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7 Ways to Avoid Stomach Upset After a Long Run

September 21, 2016

In every runner’s life, there comes a time when fueling becomes a main topic of conversation. What causes a side stitch? (Still unknown but some point to nutrition and hydration.) What should I eat prior to running? What should I during the run itself? How about after?

All these questions have many different answers and what works for one person won’t always work for the next. Nutrition and fueling are very personal and can even change from race to race. I’ve discussed fueling and hydration a number of times (here, here, and here — to name a few) but today I want to talk about stomach upset after a run — and how to possibly avoid it in the future.

It’s happened to me before and it will likely happen to me again. And if it’s happened to me, that probably means it’s happened to you as well. What is this “it” I’m referring to? Post-run stomach upset. The first time it happened to me, many years ago, I was distraught. I spent almost the entire day after a run in the bathroom. It was awful! I just assumed that’s what happened after a long-ish run, and I just kind of dealt with it. For a few years, in fact. But then I started doing some research (after spending the day in the bathroom got a bit monotonous, of course) and I came to recognize that I could prevent some of the pain and discomfort, if not avoid it altogether.

Has this issue happened to you? Here are some tips to keep your bowels in good, happy, working order after a particularly taxing run.

7 Ways to Avoid Stomach Upset After a Long Run | Training Tips | Running Coaches' Corner | Running on Happy

7 Ways to Avoid Stomach Upset After a Long Run

1. Be sure to hydrate really well in the days leading up to and the few hours before a tough run.

Hydration is the key contributor to keeping your gut happy and healthy. If you’re dehydrated even in the slightest bit, your gastrointestinal tract can’t function properly and throws your entire system out of whack. It is well documented that the better hydrated you are, the better your performance, and the happier your belly. To ensure you are properly hydrated prior to a run, be sure to drink enough water. A good test is the pee test. If your urine is clear, you should be good to go. For the average person, light yellow urine is okay. But for a runner or endurance athlete, clear pee is the key.

2. Eat much less fiber in the day or two prior to a long run or tough workout.

Fiber is fantastic and a critical component of the nutritional equation, but restricting fibrous foods before a long run is another piece of the happy belly puzzle. Foods to avoid include beans, leafy greens, and pretty much anything that acts as “nature’s broom” under normal circumstances.

3. Eating a tried-and-true breakfast before a long run is also important.

If you know your body does well with a bowl of oatmeal, why bother eating something different before a long run? Stick with what works for your body. If that’s toast with peanut butter, so be it. Don’t fight what works!

4. Gels and sports fuels are great, but not for everyone.

If you find your belly doesn’t do well with sugar, why pump it full of sugar on a run? This is probably TMI so if you want to skip ahead, please do. But when I was a kid, my grandma used to give me a whole roll of Certs out of her purse. What did she care? She was the grandma! She got to spoil the grandchildren, right? Little did she know that my body would reject the overload of sugar from the whole roll of Certs. My poor mother had to sit with me in the bathroom at least once a year (after a roll of Certs was rightfully consumed after a visit with Grandma) while the sugar vacated my body amidst cramps, noises, and other gastrointestinal fun. I recently forgot that my body doesn’t do well with loads and loads of sugar. I had two gels on the run along with two pouches of chews. Everything stayed down well, but the after effects were disastrous. Needless to say, I spent a good portion of the rest of my day in the bathroom. #lessonrelearned

Check out these 7 ways to avoid stomach upset after a run! #runchat #running #trainingtips
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5. Stick with the brand of fuel that works for you.

During your training you’ll want to experiment with fuels as much as you can. But a word of caution here: if you’re a newer runner or newly experiencing GI distress, it’s best to try one brand of fuel per run. Doing so will give you insight into whether said brand works well for your body chemistry, or if you need to try something else. If you’re mixing and matching off the bat and have trouble with your bowels, you won’t be able to pinpoint where the trouble began.

