Runner's stitch - cause, cure, prevention

I was talking to my physio today about my disappointing run on Sunday.... No, I'm not going to start another rant, we were talking about the stitch I experienced in the second of the race. I told him about my being desperate enough to try something I had heard, that carrying a handful of grass, helped ease stitch when running. He laughed out loud and said he had never heard of this and asked what research or physiological theory this was based on. Of course, I had no evidence to back it up, other than that my stitch did ease later in the race, though I doubt it was due to the handful of shrubbery I carried across the finish line. My physio jokingly suggested that I will probably try it again in the future and I am inclined to agree that in a similar desperate situation, I will end up attacking some poor plant on the roadside in hope it will cure my agony...

Now there are two issues at hand here, one, which I’m not going to get into today, is that sometimes the power of psychology can be a great ally or a formidable foe. Part of this is superstition, the power of a piece of bush, or small stones (which I have seen mentioned on forums a number of times, as a stitch cure, if carried in each hand), or the power of your lucky *insert item here*, to improve performance or stave off disaster. Maybe I will talk about this another time. The second issue, which do I want to talk about, and which has a little more scientific backing is that of what causes stitch and how can it be prevented and or cured?

Of course, I did a little research...

Cause: It appears that the jury is still out as to what causes stitch, but two more widely recognized theories are that it is a result of muscle spasms of the "diaphragm" (the sheet of muscle that separates your guts from your heart and lungs and is used in breathing) or irritation of the “parietal peritoneum” (the wrapping of your guts), as a result of jiggling of your insides during running. There are also discussions about eating and/or drinking too close to running.

Cure: Most experts discuss the importance of deep breathing or “belly breathing” during exercise. Also alternating which foot strike you breathe out on, so as to decrease the strain put on either side of the diaphragm has been mentioned. Slowing your running pace or stopping and bending at the waist or stretching out tall is also helpful, though in a race this means a possible slower time, (I didn't manage to find any scientific theory for carrying bits of bush anywhere, I'm sad to say).

Prevention: To decrease the occurrence of stitch experts suggest a combination of the above 'cure' techniques and conditioning exercises for the abdominal region (to minimize jiggling of insides I presume). Also being mindful of what you eat and drink prior to running.

Basically, after reading up on stitch I’m left feeling better educated but no more confident that I will be prepared for the next episode. But I will definitely be doing more core strength exercises, which my physio will be pleased about. I will try to use my belly to breath, maybe grunt a little and/or purse my lips (you will understand those two if you read the articles linked below). I may even carry a couple of leaves a tree branch and a handful of gravel while wearing my lucky socks too, just in case...

Here are a couple of links that you might want to read yourself, see if you feel any safer from the dreaded stitch...

Side Stitches: causes, cure and prevention
Stitch Pain - The biggest pain for athletes

Half-Marathon race review, not a happy camper.

