?

In terms of race day and leading up to the race I cut out any fiber/veggies about two days ahead of time. I worked with a nutritionist a few years ago, and race breakfast (3 1/2 hours before the start) is 4 cups of appleauce, a Powerbar, and Gatorade - total of around 750 calories. I also have a packet of Cliff Bloks, another Powerbar and Gatorade in the hours before the race, then a gel 15 min before the swim start. Nutrition wise during the race is Infinit on the bike (2x~750 calories) along with a Powerbar. During the run I carry two Cliff Block packs and take a Cliff Blok every two miles and have Gatorade from the course along with Coke in the 2nd part of the run.

I'm thinking of maybe having a bagel instead of the applesauce to start the day off.

When I do have to 'go' on the run we're only talking of a max of 90 seconds off the course. Getting the sleeves back on the race suit sucks when it's soaked with sweat. Maybe I just factor this into the race? I'm hoping the be in the 3:25 range at Placid for the run.

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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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Many people have success taking an immodium after pre-race bowel movement. your movements may vary
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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I've never had an issue with going #2 during any length of race, including IM. It's hard to nail down exactly why, but I think the biggest factor is training your body to go immediately when you get up every day during training so it's able to "empty" properly before the race. And especially the last few days leading up to the race, go whenever your body gives you any sort of signal so it continues to process efficiently.

In terms of diet, I usually eat lean meat (fish) and simple carbs the days leading up to the race. Limit the veggies but don't go crazy. Limited amounts of nuts (which are usually a staple of my diet). I just eat 2 clif bars the morning of the race which is just double my normal 1 that I eat before my normal morning workouts. I don't think you want to make any drastic changes to your diet because it might help you poo less - it may actually make you more likely to go due to your intake being abnormal.

Just my 2c based on experience, not any formal knowledge/training. YMMV.

Strava
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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My training runs are regularly paused by a #2. It is hard for me to go first thing in the morning, but 15 min into my morning run and I need a bathroom, and often it is not pretty. Fortunately, I have avoided this during racing.

Like you, I also cut out pretty much all fiber 2-3 days prior to the race. For races, I am usually up early enough before to get some good bathroom time in, so I am usually cleared out starting the race. During the race I am purely liquid (infinite) and gels (gu) until about mile 20 on the run, at which point anything goes.

Do you think the power-bars could have anything to do with it? I have never had one, but just looking at them, for me personally... powerbar + run = disaster pants.
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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I've always heard start with solid foods and move towards "less-solid" food as the day goes on. This helps your stomach to digest everything. So I'd say skip the applesauce in the morning and eat a bagel or scrambled eggs or something more solid. Skip the blocks and Gu's and multiple power bars before the race and save those for during. Also, Gatorade gives me the shits. It's sugar water, find something else that is actual fuel.
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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Applesauce is loaded with fiber. Skip it. Rice and chicken the night before for me, then oatmeal in the AM. Powerbars don't sit well for me either, nor do nuts or peanut butter.

Also, I usually empty out pretty easily race morning because nerves do a number to my stomach. Once it's game time, there's not much left to clear. Sorry - TMI.
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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I also think the applesauce can be part of your issue. I also do my larger meal the previous noon, and the night before dinner is soup and bread so I feel light and ready to go (cleaned out). Salmon is a buddy's favorite and he does exceptionally well too. IMO you want to start the race with little inside to carry around, so the soup gives a to of nutrition without the bulk. Race morning I go mostly by feel, with 1000 cals from Carbopro and mostly liquid calories. I may nibble on a banana or toast or even a zone bar but just by feel. If it does not look good, don't do it. Calorie/energy wise, you can get by the day without solid food, and it feels good.
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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If you were a real Ironman, you'd skip the porta potties and shit your pants on the run.
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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natethomas wrote:


In terms of race day and leading up to the race I cut out any fiber/veggies about two days ahead of time. I worked with a nutritionist a few years ago, and race breakfast (3 1/2 hours before the start) is 4 cups of appleauce, a Powerbar, and Gatorade - total of around 750 calories. I also have a packet of Cliff Bloks, another Powerbar and Gatorade in the hours before the race, then a gel 15 min before the swim start.

4 cups of applesauce is about 8 servings of fruit. Not a nutritionist, but cutting out all fiber/veggies for two days and then bombing yourself with 8 servings of fibrous fruit sounds... risky?
I would start there.
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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I would never try apple sauce before a race!!!! Yes, to bagels etc.... Power bars have fiber I believe so that's a no for me. I know my plumbing.
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [lisac957] [ In reply to ]
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I also tried ensure. Not for me.
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [lisac957] [ In reply to ]
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lisac957 wrote:
natethomas wrote:


In terms of race day and leading up to the race I cut out any fiber/veggies about two days ahead of time. I worked with a nutritionist a few years ago, and race breakfast (3 1/2 hours before the start) is 4 cups of appleauce, a Powerbar, and Gatorade - total of around 750 calories. I also have a packet of Cliff Bloks, another Powerbar and Gatorade in the hours before the race, then a gel 15 min before the swim start.


