While running, you may suddenly experience a stabbing pain in your side.
It's a common problem known as a side stitch.
A side stitch is a sharp pain that usually occurs just under the ribs on
the body's right side while running.
Side stitches are caused by a spasm of the diaphragm, the muscle
between your chest and abdomen. During exercise, your rate of breathing
intensifies. As a result, your diaphragm moves more quickly than usual.
This motion may cause your diaphragm to cramp, causing a side stitch,
especially if you are a beginner to running.
The following might cause side stitches:
- Lack of oxygen from improper breathing
- An unconditioned diaphragm
- Dairy or food allergies
- Gas
- Eating just before exercising
- Covering a greater distance or moving faster than usual
When you feel those sharp pains starting, take these steps
to ease your discomfort.
- Stop moving at the first sign of pain. Don't “work through” the
pain.
- With three fingers, press on or massage the area where the pain
is greatest until it stops hurting.
- Don't hold your breath. When your breathing resumes a normal
pace, side stitches should stop.
- Resume your exercise slowly after the pain has stopped.
Side stitches are preventable.
Though side stitches are a common problem,
they can easily be prevented.
- Don't eat for two hours before you exercise.
- Remember to warm up by walking slowly when you start out.
- Breathe more fully. Make sure you aren't holding your breath.
- Breathe properly by raising abdominal muscles as you breathe.
This is known as “belly breathing.”
- Exhale against resistance through pursed lips.
- Strengthen your abdominal muscles through such exercises as
crunches.
Though side stitches are a common problem, they don't need to keep
you from running. Take precautions to stop side stitches and you can be
pain-free during your entire program.
Avoid Getting Injured
Injury is something many runners think they have to live with. It is something that can, with just a few precautions, be prevented.
Injury Prevention:
1. Always see your doctor before starting a new running program.
2. Always do some easy stretches before your run.
3. A few strength exercises should be part of your overall routine.
4. Start out your run slowly. This isn't race, it is a training exercise.
5. If you experience any kind of pain during your run slow down and/or stop, evaluate the situation.
6. Forget the 'run through' pain concept. Running paths are cluttered with pain lovers.
7. After your run, stretch to loosen up and lengthen those muscles.
8. See your doctor or physical therapist if you are experiencing pain or discomfort.
Tips:
It's okay to miss a day or even two, if you are injured. A little down time can save you months of pain and frustration.
Go slow when stretching. It can be embarrassing to hurt yourself before you even start your run.
If you need to look for a doctor, ask around first. Try to find a doctor who is a runner or other kind of athlete.
The Running Woman Message Board
The Running Woman Message board has
picked up
in the number of posts. Spring has arrived, new runners
are emerging with an interest in using running as part of a renewed lifestyle
and seasoned runners set goals for 2002. Let's hope they continue to connect with the benefits of running. We continue to offer
advice to all posts. Thanks to all of you who have provided assistance to members old and new. Good Luck and Continued Running to all.
Gord
If you wish to have us feature a picture of you and an article about a road race you have enjoyed, contact us.
From Around the 'Net
1.
The
Importance of a
Training
Log
One of the best training tools is to keep a simple training log.
It only takes a couple of minutes a day to record your daily mileage and the
type of workout you've done. To help aid your memory, you can also add details
like the weather, people you trained with, and the quality of the workout. Then,
when it comes time for a big race, you can look back at the log and see all the
work that you've done. You'll get a huge confidence boost if you think back
about the successful days of your training.
2.
Get to the
Gym
Marathon training requires a lot of endurance and puts tremendous
strain on your muscles. In addition to running, your training routine should
include a few days a week in the gym. The goal is not to lift very heavy weights
and build your muscle mass; you want to do a lot of reps with smaller weights.
Working both the upper and lower body will help to increase your endurance and
will make your recovery time faster. Lifting weights can also help to increase
the explosiveness in your muscles, giving you a better kick at the end of your
race.