I'm sitting here wrapped up warm after a 15min ice-bath, as prescribed by the coach. It was particularly uncomfortable and the Gladwrap wrapped round 'my boys' didn't seem to ease the discomfort much... In truth though it was a small discomfort compared to what I would have to call a disappointing race today. The Sri Chinmoy Running & Fitness Festival – Williamstown Half-Marathon was run on a flat course in cool, windy conditions. The wind picked up as the morning progressed and the headwind was a killer near the end. Race strategy, as per coaches orders, was to stick with two of the guys that I am training for Ironman with, we shall call them greyhound #1 and greyhound #2, which would probably make me St. Bernard or maybe Boxer #1. At race start I tried to stand near the front of the pack, but still managed to find myself boxed in for the first 500m or so. By this time greyhound #1 was well off in front and I had no idea where #2 was. I put on a burst and ran up on #1's shoulder but that proved a mistake and I had to ease off. At this time #2 caught up and we ran together through the first 11km. I suspect #2 had more in reserve at the midway mark, as he gave me a running coaching/commentary session through out the first 10km, then he put the hammer down and dropped me by about 50m. I was happy with my run at the halfway mark, I ran about 41-42 minutes for the first 10km, but that was where the wheels fell off. As I started to reel #2 in at about the 12^th km, I got a nasty case of stitch that I tried to run through, but it started to hunch me over like the hunchback of Notre Dame, so I had to stop and bend at the waist to relieve it. At that point, though I was feeling reasonably comfortable with the pace, I knew my chances of catching greyhound #1 or #2 were out the window. The stitch came and went over the next 6kms and I stopped about five times. It's heartbreaking to watch people you're in front of run past while you bend over and stick your ass in the air. I tried the 'holding grass in my hand thing', which I had read somewhere helps, I not sure if it was a success or not, but I carried a chunk of bush for the whole last 6kms. At this point I was whacked mentally too, I was no longer chasing greyhounds, I was running from people coming up behind me, which is not way to run a race. I cursed the wind over the last few km and couldn't even put in a burst at the end because both my calves cramped. Greyhound #1, I think, finished in 1:28 and #2 finished in 1:32, I shuffled in with a particularly average time of 1:35 and some change. Not impressed...

Well.... All in all a tough morning out and not much positive to draw from it. Now I know this morning was really more of a tough training run rather than a race, and I know that my training week was not tapered towards the run. But, I was hoping for faster than my previous PB of 1:32, just so I could say, “yes! The training is working”, but what is a half-marathon at this point really in the scheme of things, sweet-F-A. I think the stitch was a result of the water I took on during the race, that maybe was not a good idea at that high intensity, when I haven't practiced taking on fluids when pushing that hard. I didn't have many cramping issues during the run other than the last 500m which I will put down as a win for the magnesium supplements. The coach videoed each of us running during the race which should be a barrel of laughs...

Now, I'm going to lie down for a while and contemplate my redemption when I smack! my Half-Marathon PB at the end of Half-Ironman at the end of the year!

Relaxing before tomorrows half-marathon

I just finished a nice large helping of fried rice after a 2hr cruise on the bike, with a stiff headwind out and a nice tail wind back. I'm feeling a little tired after a pretty tough week and I am planning to laze around all day and prepare for tomorrow mornings half-marathon race. My coach has told me to run the first 10kms at a firm pace, then if I'm feeling alright, smack it. A couple of guys I train with have similar instructions and they I think may have more staying power than I do. I know I have more pace than either of them, but I think their larger training base and smaller frames (both weigh in high 60kg to low 70kg) may mean they drop me later in the race. I normally have this drop in self-confidence before a race, hopefully I will prove myself wrong...*visualizing myself smashing it* I have been putting a significantly high training volume than the last half-marathon I did, in that one I ran a 1:32:23, so I'm expecting to do better than that, how much better, I don't know, as I have had no taper for this race.

On the subject of weight and running, I have started to work towards dropping weight in an effort to get down to a better race weight by the end of winter, before going into the larger volume training that will be required for Ironman. Losing weight will benefit me both in increased speed and in injury prevention. Carrying extra weight when swimming and cycling is not too much of a problem as they are not weight bearing activities, however running requires that you lug your entire body weight around and every extra gram counts. Right now I am the lightest I have been in probably 7-8 years but I still have a layer of fat that is not required and will start to tell later in my training season. I am aware that I won't get back to my race weight from when I was a teenager because I have grown too much muscle bulk to do that, but I think if I can get into the high 70kgs I will be lighter and faster on my feet. This means that the big carb-loaded dinners followed by ice cream are out the window, and its salads and controlled eating, specific to training loads. I feel my daily eating routine is fine its the the large dinners that have hindered my weight loss despite high training volume. From now on my energy intake each evening will be lower and dependent on my next mornings training plan. I find I get a little depressed if I cant have a nice big carb-filled dinner, so I will need to find a light and healthy treat to cheer me up in the evenings.

