You Asked Series: “Help! I get horrible side cramps when I run. I’ve always had problems with these - how can I avoid them?”
Today’s question comes from one of the participants of The Running Remix: Couch to 5K Edition.
The dreaded side stitch! It’s a feeling many of us have experienced. Your run is off to a great start, you’re cruising along and then suddenly you feel little twinge in your side. Convinced it’ll subside, you continue on only for that twinge to become sharper, stronger and...sigh... to eventually force you to stop running altogether.
While side stitches can be caused by a variety of factors, there are some things you can do before your run to avoid them. Here are a couple tips that might help:
Try to avoid eating or drinking anything too heavy before your run time, ideally at least an hour to 90 min before. This will ensure your body has had proper time to digest.
Make sure you warm up before you start. A dynamic warm up helps prep your muscles, including your diaphragm where you'll get those good, deep breaths, for the run.
Speaking of the diaphragm, getting diaphragmatic (or belly) breathing in consistently will help you maximize your oxygen intake over time. This will help stave off muscle fatigue and should help with side aches (which can sometimes be caused by lack of air). You can do that within your warm up, but also pretty much any other time of day too.
Continue to strengthen your core which will help keep your form and posture on point during your run and allow you to maximize your breathing. Pilates is great for this (shout out to my favorite Pilates, The Pilates Party) and it can be easily incorporated into your strength routine too. Shameless plug for my own HIIT Strength class.
Make sure that you aren’t starting out too fast. Generally, and especially with race training, we want to be ending our runs slightly faster than how we start them. I suggest starting your run even slower than you think you should and unless you’re doing speedwork, aim to run at a pace that would allow you to hold a conversation while you run.
If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of dealing with a side ache during a run, try these tips:
Pay attention to your breath. If you find yourself gasping for air, try slowing down a bit and focusing on breathing into your side stitch (this may be more mental, but it can be effective).
Slow down the pace, or walk for a bit, while applying pressure to the area while taking deep, conscious breaths.
Stopping to stretch can help relieve tension and provide a release (try to hit those oblique muscles - the sides of your core - by bending forward and holding and then to each side).
If you’re interested in more info on running, or in starting or restarting a running routine, check out The Running Remix. If you’d like a racing or training plan created just for you, check out my 1:1 training offerings.
Have a question you want answered, email it to whitney@whitneybfitness.com and you may see it in an upcoming blog post.