4 cups of applesauce is about 8 servings of fruit. Not a nutritionist, but cutting out all fiber/veggies for two days and then bombing yourself with 8 servings of fibrous fruit sounds... risky?
I would start there.

This. Apple sauce gives me the shits. Actually, most simple sugars before an IM make me shit on the run (I'm looking at you Gatorade). 3 hours before the start a massive bowl of oatmeal with almonds and a banana is my secret sauce.
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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Couple things:
1. Plenty of FOP and pros drop a duece on the run. It is not helpful, but don't stress too hard about it.
2. That breakfast seems weird to me. White rice with banana and a little sweetener like maple syrup has very little fiber, more water, and more calories than oatmeal. A little applesuace would be fine, mix that stuff right in there. Don't drink gatorade, eat blocks and gels before the race. Yuck.
3. Eliminating vegetables days before the race is not necessary. Lunch and Dinner the day before will suffice.


https://firstendurance.com/sports/triathlon/ Some tips from pros on pre race meals here.


Decide what you think is best and start doing it now a couple times a week, don't try it race day first time.

FWIW, I used to crap on the run, last few I have not and I eliminated all fat and most fiber from the morning meal(used to have a PB&J on toast along with white rice). Now I have a big bowl of white rice with some rice milk so it is soupy, with banana, I mix in a little maple syrup, little cinnamon, little ginger, and maybe just 1oz of EFS LS. one pieve of toast with honey. Pretty easy to get 7-800 calories.
that way.

3.5 hours before the race like you suggested is great.
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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https://www.metamucil.com/en-us/products/metamucil-fiber-supplements/orange-smooth


Get onto this supplement. Fantastic for solid pre-race nervous bathroom breaks, and no mid-race bathroom stops. Started using it after a mid-half marathon bathroom break in 2016. I've had to stop once in a race since (out of 36 races), and that was because I'd stopped taking it regularly, was late to start of race and didn't warm up... I highly highly recommend the metamucil though. Even if only to enhance your standard bathroom breaks. Regular and silky smooth!!


Note - main ingredient is psyllium husk fibre. The brand is good because of how smooth and tasty the drink is to consume. Some fibre supplements are horrible to drink.

https://www.strava.com/athletes/nbrowne1
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [sch340] [ In reply to ]
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sch340 wrote:
I've never had an issue with going #2 during any length of race, including IM. It's hard to nail down exactly why, but I think the biggest factor is training your body to go immediately when you get up every day during training so it's able to "empty" properly before the race. And especially the last few days leading up to the race, go whenever your body gives you any sort of signal so it continues to process efficiently.
I have a fairly high fiber diet all of the time. I keep it going right up to race morning. No problems going #2 every morning, including race morning, just like clockwork. I'm pretty much "empty" after that.

However, I don't have much, if any, food with fiber on race morning or during the race.

Works for me.

"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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I have a very similar core diet plan I've used for many years without problem. However, I only go with 2 cups of applesauce vs the 3.5 assigned in the plan. I simply cannot eat that much applesauce. The early breakfast also includes 1 banana, a protein shake and Gatrade. I have 1 powerbar an hour before the start and the gel about 20 mins out, plus another sports drink. On the bike I eat every 20 mins ... either a gel, or 1/2 of a Powerbar (2 bars total for 4 servings. For the run, I have the 2 sleeves of Margarita clif shots, a couple of gels, plus water, Gatorade and Coke as I feel the need.

Your issue could go back to the day before. I eat a large dinner 2 days out and a large breakfast the day before. Then it gets simpler and lighter as the day goes on. I want to be done eating by 6pm to make sure alk is digested and gone by race start.
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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Eat before 5pm the day before.
Your food needs time to get through the body.

Team Zoot So Cal
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [sch340] [ In reply to ]
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sch340 wrote:
I've never had an issue with going #2 during any length of race, including IM. It's hard to nail down exactly why, but I think the biggest factor is training your body to go immediately when you get up every day during training so it's able to "empty" properly before the race. And especially the last few days leading up to the race, go whenever your body gives you any sort of signal so it continues to process efficiently.