Oh, by the way, I picked up some Ultra Muscleze a few days ago and have taken it for three nights in a row, at the moment I have no miraculous results to report, but it doses require a loading phase apparently and tomorrows run may be a good tester for cramping. I will keep you updated.

Thats me for today, I'm going to go put my feet up, I will post a race report tomorrow night.

Training fatigue and hot/cold recovery

It has been a testing last few days, both physically and mentally, with the Saturday Morning Brick Session and the ongoing training since then. Yesterday I had one of the flattest Ironman training days I have had in a while. I felt tired when I woke for swimming and once in the pool I knew it was going to be a slog. I felt some residual fatigue from the 2km swim the night before and it didn't warm out. We did what I would usually find a pretty tame set of 12x100m on 1:30, I struggled from the get go and by the end was getting no rest, I felt like i was swimming in caramel sauce...mmm caramel sauce. It was hard on my body and probably harder on my ego. But, I have to look at it in the context of the big weekend I had and learn not to let individual sessions or sets overshadow the big picture. I am sure I am going to have a lot of sessions where it seems like I am going backwards or just don't have the energy to perform up to my expectations, but, who cares how fast I go for 12x100m eight months out from my goal Ironman...?

I had a couple of solid run sessions today, both including intervals building to max effort. On a positive note I felt pretty damn good this morning and not too bad this evening. I haven't felt any pain in the 'Old Rec Fem' in a few weeks and I'm continuing with regular physio appointments to improve my core strength and posture with a hope to keep future injuries at bay and to increase my performance.

I have been using hot/cold recovery lately and I feel that it is helping me to recover faster and train day in day out. I either do 3-5 sets in the shower of 30secs cold water and 1min hot water, or 3-4mins in a hot bath and 1min in a cold shower. The idea behind hot/cold recovery is that the repeated constriction and dilation of leg muscle tissues pumps wastes out of your legs and helps reduce inflammation and bleeding in the muscles. I am still unsure how much of a benefit it is. I feel it does help to a degree, it reduces the muscle pain I feel, which in turn probably helps me train harder. Whether it increases my performance or not, I'm not sure. One thing I am sure of is that I would like to find some sort of waterproof underwear, because, ice cold water is not welcome on some parts of my body no mater how therapeutic it is. I have considered cutting leg holes in a shower cap, but I would have to kick my own ass if I was getting around with a shower cap on for a nappy.

There has been some research into the benefits of hot/cold recovery, if your interested I have placed a link to a good article on the Peak Performance online website below.

Hot/Cold - Don't pour cold water over hydrotherapy

Which event gives the best chance of qualifying for Hawaii Ironman?

I found this website kind of interesting, check it out. It's by a guy called Neil Hammond, who seems to love his stats. Of course this is not going to be a sure thing, but it might add to your planning for Hawaii Ironman qualification... or you might just find it interesting.

Which event gives the best chance of qualifying for Hawaii Ironman?

Tough morning training and Ironman race schedule dilemma

Another Saturday Morning Brick Session under my belt and it was a tough one. It was similar to last weeks but I definitely felt fatigued off the bike this week. I think the cause was the overflow of egos one one hour 'spin' we did after the two hours of hill sprints. It turned into a smashfest, in which everyone was seeing if they could sneak up on the leader, and go flying past shouting “and he makes a break!” then everyone would chase the break down. I made an effort to force down a lot more nutrition today that I did last week. I think it helped with my energy levels, but it didn't seem to stop the quad cramps, which indicts that some magnesium supplements might help. By the way trying to swallow a Gatorade gel half way through a hill sprint set is not easy, particularly when you have people dry reaching next to you. I got it down in the end but it dint make the trip in one go, it decided to rest up in the back of my throat to see if it could make a come back at some point.

Right now I am feeling shattered, I felt good for a little while after finishing training but all of a sudden it hit me like a tonne of bricks. I probably could do with a sleep but Ironman Lanzarote 2007 is on currently and Ironman 70.3 Florida 2007 is on later so I am watching the updates for those. I will sleep like a baby tonight and tomorrow morning I have a cruisy two hours cycle on the hills and a 2km recovery swim tomorrow night.

