Hey guys,
I have noticed a few of you posting about running and was wondering if you had any opinions on stitches? I get really bad stitches on some occasions and I can't seem to pin-point what triggers them. Today was excellent- I managed 3 miles before the stich appeared and it was minor! The previous day I got such a bad stitch I had to stop altogether after 9 minutes!! I had been doing a bit of reading but can't see anything that is definitive. I have tried taking celenium tablets, but they did nothing. Tonight (hardly any stitch) I had a banana beforehand... could potassium play a role? Sometimes the stitch stays around for days as well, which makes me think it might be a build up of a certain chemical/mineral etc etc. I really don't want to see a doctor about it as they will just fob it off as nothing... so if you guys have any thoughts I would really appreciate them!

Right I am not 100% sure why stitches start and may well be corrected on this but I believe it is from lack of oxygen to the muscle in question!!!
Causes :-
Closing your chest in by Haunching your body up (tensing) which reduces the area of the lungs, so decreases the amount of oxygen intake so not enough oxygen is getting into your system.
Eating too soon/ too much before running.

How to get rid/ prevention

Relax when running. Run 'tall' dont haunch your shoulders up. If you feel yourself gettinmg a stitch, put your shoulders back and run straight, this will open your lungs up and get more oxygen into your system.
While doing that, breath in for a count of 3 and out for a count of 3, as you may well be shortening your breathing while runningm, and not getting enough oxygen into your system!!!
If you feel you are running tensed up, try holding your thumb and your middle finger lightly together, this relax's your shoulders etc and, please dont as my why, but it does work!!! (I found this out the other week, and tried it at 2 races and both it has helped )

Eating :-
It is all personal to each runner so :-
Have a diary of what you eat and how long before a run you eat it and if you get a stitch.
Rule of thumb is eat at least 2 hours before running.
I ue this rule of thumb, and if I am hungry just before I will eat a banana, as this is something you can east while running.

The only thing I can think of if it lasts a few days, it isnt the asctual stitch that lasts, its the fact the stitch was so bad, and the muscles had been 'contracting' (I dont know if contracting is the right analogy) then you have the equivalent of a 'pulled muscle' inside your body and takes a few days to calm down.

Hope that helps.
If you dont understand something then ask, and I will explain, if none of these work then feel free to contact me again.
And of course if you are worried at all, please consult your doctor!!!!

Lea

Thanks Lea, really appreciate the detailed post. I will definitely try out each of your suggestions- esp the finger/thumb as I know I can get really tense running, esp in my shoulders.

Thats ok
The finger and thumb thing really worked, I used it on Sunday when I pb'd on a 5 miler
These are all the basic things I tell the juniors and seniors if they are getting stitches, and most of the time it works
Please let me know either way, as would like to know if my advice has helped, and also if it hasnt, I can give you some more
Lea

That Lea knows EVERYTHING!! 

> That Lea knows EVERYTHING!!

Yep, she has all the makings of a level two coach doesn't she

Wow.....I wonder if she's thought of that!!!   

As drinking tonic water helps leg cramps i wonder if it would also help stitches .
Also , do you drink sports drinks to balance your electrolytes ? 

I don't usually drink sports drinks as they have so much sugar in them! If am going to give Lea's ideas a go and if I don't see any progress will start taking electrolytes- could be I am low in something already and running my butt off is just making it worse! Thanks for the suggestion.

When i used to get stiches when i ran i always held my arms up high above my head for a period and that cured it for me. I made sure that i didn't eat at least 1 hr prior to running and didn't take on too much water before i started.

Lea can cover the prevention part but when I got them during a run I just bent over at the waist, (touching toes-like) and completely relaxed my body. They would go away almost immediately. This worked for several people in my running club so it's worth a try.

That was another one I was going to Say Lori, but thought if I put too much on one post she would be baffled LOL
But Yes I agree, I get my runners to do that also
Works sometimes, but not others, So if one way doesnt work, try another way
Lea

When I used to be fit (many years ago), my Ballet teacher always told me to touch my toes when i got a stitch - works a treat.

How many points do I get if I can touch my toes while still continuing to run on the treadmill? (kidding) I have this thing about not stopping when running- I feel like I am cheating! So far I have stopped eating 2 hours before training and no stitch for two days. This isn't completely confirmed as I haven't done a really lond run yet, mainly just warm up couple of miles. We will see tomorrow

Woo hoo Well done
Oh and just a small coaching tip. Remember REST DAYS are more important than the runs!!!!!! :D :D :D :D
Lea

Boy do I love a rest day

NB that wasnt a green light to have 7 rest days a week LMAO
Lea :D :D