6. If you’re like me and you have trouble digesting all the sugar, opt for real food.

Trail runners do it, so why can’t you? There’s no hard and fast rule to not eating real food on the road, it’s just a little trickier unless you’re used to running with a larger pack for supplies. I usually take along pretzels or trail mix in addition to gels and chews. The combination of real food and sports foods works well for me.

7. Above all else, be sure to try every and any combination before race day.

This is said again and again in blogs and running posts all over the web. And it is said for good reason. There’s nothing worse than a preventable calamity on the race course. This rule applies to food, beverages, apparel, footwear, and yes, even something as simple as earbuds or sunglasses. A lot can happen in 13.1 or 26.2 miles. Don’t let it be something that could have been avoided by practicing during training.


And now for the Running Coaches’ Corner! Join Lora Marie, Susie, Debbie, and myself for the Running Coaches’ Corner linkup every Wednesday. We love reading your running stories, racing tips, and coaching strategies. Scroll to the bottom of this post to add your link!

Link w/ the #RunningCoachesCorner linkup w/ hosts @loramarie03 @suzlyfe @CoachDebbieRuns! #runchat
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xo

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Do you experience stomach upset after a long run?

What would you add to this list of tips?


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Also linking up with Nicole, Annmarie, Jen, and Michelle for Wild Workout Wednesday.

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General  / Hydration & Nutrition

30 Comments


Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner
September 21, 2016 at 7:30 am
Reply

I’ve not had problems during a run but sometimes afterwards yes. I also don’t do well with the gels and gu. Thanks for the link up today



    rfrutkin
    September 21, 2016 at 3:16 pm
    Reply

    Gels and gu are tricky for a lot of people!

Carla
September 21, 2016 at 7:36 am
Reply

Sharing but had to share here first I’m just gearing up to train for my first full marathon. I’ve never done super long walks or runs – – I’m confident I will need this 🙂



    rfrutkin
    September 21, 2016 at 3:16 pm
    Reply

    Make sure to practice during each long run and you should figure out what works for you pretty quickly. =)

Coco
September 21, 2016 at 7:58 am
Reply

I used to have horrible GI issues after a race. The key for me was learning to cut back on fiber before hand and NOT do any carb-loading – it seems so obvious in hindsight!



    rfrutkin
    September 21, 2016 at 3:17 pm
    Reply

    Right! I do a little bit of carb loading but not as much as I used to. Definitely cutting back on fiber helped.

Debbie @ Coach Debbie Runs
September 21, 2016 at 8:12 am
Reply

I have always had problems after a long run (fortunately rarely during ?). And it’s not all day, just, well, once or twice afterwards. ? <–blushing emoji seems to be the choice for this post. After marathons and sometimes during, nausea is my big problem. These are great tips that I'll keep in mind to try when I next increase my mileage.



    rfrutkin
    September 21, 2016 at 3:17 pm
    Reply

    I’ve had it all — GI distress before, during, and after! Hopefully I’ll be good for a while… 🙂

Lauren
September 21, 2016 at 8:14 am
Reply

I def need to cut back on my fiber the day or 2 before a big race– and I need to remember to hydrate more— thank you for the tips! I am right there with Coco– carb loading upsets my belly, but if I do sweet potatoes and starchy veggies leading up to a long run over pasta, I am normally good!



    rfrutkin
    September 21, 2016 at 3:18 pm
    Reply

    I’ve heard sweet potatoes are wonderful pre-run. I’ll have to try it!

Annmarie
September 21, 2016 at 8:20 am
Reply

This is SUCH a great post!!! I had the WORST upset stomach after my 18.12 race. I still cannot pin point why but it probably had to do with dehydration. My stomach is so sensitive that I never know what is going to set it off 🙁



    rfrutkin
    September 21, 2016 at 3:18 pm
    Reply

    Aw, that stinks. It’s never fun to have an upset stomach and it’s even worse when you’re tired and you just want to lay down!