I am currently facing a bit of a dilemma about my race schedule later in the year, I was planning to do Ironman Western Australia in December and Port of Tauranga Half Ironman in January, but I don't think I will be able to do both so close together. So I have some decisions to make and I may end up doing the Half and waiting till Ironman New Zealand in March or Ironman Port Macquarie in April. I need to consult with my coach some more before I decide so the countdown counter on the right hand side may change depending on what I decide.

Will keep you updated.

Ironman training in the dark

Had a good run this evening. I'm starting to get the hang of running in the dark. I have given up on running out towards the country on the road, it's just too dangerous. I don't particularly like running on the busier streets around where I live but its lighter and the footpath is reasonably flat most of the time. I am getting sick of trying see my watch using street-lights, or the light on my watch and I am hatching a plan for attaching a light to my running cap somehow. It will have to be done in such way that it is, comfortable, helpful with seeing where I'm going and seeing my watch and most importantly that I don't look like a git. Tough criteria I know but I have a few ideas in mind. I will keep you updated.

Tomorrow is my second Saturday Morning Brick Session, I'm looking forward to it and hope I can get my nutrition a little more on track and not suffer from leg cramps. I haven't managed to pick up the magnesium supplements I plan to start using due to financial difficulties, but hopefully I'll get it for next week.

I am running the Williamstown Half Marathon next weekend, which should be a good tester for me. I am a bit nervous, as I have not competed in anything since December last year and I am feeling the pressure of seeing results from my Ironman training over the last 3-4 months. I know that it is going to be part of my Ironman training and I won't be tapering or easing up my training for it, but I would still like to run a good time. We will see I guess...

Magnesium Supplements for Ironman training

I seem to have recovered from the head-cold that has been hanging about for the last few days and I'm feeling good. The bit of me that isn't feeling good is the inside of both my quads just above my knees on both legs. Both legs were cramping during the run on Saturday Morning's Brick Session and I had the same problem on the run in the Rotorua Half Ironman in December last year. I think that it was largely due to lack of conditioning to the high intensity and high volume exercise. There is a lot of research and information that says that cramp is often a result of dehydration and deficiencies in certain nutrients. In my reading, top of the list of nutrients are salt and magnesium. Salt is a common additive in sports drinks such as Gatorade and Ironman competitors often supplement with salt tablets during events. I discussed this with my coach and a number of the guys also training for and/or racing Ironman, all of them said that they were supplementing daily with magnesium (among other things). They said that they found that magnesium decreased the frequency of cramping during exercise and recovery and it seems also helps them sleep, which is a big plus in my view. I had a bit of a scout round the Internet and found a couple of informative sights discussing nutrients and Ironman racing, that seem pretty credible. I have put links to at the bottom of this post. One of the guys I train with recommended a particular magnesium supplement called Ultra Muscleze, which sounds promising. I will endeavor to pick some up in the next week or so and will do my own little mini review of it for you.

Here are those sights:

-10 essential nutrients for endurance athletes

-Optimal performance for endurance athletes

Saturday Morning Group Brick Session

Wow! I just got in from my first experience of the Saturday morning group brick session (bike/run). I t was a four hour session, which included some hill climb sprints, some longer hill climbs in TT position (on aerobars) and some longer hill climbs in TT position. This was follow by an hour ride, then we did a 10minute run, building to a strong pace followed by 40mins jogging. It was a step up in intensity for me and it seemed to be for a lot of the other people that were there training for Ironman too. As usual when we voiced how hard we were doing it, our coach who was taking part, told us how much longer and harder it was going to get in the future. I wonder whether that helps or not sometimes... I guess a realistic view of where we will go with our training is nice. The group atmosphere was great and I personally get so much out of doing these sort of trainings. When I'm by myself I can push to a degree, but because I am so extrinsic or externally motivated, having someone to catch or pass or keep up with does wonders for my training intensity. Of course on the down side, I find it hard to do easy when in a group. We numbered about 10-12 of us and we were spread in experience from multiple Ironman racers to one month into their Ironman training career and I think everyone enjoyed themselves and pushed their boundaries.

