I finished Kansas 70.3 yesterday and have continued to experience serious stomach problems on the run…or any run 12 miles or greater. I have finished multiple marathons and did Kansas 70.3 last year, but this year the stomach issues hit around mile 6 and to not go into too many graphic details, there were multiple near code brown/red emergencies during the run and many restroom stops following the race (approximately 5 hours worth of serious stomach cramps and bathroom stops).
I know that blood is flowing to other extremities and likely the stomach and intestines are not receiving their share, but what would cause this every time? This one is partially due to a lack of running for 3 weeks due to injury, but has happened on significantly slow marathons (Marine Corps) as well races where I was doing well. My half mary PR is 1:43. I was shooting for 2:00 to keep everything under 6, but my stomach just did not cooperate. Any thoughts on something I should be doing or am doing that I should stop would be appreciated.
Like an idiot, I rode off without my EFS liquid shot on the bike and had Stinger chews on the bike. On the run, I drank water with a bit of EFS mix and had pretzels at one stop when my stomach felt water logged.
Runners’ Trots. For me, it comes two miles into a run if I had veggies earlier in the day. Try experimenting with diet before and during the running. And perhaps have extra coffee in the morning.
Thanks Toby…and if I am vegetarian who does not have caffeine? I can avoid veggies the day before by eating pasta or something bland. Would coffee (decaf) still work as a diuretic and serve the purpose.
Laxative, not diuretic. And if you really avoid caffeine, you can’t even have decaf - there’s no such thing as completely decaffeinated coffee. However, yes, if you’re ok with decaf that should have a good laxative effect on you, especially if you don’t have it often.
The problem for me is that even that wouldn’t always work, since it was my body ejecting… matter that wasn’t really ready. My solution was just working on the diet. Oh, nuts are good too; for me, at least, they don’t cause issues prior to running.
I would check the diet. I find that if I eat a big bowl of oatmeal I have about 3 hours before the rumblings really start getting going. Two days before a race I will cut it out so that the excess fiber can get out of the system and be all systems go. I don’t drink coffee so not sure on the effects of caffeine. I do hate the stomach at times, but mostly it loves me and I love it.
I would also go bland too. Plain bagel and whatever day of the race. But like all things tri, everyone is totally different so I can eat a bagel and a half and a cup of yogurt and be fine but others would be dead…
Thanks again Toby and eabecker, appreciate the thoughts. My diet is definitely something that needs to be addressed. It is really poor for this type of training…unless eating Doritos and a dozen chocolate chip cookies is the best diet to HIM and IM training! Leading up to the race, I had spaghetti with light sauce two nights before, pasta salad with black olives, cauliflower bits and small amounts of a olive oil dressing, with the spaghetti and bread for dinner. Morning of I had sunflower seed butter on whole wheat at 3 in the morning and again at 4:15. Cannot have peanut butter, allergic.
Toby, I seem to do alright with decaf, but full caffeinated drinks give me a ranging headache. May be a fiber issue for what I am having and not digesting well. Should try coffee to see if it helps “clean me out” before the race…
Everyone is different. You need to figure out what that is. Too much fibre? Coffee? Solid breakfast too big? Or dinner the night before?
For me it’s coffee. I know to have coffee at least 2 hours before swim start. Then hit the port-a-potties. That there makes it a good racing day.
Also, this is common cause of stomach cramps: too much solid foods on race day. I have a banana and PB with a spoon and maybe a powerbar or two for breakfast at 5-5:30 AM. From then on nothing but liquid nutrition. Only gels etc. Stops the tummy issues on the run.
Virtually all the stomach issues I’ve ever had on the run were because my caloric intake was too high or (worse) that in combination with not enough water. I’ve learned to keep intake under 100cal/hr on the run. In my mind slightly under fueling is better than slightly over-fueling.
Thanks again Toby and eabecker, appreciate the thoughts. My diet is definitely something that needs to be addressed. It is really poor for this type of training…unless eating Doritos and a dozen chocolate chip cookies is the best diet to HIM and IM training! Leading up to the race, I had spaghetti with light sauce two nights before, pasta salad with black olives, cauliflower bits and small amounts of a olive oil dressing, with the spaghetti and bread for dinner. Morning of I had sunflower seed butter on whole wheat at 3 in the morning and again at 4:15. Cannot have peanut butter, allergic.