3. Train
by using Short Races
Marathoner Mark Coogan recommends entering some shorter races
during your marathon training. "I like to prepare for the race by running some
5K or 10K races. This is great as a speed workout and really lets you see your
progress. One nice bonus of marathon training is that your shorter race times
often improve from the added strength."
Entering more races also helps to reduce the nervousness often associated with
stepping up to the starting line. By the time the marathon comes along, you will
be more comfortable with your pre-race routine -- getting a good night's sleep,
knowing what to eat before the race, and warming up before the gun goes off.
4.
Shin Splints
A common injury for runners significantly increasing their
mileage is Tibial Stress Syndrome, also known as shin splints. This condition is
caused by tiny tears in the muscles along the shin bone, causing aching or even
sharp pain in the shin area. If you've ever had shin splints before, you know it
can become very painful and can be a big road block in an ambitious training
schedule.
To prevent shin splints, do some stretching and strengthening of your calves and
shins before you start to increase your mileage. A good way to build strength in
the area is to walk only on your heels for 50 yards, followed by walking only on
your toes for 50 yards. Do this silly looking walk each day before your run, and
increase the sets of 50 yards to up to three sets. Use this exercise, along with
well-cushioned and supportive shoes, to stop shin splints before they stop you.
5. Don't Carry That Weight
Have you ever seen an elite marathon runner crossing the
finish line carrying a 10-pound sack of potatoes? Of course not. Extra
weight can really slow a runner down, especially when carried over a
26-mile course. Extra body weight has the same effect, slowing down your
race times. It also increases your risk of injury by causing additional
strain on your joints. While you plan out your race calendar for the
year ahead, make goals for the weight you would like to be for each
race. Shedding 10 or even just 5 pounds can make you considerably
faster. And since marathon runners generally have a higher metabolism
than non-runners, losing weight is often possible by just eating a
little bit less each day.
6. Fitting
Those Shoes
There's no guarantee that the shoe you find comfortable in the
store is also going to feel great after ten miles, but following these tips
should help.
1) Shop late in the day when your feet are a little swollen.
2) Wear your typical running socks.
3) Measure a thumb's-width of space between the end of your big toe and the
front end of the shoe.
4) Rule out any shoe that lets your heel slip or your toes hit the end of the
shoe.
7
.
Insoles Extend Life
It's happened to all of us -- the shoe that felt great in the
store now makes your arch sore or your heel ache. Instead of consigning those
expensive new shoes to gardening duty, try switching insoles. Start by swapping
the insoles from your new shoes with a pair from your favorite old running
shoes. If that doesn't work, go to a running shop and buy insoles that are made
to address the specific discomfort you're having.
Words of Inspiration
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners
run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."
- 1 Corinthians 9:24 (N.I.V.
Translation)
Cochrane Challenge Half Marathon Provides Unexpected Surprise
Fariyal was entered in this half marathon that took place on Saturday June 8th, as a training run before the Stampede Marathon on July 7th. She planned to do a tempo run and complete it in 1:40 approximately.
We awoke that Saturday morning to rain, winds and a temperature of 4 degrees C. The conditions somehow, sparked extra energy and she won the half marathon in a time of 1:30:58. This was quite a surprise for her and another surprise was that the next female finished 14 minutes after she did.
This goes to show you that placing all depends on how decides to show up.
About This Newsletter
Experts - we are not. Information presented here is a collection of research with a taste of experience and opinion added for flavour. We don't get upset if someone disagrees with anything that has been said or written. In our experience with runners, it is difficult to get agreement on most anything. If it works for you, then it works.
Neither Women in Motion nor the author of this newsletter provides professional medical advice. The information in this newsletter is intended to help you better understand running issues. It is not intended to replace the advice of a physician. If you read something in the newsletter that contradicts what your physician tells you in any way, always follow your physician's advice.
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Gordon Samson, Editor
Women in Motion
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Women in Motion
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"Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect."
-Fariyal Samson,
B.PE, B.Ed
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