There is some schools of thought that say brick sessions are not necessary, and there have been a number of world class Ironman/triathlon competitors, who have not focused on this aspect of training. I personally feel that it is an important part of training for an Ironman or any triathlon. It is an opportunity to learn to run with that horrible jelly legs feeling off the bike, but more importantly it allows you to learn to run with the fatigue carried over from the ride. It puts you in the same physical state or as close to as you will be at the start of the Ironman run. This allows you to work at maintaining good running form with your cycling muscles fatigued.

I am glad that todays session is over and I think that now I have done one I will be able to be more specific in my feelings of dread leading up to Saturdays, as opposed to the fear of unknown I had this morning before setting out. But now, I'm going to put my feet up and relax.

Quick Ironman training catchup, back with more soon!

It’s been a few days since my last post and I have been a little slack over the past week. I’m going to try to get back into regular posting and finding some more useful information for you guys. Look forward to it.
Training is going well and I’m back on track for Ironman after the injury that slowed me down for a while. I am having regular physio visits to deal with some neural problems leftover from the quad strain I had a few weeks back. It appears that my bike setup has something to do with it and some tweaks to my bike might help. I have a group magtrainer session tonight which should be a tough’n. Can’t wait…

VO2max testing for Ironman training and breathing sand

I did a VO2max test this morning at the university bio-mechanics labs, it hurt. Hopefully its worth it and it allows my coach to provide a more specific Ironman training schedule in the future.

I was a little nervous about the testing session, which wasn't helped by the email form my coach saying there would be consent forms to sign before the “smashfest” began. Also, as with most race or test type situations, I had the anxiety/excitement I usually get, which I think is part of the reason for doing this in the first place. I turned up as one of my training partners was finishing and he described it as “uncomfortable”, he is an under-stater so I expected some pain.

The test is done on a stationary bike with a heart rate monitor and a horrible breathing apparatus not unlike a scuba diving mask or a snorkel. These are connected to a big bunch of computers which strangely enough didn't beep once while I was being tested. It would have added to my impression if there had been some sort of beeping going on, but I guess they didn't think of that while designing the system. Just saying...

Once hooked up to the machinery, I was asked to stay still to get some “resting data”. I started to have performance anxiety right then and there....”Is my heart rate supposed to be that high?”....”am I breathing normally?”, “what is he writing?” and “how stupid do I look in this getup?”. Once satisfied with my resting data I began pedaling. The testing began with 3 x 3min intervals at reasonably easy tension, to get some “steady state” data....then the test proper began and the discomfort was shortly to follow. From then the tension or watts increased by 25, starting at 250 every minute. I was required to maintain an even rpm and to try to keep going as long as I could. It became pretty hard pretty quickly. Early on I started to note that the scuba mask attachment prohibited any swallowing or moistening of my mouth and throat. As a result everything dried out and gave the impression of breathing sand... Now this might sound bad,but the pain the emerged in my legs soon took my mind of the desert in my mouth. Apparently at some point the data indicated that the lactic acid started doing its thing in my legs and this was when it got tough. At the end I managed to do 30seconds at 425watts. Now I have no idea if that is good or bad but it felt tough. My VO2max is apparently around 51? again no idea what that means, now I could link you to a bunch of articles that explain it all that I have already pawed over but I won't. My coach will get a summary of my results soon and he will feedback the findings, using these to educate my Ironman training program. I think I will leave the explaining to him and feedback to you after that. I think at that point I will write a bit more about the point of the testing and the benefits to be had. Then I can tell you if its worth the $250 it cost.

