Foregoing all reason, I decided not to use the port-o-potty one last time before my race today and man did I ever pay for it on the bike and run. I could hear stuff sloshing around in my intestines during the run. Ick! As such, I tanked on the bike, and everything went wrong during the run: stomach cramps, nausea, etc.
But I didn’t feel the need to go, even though I knew I needed to go once more to fully jettison tanks. Anyone have advice on how to arrive at the start line with an empty digestive track?
Lots of fiber, especially in the days before your race, and take some magnesium supplements and/or prune juice the afternoon or evening before. Some coffee and a small meal when you get up may stimulate the gastrocolic reflex. (The filling stomach stimulates the colon to contract.) Test this out before some early morning workouts. It might not work for you.
I have often wondered about using a sub-salicylate the day before to decrease volume. Never tried it (except when treating some GI bug that I picked up sometime in the days before a race) don’t know all the side-effects of doing so (especially related to potential water balance issues in the intestinal tract), but, I do know it decreases fecal volume (presumably by decreasing bacterial viability). Whatdayathink?