Stomach pain.

Hi

I'm new to this site, just joined so that I could ask a group of runners some advice, hopefully..

I used to run quite a bit a couple of years ago, every other day, I think, however, whilst running I would have terrible stomach pain, not just your average stitch, but pain all across, and my stomach would make these weird gurgling noises as if there was a packet, almost, of water jumping around inside my stomach.. Very weird. I started running again last Friday, and it continued.

I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this, and if so whether you have any suggestions as to what I should do/avoid before running, etc.

Many thanks,

Nicole.

Nicole, Can sympathise with you - it's not pleasant at all & can be embarrassing. Have you suffered from stomach problems before or is it just running which causes it?

Your symptoms sound a bit like IBS & running can sometimes exacerbate the condition. It's worth reviewing your pre-run diet and fluid intake. Certain things including wheat, dairy and caffeine can act as a trigger. Stress causes my symptoms to flare rather than diet, so when I approach training runs and races more relaxed I tend to have less stomach pain and perform better. As for things which make it better I've not really had much joy after 15 years of experimenting with diet & altering things like the time of day I trained. Hopefully other respondents can help with this!

One thing I will say is don't worry - you are not alone. I'm sure there are lots of people out there who have experienced this. Hope you find a solution soon

Ah thank you for replying I do get the pain at other times, sometimes it's just a stabbing pain when I'm not even moving, and it used to hurt on ocassion whilst just walking, so much so that I would double over in pain.

The doctors mentioned IBS, however didn't sound very convincing and haven't helped alleviate anything in all this time, hence why I joined the forum. I shall try experimenting, I don't eat dairy as it is, therefore I don't think that's the problem.

I do often feel very stressed before running actually, I'm not sure why, it's just the thought of it I think, so will try relax more now, and I'm sorry you've had to suffer too!

Thank you so much for your help and comments

Ahhh - definitely sounds like IBS then. My GP prescribed medication but it doesnt seem to work. I do take immodium before certain races though.

does sound like stress might be the cause of your ibs too. In fact it's like a vicious circle...the only time I'm 100% symptom free is on holiday...I run as I feel & basically don't care if I only plod for 10 minutes. Cant afford to do that when training for a half marathon though!

Hope it improves soon. Maybe try training at a different time of day, see if that helps. good luck!

Ah okay, same here, I got given tablets, but they didn't change anything.

Aw that's a shame. It's good that you can ignore it enough to do a half marathon though

Thank you!