So, I apologize in advance for the nature of this post, but I need advice!
I registered for a 10K on Saturday, the Easter Sun Run, an established race in Wichita with lots of participants.
I've run 6 miles before (and more!), but never in a timed, official capacity.
The race started at 8:30 and was about a half hour from my home.
According to my 1/2 marathon training program, my long run this weekend was 8 miles.
So, I needed to do a mile warmup, run the 10K, and finish with a mile cool down.
My point in all of this, is that I needed to leave my house by 7 to park and warmup before the race.
As a "runner" I've come to realize that bowels play a large role in the success and enjoyment of a run.
On Friday I planned my lunch to be my large meal, consisting of a sandwich, some pretzels, an apple, and a couple chocolate eggs.
I ate a light dinner of roasted butternut squash with toasted pecans and some mashed black beans with cheese.
(In hindsight, the beans might have been a bad idea.)
My plan was to wake up at 5 am, have my coffee, drink a ton of water, both of which would help with my morning "movement" and eat a banana before the race.
Keep in mind, that I like things to be structured. I like a schedule. I like knowing what to expect. And my body responds.
Things (if you get my drift) usually happen by 8:30 AM. In this case, I was hoping to speed along the process.
At 4:45 Saturday morning, a huge storm blew over our house. Lightening, thunder, hail, the works.
Both girls woke up terrified and were hiding under the covers in our bed.
No one went back to sleep after that. We got up, I had my coffee. Aleks and I, bleary eyed, supervised the girls' play. The storm lingered for a bit and then passed over. I was confidant the race would not be canceled.
Keep in mind, I had been anxious about this race all week.
I know I can run the distance, but add that evaluative, competitive element and I turn into a nervous wreck.
So, at 5:30, with the girls in bed and all of us awake and listening to the abating storm, I was already starting to wimp out.
6:30 rolls around and there have been no trips to the bathroom.
7:00 still nothing.
At 7:15 I decide to skip the race.
But not my training, darn it!
So at 9:00 I head to the gym to run my 8 miles. And I did it and it was fine.
It certainly wasn't as fun as the race would have been, but I had to stop and use the restroom in the middle, which made me feel validated about my choice to skip the race.
I would have been so miserable if that had happened on the course.
What do people do?
Are there port a potties around?
Squat behind a tree?
I'm mortified just thinking about it.
And my stomach was messed up for the rest of the day.
I don't quite know what I'm going to do on the day of the half marathon.
I certainly can't wimp out on the main event!
Runners, help!
Should I just not eat the entire day before the race?
Not sleep?
Just eat bananas and things that will bind me up?
Maybe I should just take up Zumba.
Aleks would love that.
might be fructose malabsorption. Avoid fructose for the day before and morning of. Try doing bananas and also try skipping gluten for a few days. Like try rice cakes with pb and banana, or other non gluten foods. A few tips I got some from runner friends ;-) ...that are much more experienced for me but helped with not having stomach upset after my half marathons;-)
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I'll definitely try no gluten and see what happens. Rice does kind of bind everything up. Thanks!
DeleteGreat topic! My half did have some portapotties along the way but there was a line every time (esp at the first one) and if I had actually stopped to wait I would have ruined my score and also probably died of pain when trying to run again (I walked for about 5 seconds...agony...until I realized that finishing with a jog was the only thing I could manage!)
ReplyDeleteLike you, I had some bowel concerns on the day of my race. I don't recall what I ate the night before, but I can usually count on needing to go in the first mile. So that morning, I got up extra early, had my power breakfast (oatmeal and coffee maybe?) and then ran down the street from home a bit to get things...moving...which did the trick. Then I drove to my race and ran. Your concerns are completely legit!!!!
I had no idea you did a half! Jut come run with me. I'm sure you're current condition won't impact your decision at all. :)
DeleteTotally normal runner topic. Do you tend to "flush" things before recitals? I always have to pee about 5 times during the hour before a recital. I found that my body kind of goes into recital mode for races, and I tend to flush everything. IS your half a bigger, well-supported race? If it is, it more than likely has port-a-potty stops along the way. Rock N Roll in seattle has HUGE banks of them at the start line and 5-6 or them every 3 miles. The earlier ones tend to have longer lines than the later ones. I've also done a smaller, less supported one, that had park restrooms at the beginning and a small bank of them about halfway through. Most race organizers can let you know where they are located, and also exactly where hydration and food stops might be. I've had friends who have done races in which they had to carry all their own water though.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any super helpful advice, necessarily, because everyone's body is so different. I did have a situation in which my body was freaking out and having to poo halfway through long runs all of a sudden. It was right after I started running using the sports drink Nuun. Turns out, it is sweetened with sorbitol, which can have a laxative effect in some people. I guess I was just one of those lucky people. It's worth looking into anything you do differently around run time, to see if it could affect you.
If you don't already know about them there is a facebook group called "Athletic Performers". A bunch of my Rice friends are part of it. It's basically exactly that, a forum for people who are both active and performers. A lot of singers on there. some training to do their first 5K, some are iron-people. Anyhow, It's a great place to ask questions like this. People ask them all the time, or questions about dealing with private parts chafing on bicycles.
Anyhow, hooray for you for going for it. I need to get myself a new goal these days. And don't worry about it. Runners talk about poo just as much as moms dealing with diapers.
Laural
Thanks Laural, I'm going to check out that page on Facebook. Also, it seems like maybe the sugar (whatever kind) might be having an impact. I already cut out alcohol before long runs, but sugar too... ;) However, I'd rather give up sugar than poop my pants.
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