AIBU to think this is disgusting (needing a poo while on a run)

[Nixen]

Not a poo troll I promise, just ... staggered(!) that one of my friends disagrees with me on this and wanted to gauge opinion!

Don’t ask how the subject came up but my friend H (herself a keen runner) mentioned in response to a news article that her friend J stops for poos during her run ... ‘ She has a stomach issue, running makes her poo 🤷‍♀’ apparantly J takes wet wipes with her but H has never asked if J takes dog poo bags / nappy bags with her, so we’re not sure if she picks it up or just leaves it.

H really really doesn’t see the issue, thinks it’s super judgey to think this is disgusting, says dogs bird etc all poo outside. My view point is that things like this are what separates us from the animals!

Of course if J had an accident and was cut short / poorly I would be so sympathetic, how horrible, but to habitually choose to do this - I think that’s grim!

What do you think mumsnet? Am I really being unreasonable?!

I have severe bowel issues and only once ( thankfully but it was bad enough) had I to leg into a field.
I have to watch my diet and not eat if traveling much and take immodum.
If they have a problem they need medical help , no dr wiĺl think this acceptable.

It doesn't sound like she is running near any pubs! And she is hardly going to stop for a drink mid run, most places don't let you in unless you're a customer.
I run one place that has a public toilet. There used to be loads more but the council shut them due to budget cuts. Most "wilder" places don't have one at all.
I don't think H should be sharing J's toilet habits with all and sundry tbh.

As for what you do when wild camping, you take a trowel, dig a hole, do your business in the hole, cover it over then take any wet wipes/toilet roll home with you in a sealy bag.

WTAF?

I have a very low bar for hygiene by MN standards (eg, no issues with using public loos even if a bit grubby) but this is disgusting.

It’s bad enough that there is dog poo all over the place but human poo?? As a pp said dogs can’t use the loo humans can.

If running makes you poo then you clear out beforehand (espresso??) or choose a route that has a loo en route. If that’s not possible, well sorry but you stop running. As a last resort I suppose a porta potty in a backpack might work, with everything bagged and binned after. It’s just not ok to poo on public land.

Soldiers are taught to bury it, maybe she's ex mil?

I run and have only once been caught short whereby I had to poo or I was going to poo myself.
I run trails so when I had to poo on the run so to speak, I did so in a place with no paths, and plenty of undergrowth where feet simply do not stray. It was an emergency, believe me. It did not feel good (well, it did in the physical sense) and it’s not something I hope to repeat.
I am usually able to go sufficiently before I leave. It’s not an issue for me. I’m not sure how other runners cope. No one talks about it.

no dr wiĺl think this acceptable
What the heck does a doctor's opinion have to do with this? They aren't experts on everything! Do they get to have an opinion on wild camping too?
I suppose there is an environmental argument against the nappy suggestion, though I'd find that a lot less embarrassing personally.
I feel quite invested in this woman's running adventures and should point out I have never been in this situation myself, I just think responses are a bit OTT and I suspect it being a woman makes it seem worse somehow.

Someone taking a random shit, is really not the sort of thing you want to witness when talking a stroll through the forest.

I thought everyone knew this was an issue - runners trots, delightful. Paula Radcliffe made it public knowledge in 2005 I thought!
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runner%27s_diarrhea

But yeah, got to clean it up, surely?

No you're not unreasonable- that's just grim!! Yuck! where does she run?

I once got caught short running and had to pee in a field but I would not dream of taking a poo!

If her stomach is that bad she should really be taking Imodium before running.

The nappy suggestion - don’t you get nappy rash from running in a pooey nappy?

and I suspect it being a woman makes it seem worse somehow.

I was just thinking the opposite.

If it was a man, I'm sure 'filthy bastard' and 'what about the children' would've been mentioned by now.

Someone needs to gift her a copy of this book amazon.co.uk/How-Shit-Woods-Environmentally-Approach/dp/1580083633/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=how+to+shit+in+the+woods&qid=1571218123&sr=8-1 How to Shit in the Woods.]] Although it might not be as useful if she's actually running in the suburbs.

Is it actually healthy doing an exercise/sport that makes you shit yourself regularly ? I’d rethink my regime in fairness.

Thorough colonic irrigation before every run should do the trick😲
I think it's to do with blood being diverted away from the internal organs because of intensive physical exertion and the 'jostling' of the guts

Fux sake here, I'm usually better at doing links than that.

My house is a maximum 10 minutes saunter from the nearest public loos, I have found human poo (and toilet paper) in my driveway several times. However I also know runners who get caught short while out running in the countryside and they have no choice than to hop over a wall and let it out! The fact that my driveway users have thought to bring loo roll means they are anticipating it though and if they are running well it's a 5 minute sprint to the public loo.

Pictish I've seen quite a lot of talk about it on a FB runners group - suggestions range from a good clear out with coffee an hour or so before a run, to immodium taken to bung you up! On official races there will be portable loos of course.

She needs to buy an small indoor trampoline shake her shit out before she leaves.

This thread is grim.
I'll just make it worse.....

I cant understand as a one off if she has a bad stomach but to do this all the time!!!, its not very nice and wheres her dignity?.What if someone saw her?
I think she either needs to buy her own treadmill or do laps round her estate so if she needs to go then she can run home quickly.

Manky bitch.
YANBU.

I'm a keen runner and always make sure I'm "cleared out" before I go. However, bodies are not always predictable, and I have very rarely been in a dire emergency situation while out on a 10 mile plus run and had to relieve myself.

However I run on trails, I find a wooded spot in the countryside where no feet would normally go and I certainly do not use wet wipes or tissues. It's not pleasant so I would never voluntarily plan to do this but it is impossible to run when you're bursting to go.

Well what does separate us from animals, before flushiing toilets were invented pooing in the street was normal, along with bathing in the river once a month. The fact that we are trying not to act like animals has brought urban development, spread of concrete, polution on a grand scale, mass destruction of forest, and too many humans. There are lots of holes in this story "Parden the pun" and many runners will have a contingency plan, that they are not obliged to tell everyone about, although it is common knowledge.

I run a lot and must admit there have been around 3 times I have had to poo al fresco in my nearly 30 years of running. Most of the time if I feel desperate I stop running til I can get to a loo. However, sometimes it’s not possible. Last time I was 10 miles from home, no loos for miles and I was trail running. I found a bit far off the paths and flicked it under a load of brambles. If it was a regular thing I’d look to change my diet TBH.