In terms of diet, I usually eat lean meat (fish) and simple carbs the days leading up to the race. Limit the veggies but don't go crazy. Limited amounts of nuts (which are usually a staple of my diet). I just eat 2 clif bars the morning of the race which is just double my normal 1 that I eat before my normal morning workouts. I don't think you want to make any drastic changes to your diet because it might help you poo less - it may actually make you more likely to go due to your intake being abnormal.

Just my 2c based on experience, not any formal knowledge/training. YMMV.


I have never gone to the port-a-potty in any triathlon race of any distance, except IMLP '16, when I took a lot of salt due to heat/dehydration and it accelerated my colon something fierce! Thought I lost my number in that toilet and I knew I needed it to cross the line. Took a minute of figuring out that my race belt flipped...

I second the idea about changing the diet in the days leading up to the race, but not much. For me, the big change is in dinner- to more digestible foods for 48 hrs prior to races. Chicken/pasta/rice is very easy on my stomach but I wouldn't go for my steak/filet until after the race. (There are lots of other ways to get your needed protein stores.) Try to avoid or limit any food that can sit in your GI tract for a long time-like high fiber foods-nuts/beans/corn/peas. Drink lots of water, of course. You don't want to change your diet too drastically, though.

Getting into a routine on race morning to go early one final time, is a must. I do this with my morning coffee. If you drink a lot of coffee, limiting it for a few days before, during the taper, will make you more sensitive to it's effect.

Eliminating apple sauce for the two days prior to the race may help a little also. It's also possible that the caffeine in gels is having an exageratted GI effect, but that is a good thing, as long as you've already visited the toilet, and the colon is clear, hopefully leading to no visits DURING the race and the performance boost/benefit that caffeine gives.

Conky wrote:
I've always heard start with solid foods and move towards "less-solid" food as the day goes on. This helps your stomach to digest everything. So I'd say skip the applesauce in the morning and eat a bagel or scrambled eggs or something more solid. Skip the blocks and Gu's and multiple power bars before the race and save those for during. Also, Gatorade gives me the shits. It's sugar water, find something else that is actual fuel.


And this may be a good idea. Start with solids and go to semi-solids and then liquids as the race evolves. For me, I don't tolerate the sloshing and too much liquid gives me gas and an uncomfortable sensation, so I like pretzels and banana late in the race. We are an experiment of one, as you know.

mdtrihard wrote:
I also tried ensure. Not for me.


Ah, but Ensure is one of my favorite pre-race foods! The 240 calorie Ensure HN stuff HELPS me 'move' that one last time before leaving for the venue on race morning.


Once you decide, practice it. Change your diet for a week that you have a planned Sat brick. Make Thursday/Friday diet changes and see how it goes, complete with pre-race meal/BR attempts and caffeinated gels during the ride or whenever you usually take them.

It's just silly to give up time on the course and you need to get this figured out. I'm actually quite surprised that you haven't worked a bit more on this 'cuz it seems like it's ... low hanging fruit

GL
Last edited by: dtoce: Jun 8, 18 17:54
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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I actually disagree with the folks who say get rid of the applesauce.

The reason why the core diet and others recommend applesauce is because it’s a good source of carbs, easy to digest, and it goes through you QUICK. It’s supposed to help flush things out before race start. You are supposed to have it 3-3.5 hours before the race. So if you have to go #2 at mile 17 of the run (~11-12 hours later), it’s not because of the applesauce.

blog
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [stevej] [ In reply to ]
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stevej wrote:
I actually disagree with the folks who say get rid of the applesauce.

The reason why the core diet and others recommend applesauce is because it’s a good source of carbs, easy to digest, and it goes through you QUICK. It’s supposed to help flush things out before race start. You are supposed to have it 3-3.5 hours before the race. So if you have to go #2 at mile 17 of the run (~11-12 hours later), it’s not because of the applesauce.


It may or may not. The irony is that the BRAT diet for kids with upset stomach problems (banana, rice, apple sauce, toast) was thought to give the colon a rest. It is low in fiber so you would think it would help-allow good carbs and be easily digestible. It is a binding diet though and does not cause diarrhea or go through you faster. It actually lessens diarrhea and settles down the GI tract usually.

It is an individual thing and he needs to experiment and figure out what things may be causing it.

I agree, apple sauce is probably low on the list.
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Re: No porta-pottie visit on the IM run? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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Guess I've got lots of ideas!

In terms of the applesauce, I think the idea is that it helps 'clean' things out if taken 3+ hours before the start. I don't think that leads to a visit to the bathroom 7+ hours after the race start. Maybe I'll try a few things out before longer workouts in the next six weeks prior to IMLP.

I did miss a KQ by seven seconds in one of the races where I had to 'go,' so sometimes seconds do matter.

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