The Ironman training god is trying to tell me something. I'm not listening

What a shocking last few days! Let’s just say someone out there didn’t want me to get in a good training week. I guess there are possible benefits in aiding my leg injury recovery (seeing the physio again today by the way, will give you an update after that), but his is getting ridiculous. I’ll give you the short version. Wednesday evening I had a solo swim session planned, I do this at the local pool, I forgot my togs and it’s a 45min round trip to go get them and I just couldn’t bring myself to do it, one session denied. Thursday morning I had a magtrainer session planned and I set my alarm the night before, some how I set it one hour late and ran out of time before work, two sessions denied. Then last night I had the group magtrainer session planned, but I had to work late so didn’t have time to make it to the group session, so I had to settle for a solo session at home, three sessions denied. Then this morning I had a cadence magtrainer session planed and during my warm-up the battery in my cycle computer died (which was made more annoying by the fact that the batteries in my dress watch, my sports watch and my heart rate monitor all died in the space of one week last week) so cadence had to be done by counting and my leg started playing up and the session had to be cut short, four sessions denied.
But, I will not be deterred; I will get on top of my training. If things aren’t going your way, it’s important not to let it get to you. A few missed sessions are not particularly important in the scheme of things and if life gets in the way of training at times that’s fine. Some times us ‘amateur athletes’ need to focus on other things. If I was a professional Ironman and my next pay cheque relied on my performance and it was close to the big race, then I would be worried. Ironman WA is eight months away and I had a bad/unlucky week, what can ya do?

Finding inspiration in the people that do it tough and go long

Another great day in Melbourne, the day started of nicely.... I had sleep-in specifically planned on my training program. So I did. Great stuff.

When I was a student, sleep in, meant 10:00am or 11:00am, now I am stoked with 7:15am. Its funny how your perception changes with your reality. Take for example my 1:20:00 run tonight, it didn't enter my head that it was a particularly long run, my focus was more on the intervals that it included and cranking it out before it got too dark after work (side note: it was a shambles, it got dark, I couldn't see my watch, cars tried to run me down and it blew a gale). This time last year, my perception of 1:20:00 run would have been very different. I would have stressed about it beforehand and felt and behaved like an invalid afterwards. I can imagine my perception of long, tired and pain will continue to shift as my road to Ironman and Ironman racing career continue.

On the subject of perception of long distance, it makes me think about a friend who is an inspiration to me, and who's perception of long will probably always dwarf mine in comparison. This friend has done 18 official and 1 unofficial (didn't enter in time, but did it anyway) Comrades Marathons. Described as the world's greatest ultra-marathon, 90kms long, the Comrades is a South African institution, internationally recognized for the body-sapping challenge it poses and the camaraderie it fosters among its thousands of participants. It is run between the capital of the Kwazulu-Natal province, Pietermaritzburg, and the coastal city of Durban, the race alternates annually between the up run from Durban and the down run from Pietermaritzburg. For someone to have run 90km nonstop and to have done it more than once makes my perception of long seem minor in comparison. I hope that one day, after a long Ironman career, I will be able to compare my experiences with his and have great stories as he does about what it takes to go long like that.

More recently this friend did a regular 42km marathon, on less than ideal training and with several other non-running related stresses in his life. He did a time which, I can guess, as I haven't discussed it with him, he would not be impressed with. I find this more inspirational than the professional athletes out there that fly through and win races in mind blowing times. The time he did indicates that he did it tough, that impresses on me that he's made of stern stuff. The fact that he kept on grinding away and didn't call it a day, makes me look inward and ask whether I would keep on grinding. I haven't done it that tough yet, but the time will come in my career I'm sure. I hope one day I will have the opportunity to do it tough and come out on top.

I guess the morale of my little ramble is. that it is great to see professional athletes that push the boundaries and keep outdoing themselves in sport. But, it is the back of the packers that finish when most people have gone home or in the case of Ironman its gotten dark, that are the heart of the sport and often have shown more guts and determination than the winner on the day.