Gretchen
September 21, 2016 at 8:20 am
Reply

Great tips! I have such a sensitive stomach and always seem to get sick during runs. I’ll try these out 🙂



    rfrutkin
    September 21, 2016 at 3:19 pm
    Reply

    Ack! I hope some of these tips help you.

Patricia @Sweet and Strong
September 21, 2016 at 8:31 am
Reply

Great tips! I definitely found out the hard way I can’t handle sugar before a run. I usually try to stick with oatmeal and some almond butter before or I also enjoy this meal after.



    rfrutkin
    September 21, 2016 at 3:19 pm
    Reply

    Same, I have to find out what works and what doesn’t the hard way. But I suppose we all do!

Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home
September 21, 2016 at 8:50 am
Reply

I don’t usually have issues after a long run, but I do have them during the long run. I say yes to all of your advice, especially eating the low fiber diet. I tend to avoid fruits, veggies, etc for the most part up to a week before a big race.



    rfrutkin
    September 21, 2016 at 3:21 pm
    Reply

    I do the same. During the run is worse than after a run, at least for me. I can’t handle porta potties! I’d rather hold it and suffer. Lol!

Jen @ Pretty Little Grub
September 21, 2016 at 9:26 am
Reply

I remember thinking the same thing when it started happening to me. This must just be the way it is as high running volumes.
For me, it’s largely due to the gels. I found when I used real fuel in training, I never had the post run stomach upset. But I used gels for my marathon because I wanted the convenience and quick fuel. It worked but I was in so much pain afterwards. Lesson learned!



    rfrutkin
    September 21, 2016 at 3:21 pm
    Reply

    Sounds like my 18-miler. I’ve never used only gels and chews before but I figured why not? Everyone else seems to be able to do it! But boy could I NOT do it… sigh…

Janelle @ Run With No Regrets
September 21, 2016 at 11:06 am
Reply

Really great advice! I haven’t had any digestive issues after long runs since I started using chews, but I have started to experiment with different brands because the chews are sometimes really hard to chew!



    rfrutkin
    September 21, 2016 at 3:22 pm
    Reply

    I agree! Sometimes they are so hard to chew! I like Probar and honey stingers but probar definitely wins in my book. Good luck finding what you like!

Lesley
September 21, 2016 at 2:49 pm
Reply

Thankfully not too often, but I constantly stay hydrated because I get headaches if I don’t. I must not have a high fiber diet, but fruits still work well for me.



    rfrutkin
    September 21, 2016 at 3:23 pm
    Reply

    I feel like all I eat is fiber! So of course starting on Thursday before long runs I stop eating salads and fruits and veggies. All my faves!

Susie @ Suzlyfe
September 21, 2016 at 4:17 pm
Reply

I used dried fruit and certain candies for my first few races–now my stomach (and I) have evolved, but I remember being terrified the first time that I tried a gel to the point that I kept putting off fueling and bonked HARD



    rfrutkin
    September 21, 2016 at 5:12 pm
    Reply

    Oh no! That’s no good at all. I’m glad you finally found what worked for you.

Laura @ This Runner's Recipes
September 21, 2016 at 7:01 pm
Reply

These are such great tips! I’ve found that certain gels just do not work with my stomach! I only use Hammer gels now because GUs have too much sugar. I also sip at my gel over several miles rather than take it all at once – too much of anything, gel, chew, or candy is hard to digest on a run.



    rfrutkin
    September 21, 2016 at 8:01 pm
    Reply

    I usually hang on to my gel and sip on it for a while as well! Mostly because it’s icky to down it all at once… Hahah.

MICHAEL BRANDON
October 1, 2016 at 10:28 pm
Reply

Thanks for your tips, especially for Tip #3. They are great, really. Will try to apply these tips. Thanks again for posting this useful article.



James Gross
October 27, 2016 at 6:03 pm
Reply

I’m trying to train for running. Happy running 🙂 Thanks for your sharing!



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