# Running help needed -- TMI! You've been warned **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 23, 2009, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-help-needed-tmi-youve-been-warned/500724 "2009-06-23T15:27:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![PuddingCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@PuddingCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PuddingCat)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-help-needed-tmi-youve-been-warned/500724/21 "2009-06-24T09:23:31Z")
You’re not by any chance having your first fag of the day whilst running are you? I always need the loo after FFOTD. 🙂 Sorry I can’t help but I thought I might make you smile at least. ---
**Author:** ![lilflower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@lilflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilflower)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-help-needed-tmi-youve-been-warned/500724/22 "2009-06-24T11:48:17Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Immodium and drinking very, very, very little during long run (a swallow or less every two or so miles). Hydrating while running has unpleasant side effects. This is really bad advice. You have to hydrate during running! One of the things that I work on as part of my training is figuring out how much liquid and food I can tolerate before and during a run (I’m talking about runs over 10 miles). What works for me is small sips of water or accelerade every mile or so starting just after the first hour of running. One thing I noticed that was missing from your list of things to try, **cmosdes** , is eating before you run. Also, do you eat while you run? If you want to do an Ironman, you’ll have to figure out how to eat during the race or your never finish. ---
**Author:** ![lilflower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@lilflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilflower)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-help-needed-tmi-youve-been-warned/500724/23 "2009-06-24T13:26:05Z")
**cmosdes** , I would recommend going over to the [runnersworld.com](http://runnersworld.com) forums. All the posters there are runners and there is a lot of great information posted there. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-help-needed-tmi-youve-been-warned/500724/24 "2009-06-24T14:28:51Z")
> [@lilflower](#): > > This is really bad advice. You have to hydrate during running! One of the things that I work on as part of my training is figuring out how much liquid and food I can tolerate before and during a run (I’m talking about runs over 10 miles). What works for me is small sips of water or accelerade every mile or so starting just after the first hour of running. Perhaps I should have added “for me” to the end of that sentence, but I thought it was implied given the forum & the question. How much water & food _I_ can tolerate during a run is “virtually none.” I need to make sure to drink a ton of water the night before and have it available for right after I stop moving, but during the run, I cannot drink a lot without regretting it. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-help-needed-tmi-youve-been-warned/500724/25 "2009-06-24T14:35:23Z")
One of my friends is a runner and has the same problem. Her solution is to run with toilet paper and dart in the woods. ( We live in the sticks.) ---
**Author:** ![cmosdes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cmosdes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmosdes)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-help-needed-tmi-youve-been-warned/500724/26 "2009-06-24T14:53:45Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Perhaps I should have added “for me” to the end of that sentence, but I thought it was implied given the forum & the question. How much water & food _I_ can tolerate during a run is “virtually none.” I need to make sure to drink a ton of water the night before and have it available for right after I stop moving, but during the run, I cannot drink a lot without regretting it. I’m in the same group as **amarinth**. When I first started heading up to the upper teens for long runs I would bring along gummy bears or other sugars. I found that all they did was upset my stomach. I stopped eating them and I was fine for the entire run. Here in the Pacific Northwest we have cool, dry (low humidity) mornings so typically I don’t need water, either. On long runs (over 17 miles) I usually have some water and it helps, but I’ve found I can get through most runs without it. **trmatthe** - I suppose I could try taking up smoking and quitting and see if that helps.. **lilflower** - I’ll take another look over there. The last time I browsed through their stuff most of the recommendations seemed to be 1. hydrate 2. don’t eat before you run 3. go before you run 4. change your diet 5. take Imodium 6. take toilet paper with you **Shirley Ujest** - my plan is similar… make sure there are plenty of opportunities to go along the route. While that works and does allow me to run, it means I’m limited in where I can run. Also, another symptom of all this is the general “ill” feeling I have while running, making hard training almost impossible. I used to run 7:00 miles without really breaking a sweat. Now 7:20 miles are hard. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Kerrman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/45deac/32.png) [@Joe\_Kerrman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Kerrman)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-help-needed-tmi-youve-been-warned/500724/27 "2009-06-24T23:10:05Z")
This is completely far afield, but what the hell, you haven’t found any answers yet: Are you a gum chewer? Candy mint eater? Cough drop fiend? I cannot have ANY sorbitol in my system anymore or I’ve got to squat. And exercise would exacerbate the situation. > [@LionelHutz405](#): > > Personally, I’d give up running before I’d start screwing around with drugs to ‘dry up’ my colon. I’d concur with this. I would try anything – hopefully the food removal route will work for you – before I’d be pumping myself full of creative drugs. JK ---
**Author:** ![horsetech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dec6dc/32.png) [@horsetech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horsetech)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-help-needed-tmi-youve-been-warned/500724/28 "2009-06-25T00:19:03Z")
At least you’re not doing the 200m freestyle for non-swimmers. ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-help-needed-tmi-youve-been-warned/500724/29 "2009-06-25T02:12:35Z")
I get bowel cramps at anywhere from 40-55 minutes into my run. They go away, but it ruins my enjoyment of the run, that’s for sure. I’ve never had a bathroom emergency situation, for which I’m grateful, but I have considered using the port-a-johns on the path- and me even briefly considering using those means something isn’t right with my body. I’m glad to know it’s not unusual, though. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-help-needed-tmi-youve-been-warned/500724/30 "2009-06-25T02:50:37Z")
Try not running at 5 in the morning psycho 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-help-needed-tmi-youve-been-warned/500724/31 "2009-06-29T14:49:53Z")
My friend says he uses benadryl, sometimes as little as a quarter of a dose. How have your runs been going? ---
**Author:** ![Shark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Shark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-help-needed-tmi-youve-been-warned/500724/32 "2009-06-29T18:13:50Z")
> [@SlowMindThinking](#): > > My friend says he uses benadryl, sometimes as little as a quarter of a dose. **How have your runs been going?** A little too frequently from what I hear.🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-help-needed-tmi-youve-been-warned/500724.md?page=1)