Ilana Katz MS, RD, CSSD
If you think you are alone when your first focus for any race is gastrointestinal distress, you are not. Are you always plotting your day based on where the bathrooms are going to be (even the ones along the course), or always having to get to races early knowing that you will be standing in the line multiple times, and do you plan your training days around where the pit stops have to be. Believe it or not, athletic GI distress affects more than 60% of athletes.
Some of the reasons include pre-race anxiety, eating a bigger than normal breakfast in anticipation of extra fuel requirements, and then the all too familiar jostling stomach and intestines experienced in any sport that includes ground reaction forces (particularly running).
Hopefully these tips can shed some light onto your individual struggles and help reduce your stomach troubles.
Prone to the jostle…
You may be surprised about this one but often something tight around your waist may help prevent organs from jostling. I personally discovered this one when my own GI issues were reduced after investing in a fairly tight fuel belt. On race day, the race belt used to pin race numbers too can also assist in this cause. Now of course this is hit or miss, and may just be a band-aid to a deeper problem, therefore always record fuel and fluid consumption for every training and racing day, noting all the specifics, like weather, humidity, pre-exercise meal, etc., Detailed data can often uncover the triggers for side stitches, onset of diarrhea or nausea, and the like. Data helps create optimal solutions and some slight dietary tweaks during the days and weeks leading up to events will eventually have zero-runs runs.
Understand your individual transit time
Dreaded diarrhea is a major concern for many athletes, as mentioned above. The jostle reduces blood flow to the intestines which is more likely diverted to the exercising muscles. With reduced blood flow when needed, the intestinal hormones may get thrown off balance and this in turn will quicken the transit time (what is clinically called the gastric emptying rate). Many athletes in the early phase of their fitness journeys unaccustomed to stress of hard and intensified exercise are more likely to experience runners’ trots. As the body adjusts, intestines will revert to their normal bowel patterns and ease up this syndrome. However, not always… unfortunately even experienced athletes may experience the dreaded liquid stomach especially if there are pre-existing gastric concerns, various intolerances and allergies, and irritable bowel syndrome.
These tips may help:
- Warm up before a race day or an intense training day. Exercising lightly stimulates the bowels to empty.
- Adjust training times to different times of the day to help understand your transit time better. For early morning, try drink something hot like coffee, hot lemon water, tea, etc., but be sure to allow for time to sit on the thrown with patience.
- Find stress reducing exercises for race day with the goal of reducing anxiety and fretting. Many sports psychologists suggest meditation, breathing exercises, yoga poses and practicing positive visualization of a stress free environment.
- Eliminate high fibrous foods the day leading up to the race, and especially the morning of. Fiber increases transit time and usually at a very inconvenient time when racing.
- Do not chew gum or drink carbonated beverages or anything else that either causes the swallowing of air or the popping of air bubbles intestinally.
- Sugar-free products that contain sugar alcohols are even more the devil than one would think. Sorbitol (found in many sugar-free gums and processed products) is a stimulant for the onset of diarrhea.
An interesting way of getting to the bottom of your personal transit time is to eat and monitor elimination with foods that are visible in the feces like corn, pumpkin or sesame seeds, or beets (based on color changes).
Hydrate consistently and well
Often diarrhea is related to dehydration, and moreover, exercise-induced dehydration – which is related to sweating out more fluid than is optimally comfortable replacing. Athletes are too quick to blame the ingredients in many of the available sports nutrition products. This means hydration each and every day, not just days before a race, or race day itself.
Eliminate suspected culprits
We typically know our own bodies and suspect various foods that may be contributing factors. For a week, eliminate any suspicious foods such as coffee, dried fruits, beans, high fiber breads or cereals, dairy-based foods and whatever else you feel is necessary. Next, eat a bigger than usual dose of the one suspected food and observe. Typically changes in bowel movements provide the best answers. If your GI symptoms reduce when you cut out dried fruit for example, but have a worrisome situation when you then eat an extra-large portion, the answer becomes obvious: don’t eat dried fruit.
Do not forget to investigate medications’ possible side effects
More than often, athletes forget to incorporate any pharmaceuticals or even over the counter supplements they may be taking into the equation. If all else fails, consult with your doctors, especially if you are on medications for any reason (even the reason may become symptomatic during races.) Furthermore, doctors may be able to suggest anti-diarrheal ideas such as Imodium to help.
In summary
Races can be won or lost at the porta john. Although many athletes experience gastrointestinal difficulties, it is an individual struggle with an individual solution. Hopefully some of these tips can reduce the frustration of your bathroom issues and prevent a derail of your perfect training regimen on race day. But to genuinely help yourself, start a food and distress log which may help eliminate suspicious culprits.
