So Long Stomach of Steel

by - Tuesday, August 14, 2012

You know how they say bull sharks have a stomach of steel because they will eat literally anything, including old car parts and other random debris found in the ocean?

fish4141(Source)

(If you don't know this fun fact, you obviously don't watch enough Shark Week.)

When it came to pre-run nutrition, I used to be the bull shark with the stomach of steel. I could eat or drink pretty much whatever I wanted before I left for a run and wouldn't have a single problem.

34420_980018023918_447985_n
Me and sharks, the resemblance is uncanny

In the 6+ years I've been running, I can count on one hand the number of times I've had any sort of GI issues on a run.

Until this training cycle.

In two weeks, I have now had two major stomach issues on runs.

One was during my first long run of training. With 1.5 miles to go, my stomach revolted, and I had to walk the rest of the way home.

The second happened last night. I headed out for my seven miler and a half mile in, I had to turn around and head back home.

After my stomach calmed down, I went back out to finish my run. It ended up being the most miserable run ever. After all my stomach issues, I was super dehydrated. I managed to kill my entire water bottle by mile four and I was so so thirsty for the rest of the run.

I think I have a hunch what caused both stomach flare ups, and if I'm right, I'll be pretty shocked because it's never caused problems before.

I guess I can kiss my stomach of steel goodbye. I'm going to have to pay much more attention to pre-run nutrition to prevent future stomach emergencies because let me tell you, they are not fun at all.

You May Also Like

5 comments

  1. I do still enjoy the steel stomach, but I'm starting to learn what makes me feel sluggish and what keeps me going stronger now. it's an interesting shift.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've experienced both: Phases with the steel stomach and phases with the wimpy tummy, and I know that with the wimpy gut, it can make things miserable!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I wish i had a stomach of steel! I have to be soo careful about what I eat & drink and even how much before a run. I know this is terrible, but I prefer to do my long runs first thing in the am, without having anything to drink but some sips of water or gatorade. Those are the runs with the least disturbance.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Training for my first half marathon, it didn't matter what I ate the night before. Training for second, third, and now fourth? Yea. All sorts of things bother me. And it's even worse in the heat. Yea. Ugh.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It’s actually a great and helpful piece of information. I’m glad that you shared this useful info with us.
    Please stay us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete