Race Day Stomach Issues

Audio Transcript

Claire Bartholic: Hello everyone. Welcome back to the Runners Connect Run to the Top Extra Kick podcast. I’m going deep into one running related question today, like we do every day of the week. Thank you so much for joining me for episode 142.

Our question today is from Italy, from an athlete named Nicola.

Nicola: Hello Runners Connect coaches. I am Nicola from Bologna, Italy and I’m an advanced master runner. In the last three to four marathons I have completed, I’ve experienced a stomach problem.

When I complete my marathons, I’m completely exhausted. That’s my goal, so I’m fine with that, but anything that I drink, like a recovery drink, or anything I eat, I end up being sick and throwing up.

During the marathon, I’m perfectly fine.

I take a gel every hour and I’m fine with that, but just at the end, when I finish, anything I eat or drink, I throw it up.

That’s fine by me, but I don’t like to scare people that are around me, and my family that comes to cheer me up. Thank you for your help.

Claire: Thanks for recording your question, Nicola, and it’s so good to hear your voice. Nicola is one of our athletes, coached at Runners Connect, and it’s always a treat to put a voice with a name.

I know you race hard, Nicola. Even though you were fine with spilling your guts at the end of the race, I’m glad that you are looking for a solution.

Throwing up is hard on your digestive system, so you should try to consider some steps to avoid it.

First, let’s go into what’s happening inside your stomach during a long, hard, effort like a marathon.

When you’re running, oxygen-rich blood is directed from the stomach and other non-essential organs, and sent to your lungs, your heart, and your legs, and other muscles to keep you running hard.

With its normal blood supply cut off, the stomach can’t digest nutrients as efficiently as usual, and sometimes it just gives up all together, and revolts.

This is more likely to happen if you consume too much fuel while running or too soon after you finish.

Heat and humidity while racing, make digestive issues even worse, as blood flow is redirected to the skin to attempt to cool you down.

So be sure that you are practicing fueling during your training runs, so you get it just right.

It sounds like you are not consuming too much fuel at just one gel per hour, but energy gels or other sugary fuel can still be hard on your stomach, especially if you are also taking in a sports drink as well, so try to take each gel with water to aid in digestion.

And you might want to experiment with a different fuel source other than sugar, to keep your stomach happy.

I personally prefer a starch-based fuel vs a sugar-based fuel, and it’s a lot easier on my stomach.

You can use a commercial brand like UCAN, or you can make your own, which is what I do, out of either corn starch or tapioca starch.

If you’re interested, I’ve got some recipes on my blog, which is the theplantedrunner.com.

Beyond the fuel, dehydration is probably the number one reason for GI issues. It slows the digestive process down even more, so sipping water early and often is important to help you digest your food better.

The trick is to drink enough water to stay hydrated but not so much that you get a sloshing belly of water, that could make you even sicker.

You might also think about what you have on board before you start the race. When you run fast, your clenched core muscles and your heavy breathing, put more pressure on your torso, effectively squeezing your stomach.

If you have a full belly while racing, sometimes the only place to go is up. Again, this is something that you’ll have to figure out by trial error and lots of practice.

Some runners have a disorder called GERD, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and they are at an increased risk of vomiting during or after a run.

GERD can be treated with medication or an adjustment in your diet to stay away from foods that irritate the esophageal lining, such as acidic foods like tomato products, fatty food, alcohol, and coffee.

Check with your doctor if you suspect something like this is going on with you.

Speaking of coffee, you might want to look at what you’re consuming for breakfast before the race.

If you are sipping on one of those delicious Italian espressos, it might be contributing to your sickness after the race.

There are other ways to get your caffeine pre-race that might be a little bit easier on your insides, so consider that.

What else are you eating pre-race? High fat, high protein, or high fiber foods, take longer to digest so they should be avoided before a marathon.

And make sure you are not eating anything in the two hours before the race, but again, this is highly individual so experiment with what works right for you.

If changing what you eat ahead of the race doesn’t work, you could try taking an antacid or a Pepto-Bismol about an hour before running, to reduce the chance of nausea and vomiting.

The last thing that you should try is not stopping quite so abruptly after the race.

Your stomach is not prepared for the rapid change and exertion, causing you to feel ill as you return to normal, sort of like you feel after getting off a wild roller coaster ride. This can be made even worse if you have a great final kick and push hard to the finish line.

After that awesome sprint to the end, instead of falling to the ground in glory at the finish line, try to keep walking or if you’re able to, even some light jogging, to give your body time to readjust and ward off that stomach cramping.

Resist the temptation to chug down a sports drink or fill your face with recovery food immediately.

Sip slowly on water, keep walking and allow your body to return to normal. Wait to eat until your stomach has settled.

Vomiting can cause damage to the inside lining of your esophagus, so even though you say you don’t mind it, Nicola, I hope that you can use some of these strategies to avoid it next time.

Another post-race option is refueling with an electrolyte product like EnduroPacks. Check them out at runnersconnect.net/enduropacks.

For those of you listening that want to have your question answered by one of Runners Connect’s coaches, head on over to Runnersconnect.net/daily, click the record button, and send your question on over.

Hope you enjoyed today’s episode. I certainly did.

If you haven’t already, please consider heading over to iTunes or your favorite podcast directory, and subscribing or leaving a review.

Thanks so much and have a great run today.

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