HELP Keep getting stitch when running!

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niknak2308
niknak2308 Posts: 315 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,

As the title suggests, I keep getting a really bad stitch when I'm running. It normally hits me about 10/15mins in, just when I start to warm up. I've read that not eating immediately before going running can help, and also making sure I'm fully hydrated can help, but despite following those rules it still keeps happening.

Normally I can stop for 30secs or so, touch my toes, breathe deep and then slowly jog it off, but last week I think I pulled it by stretching my arms up instead of down, and since then it has felt like I've pulled something. And then during tonight's run (well walk is a more apt description) I had to stop after 20mins of on/off jogging as it hurt too much.

Does anyone have any good tips on how to help solve this problem? Are some people just more prone? (I do get it every time but it's just recently become worse). I usually run 4 times a week, with 3 x 3/4miles and 1 x 6+miles on the weekend.

Any advice appreciated! Thank you :smile:

Replies

  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
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    I can't eat within several hours of running or I will feel it. You'll have to find what works for you (vary food, vary hydration, vary times of eating). A stitch could mean you are going too fast. The advice I've gotten (that works for me) is to slow down a bit and then try to breathe in/out very slowly through your mouth with the idea that you are trying to "fill" your stomach with air. Then make sure you are breathing out absolutely all your air. Generally if I do this for a few minutes I can get the stitch to go away.

    How long ago did you start running? Have you changed your pace at all recently? Are you getting back into it after a break? If something's changed recently it will probably "get better" on its own as well as you get more comfortable with what you are doing.
  • RobinC37
    RobinC37 Posts: 242 Member
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    I try to eat something "carby" around an hour before I go running, and then something "proteiny" within the hour after. If I eat dairy before running I get bad cramps. Try slowing to a walking and breathing in through your nose, out through your mouth with your arms above your head.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    I get it no matter what I do beforehand. I've found that it works best for me to apply sharp pressure to the pain using two or three fingers while continuing to run. After a minute or so of constant pressure, it's gone.
  • jennmodugno
    jennmodugno Posts: 363 Member
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    Read this article. :)

    http://www.examiner.com/article/runner-s-training-tip-8-preventing-side-stitches
  • hulkweazel
    hulkweazel Posts: 36 Member
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    The majority of the time in my experience, getting cramps has to do with the person not breathing correctly. Yes, diet and hydration plays a part as well, but the most important is breathing correctly.

    Make sure you're taking deep breaths, and you breathe through your NOSE AND MOUTH.
  • niknak2308
    niknak2308 Posts: 315 Member
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    Thanks for all your replies...

    I started running about 9mths ago last April... I did my first 5k in July, had a month off and have then been running s couple of times a week until December time, when I started to up my training in preparation for the Half Marathon in March. Writing it down like that would agree with the "have you upped your training recently"...

    It is something I have always had though - every run since I started last year.

    The breathing pattern thing sounds good too - thinking about it I do breathe quite shallowly as I think I associated deep breathing with more intense training!

    I'm going to have a read of that article now... and then I'll just work through all of these suggestions - I'm more than willing to try as I've never had to cry off a run before now.

    Thank you all :flowerforyou:
  • martinh78
    martinh78 Posts: 601
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    I had exactly the same, 8-10mins in.

    Slow the pace a little, and definiately slow your breathing.

    I can (could) run an hour now instead of 15mins.

    If I warm-up at home with some bodyweight exerices and suc, then run too fast at the start (sprint down the hill at teh end of my street), I get the stitch again.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    I fo und working on my breathing helped a lot. I also had to really play around with meals to find what worked best for me. I need to leave at least 2.5 hours between eating and running, and that helps with stitches. Leave it too long though, and I feel too weak!
  • fitblondebaker22
    fitblondebaker22 Posts: 84
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    Not eating within an hour or so of your run definitely helps prevent side stitches. Also, make sure your breathing is steady and consistent, keeping with your pace. When I start to get one, I try breathing in through my nose, and out slowly for as long as I can and repeat; usually subsides after a minute or two. Good luck!

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