Poop Happens ...

Google “runners who pooped” – then click on “Images.” IT’S NOT PRETTY! But all runners must deal with this scatological fact of life.

According the American College of Sports Medicine, it takes the average runner 1,000-plus strides to cover a single mile. “That equals a whole lot of intestinal jostling, literally shaking the crap right out of you,” says Hardeep Singh, M.D., a gastroenterologist at St. Joseph Hospital in California.

So, short of wearing diapers, what’s a runner to do?

WHAT GOES IN …
“We are all different in how we react to specific foods,” says Singh. “The best thing to do is to track what foods you eat and how that correlates with your bowel movements.” This can help you identify foods that may prompt you to run for the woods or duck into bushes during a run. Common triggers include lactose, sugar substitutes, wheat, gluten, soy, caffeine, and eggs.

Heather's Hints: 

· Pay attention to how your body reacts to different foods whether you are training for a race or simply going for your daily walk. Keep a food diary.
· Watching how much you eat can also help. It’s simple: More food in equals more poop out. Eat to feel sated but not stuffed.
· Try eating your pre-run meal at least two to three hours before your run/race. I am okay with running before breakfast while you may need to eat, wait, and run later.
· If you are on a long distance run/race, fuel slowly. Take in a small sip of sports drink or gel followed by a small sip of water, wait, and repeat. If you need to take in solid foods, take small bites and wash them down with sips of water. 

… MUST COME OUT !
“If you can get on a regular schedule, ideally you should try to time it so that you have a good healthy bowel movement a few hours prior to race time,” Singh says. That way, you’ll have the least amount of food in your system during your run. Running causes your body to divert blood from your GI tract to your muscles, which, if you have much of anything in your system, can contribute to diarrhea.

Heather’s Hints:
· Train your body to poo before you run. Sit on the potty at the same time of day – before your run. Even if you have to get up earlier or delay your run, allow time for your body to eliminate number 2 before you leave your house.
· Perform your warm-up near a bathroom. Motion can bring on a bowel movement, as anyone who has needed a potty break just minutes into a run can attest.
· Jog slowly around the block until you’re ready to make the “move.” Then go home and “go.”
· Perhaps the simplest advice is: Wake up early, down a couple of cups of strong hot coffee and wait for the magic to happen.

Still running with Maud ...

This could be a street in my neighborhood.
Memorial for Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia.

"Always remember, they didn't make arrests because they saw the tape; They made arrests because we saw the tape." – Keith Lowell Jensen

February 23, 2020, Brunswick, Georgia: Ahmaud Arbery - a young, black man went out for a run. But he never came home. He was shot in the street by two white men, who thought he fit the description of a man who committed a recent crime. They armed themselves, followed him, then shot, and killed an innocent man.

In America, we have the right to move freely. I have run, solo, without fear for decades - I take this freedom of movement for granted. But African-American runners don’t get to take freedom of movement for granted. An “easy 3 miler” can become life-threatening when you are automatically perceived as “suspicious.” The killing of innocent people by private citizens usurping the role of law enforcement —is not going to stop by chance. 

Make the acknowledgement of ongoing injustice a part of your reality, not just a sad story to be forgotten. Run with Maud everyday.