The downside of running - with me!

[Stumpedasatree]

Running makes me need the toilet if I am not totally cleared out beforehand. For long distance races I take an Imodium beforehand to ensure I can run with relative peace of mind. Had an evening 5 mile race this week which is never good news, as obviously my stomach has to contend with the day's food intake. I did not take Imodium which may have been a contributor. I had terrible cramps a few minutes in, but tried to run through them, after stopping for a couple of seconds. Just short of the sprint to the finish line my poor bowel reacted. It was utterly hideous. I have no idea if anyone noticed but I had to rush off as soon as I finished the race.

Just awful!! If anyone has any advice or similar stories I would love to hear them.

I only run 5k but ditto - it really gets things moving. I delay running until after I;ve had a poo. Luckily all my running routes either have loos or somewhere I can stop discreetly. I carry a doggy poo bag and a wipe at all times. Mortifying.

Hey – it appears you have a very common condition called Runners Trot. Depending on what study you read, around 1 in 3 people get this - so you are not alone!

There are multiple possible reasons for this including, diversion of blood from the bowels to the active muscles, dehydration, medications (especially NSAIDs) and finally just the movement of the bowels within the gut.

You could try a few of the following:

You can try and limit the intake of high fiber foods at least 2-3 days before a long race. It always is a balance of not cutting things out completely.
Be well hydrated before any run.
Avoid meals at least 2-3 hours before a run.
You can also make a diary of the foods you eat before a run and try a process of elimination!

See if any of these work.

Best of luck

I suffer really badly with this. Even if I manage to go to the loo before I go out, sometimes it makes no difference. I just make sure any route I take has a toilet at some point. It tends to come on really badly about 20 minutes in. It's hard going for a run on a Sunday morning as the shops don't open till 10 and pubs even later. If I ever run a race like a 10K I take Immodium beforehand. It's the one thing that makes me want to just quit running.

I used to have this but then realised my leggings were too tight around my waist/tummy.

Bought a size or two up and no longer have this problem.

Wow that's interesting about the waistband. I am an apple so most of my leggings are snug around the waist. I have some jersey shorts which are loose so might try those out.

I find as long as I don't eat anything significant in the few hours beforehand I'm fine. I've noticed I can get away with a banana. I'll make sure I've had a decent amount of carbs throughout the day though so I'm not running on empty. I do take a few sheets of toilet paper in my pocket 'just in case.' Fortunately it's quiet rural where I run!

Believe it or not, there's a book called "How to make yourself poop - and 999 other tips all runners should know"

They recommend coffee 30 mins beforehand, and do a proper warm up (near the loos) as starting moving can bring it on