Toby, I seem to do alright with decaf, but full caffeinated drinks give me a ranging headache. May be a fiber issue for what I am having and not digesting well. Should try coffee to see if it helps “clean me out” before the race…
Are you allergic to almonds or cashews? Those work for me just fine too. The issue is veggies.
And for me, it’s caused by food before the run, not during, as per the other poster. This really is a personal experimentation thing that’s poorly understood as an overall phenomenon. Work with it in your training and see what you can accomplish there.
Take either one or a half of one Imodium just before the start of your race (well after you feel as though you’ve hit the porta-john for the last time). I used to have the same issues all of the time, and tried all sorts of diets (even went raw food for a while), and the only thing that I have nailed down for sure that messes me up there is dairy, so I don’t really eat or drink any milk products anymore. The real solution though is the Imodium. I swear it should be considered a performance enhancing drug.
I had this problem for a few years at longer races (70.3’s). Turns out that I was getting too much nutrition from gels on the bike. Now, I rely almost entirely on liquid nutrition on the bike. I did Quassy last weekend and got most of my bike nutrition from 2 bottles of Gu Roctane drink mix at its standard concentration (2 scoops per bottle) for about 250 calories per bottle. I also had a Clif bar on the bike for a total of 750 calories on the bike.
I used to do Gu’s/Gel’s and water only, and it turned out that my stomach just could not process the concentrated calorie dense gels very well. I probably ended up with a good amount of those gels left over in my stomach for the run, and once the sloshing started things did not end up well.
The last couple of years I’ve focused on getting my bike calories mostly via liquids and it’s helped me out a lot. That’s my experience, but I did make the change after my wife was at an exercise science/running symposium and someone was presenting on how many people with stomach distress during running get it from getting too many calories from solid foods/gels.
I have similar issues (mostly due to food allergies that I’m simply not going to avoid) and have found that having citrucel on a daily basis helps immensely. Basically, it just keeps you regular (and much more solid). Bonus: your TP bills will go down!!!
I tried immodium with worse results (I ended up feeling bloated) and then read that it can hinder your ability to absorb calories. I would NOT try that in a race first (I’m speaking from experience on this one).
My one question is, what are you taking as fluids with EFS or stinger chews?? I use EFS and stick with water for hydration. Adding sports drink to gels/efs can definitely cause bloating issues (ask me how i know this).
I’ve pretty much given up on sports drinks as I find that water helps me either avoid stomach cramps to begin with, or helps get rid of them (i.e. if I’m having stomach cramps, water helps alleviate them)
You may want to get tested for food allergies (not trying to sound like an alarmist).
Thanks everyone. Toby, not allergic to almonds or cashews and eat them often. As you said, veggies too close to race time is a bad idea. In looking at this race, I have noticed several things…I did not drink near enough water. I had only 35 oz instead of 60 oz I planned. I also had too many calories on the bike. Once the run started, I may have already been at a deficit on water and my digestive system working overtime and by the time I added more crap (Gu or pretzels), it probably could not take it any more.
I drink water with the EFS Liquid Shot and drink a lower concentration of the EFS sports drink on the run with water at every other aid station and the sports drink at every other aid station.
Been tested for food allergies and the worst are peanut and tomato. Tomato barely over the “allergic” state, but causes headaches.
Sounds like I need to test a few theories and will find it during some of the “Big Days” with 5+ hour bikes and run after.
If no luck after investigating all of the usual dietary triggers, see a gastroenterologist. Two sub-4:30 HIM triathletes that I know were unable to finish a full IM because of similar GI issues until they tried medications.
Not sure that is helpful or depressing…quick ass people with stomach problems. I will keep the gastroenterologist in mind though because I would prefer not have multiple code browns during the full IM…
I had the exact thing happen to me my last 1/2 mary that actually affected me for two days afterwards. Went to see a very reputable gastro guy and he said based on my symptoms, without a doubt it was a case of accute or runners colitis brought on by dehydration. Apparently even though I FELT as if I hydrated properly by hitting every water stop, my body needs more during and day before the race. Might want to look back at your fluid intake and see if that might have played a factor. Best of Luck, its a real shitty feeling!
Based on what you said, along with others, maybe I should schedule the appointment with a gastroenterologist. Still feel rough today…and yes, I’ve got that shitty feeling, oh that shitty feeling…
Oh, I also determined PB&J is safe for me if I need a moderate breakfast before a late-morning run, so you should be fine if you substitute almond or cashew butter.
