Question

Any XC or recreational runners here? (@blues perhaps?)

What do you guys do when you get a stitch during a run? Or worse...during a race?

Apologies if this isn't the right forum for such a question.

Answer 1

I've found that just bending over for a second and breathing deeply clears it up. It works for me anyway.

Answer 2

Thanks! I'll try that out.

Answer 3

Exercise physiology is a perfectly valid subdiscipline of biology. The question stands.

Stitches. I get them only when I am grossly out of shape. I am lactose intolerant and think that stitches or near stitches tend to be associated with anaerobic metabolic endeavours - track workouts - which produce lactic acid as a byproduct.

Good running posture and form prevents stitches from happening. I try to breathe with my upper chest and shoulders rather than belly and I practice that by filling a back pack with books, lying on my back with it on top of me and taking deep breaths. Light upper body strength work helps improve that too.

When I get one during a training run (rarely), I admit it to myself and take a substantial break rather than trying to run through it. Once in a while that works. If it doesn't I toss the workout rather than run with it.

As for racing, I find that starting slowly and easing my way very gently into workouts prevents them from happening. Warm up well before the race. They happened more in races when I was a young, foolish, insecure high school kid. And I can remember cramping up quite badly in a couple college meets when I had to run a certain time or place in a certain percentile to keep my scholarship - it is a fine line between limiting the severity by slowing down and limiting the duration by speeding up and just finishing.

I don't get them much in races these days (knock on wood please). Now that I am not in college running, I tend to race much less often, go into races sufficiently prepared, have more experience pacing myself and face less dire consequences if I don't win and all that contributes to reduced incidence.

The science is that most stitches are caused by diaphragm spasms; however, compelling evidence about how those spasms are caused by running is still lacking. In its absence speculation abounds.

Runners are a study in idiosyncrasy. Find what works for you (not me, not the coach with an fitness blog, not anyone else) and do it. That is my suggestion.

Yeah, the profile picture was a dead give away. :D

Answer 4

I did not mean to write that much but somehow it happened.

Answer 5

Wow - that's a lot of incredibly useful advice. Thanks so much! :)