Getting sick during race

omeatheopian

Hi Guys,

I'm new to the running thing, and just have a query for more experienced runners.
I ran my first race in May which was the docklands 8k, in 33 mins but chucked my ring up on the finish line.
I ran my second race yesterday, dun laoghaire 10k in 44 but took a good 2 minutes out for throwing up around the 8k mark.
I was just wondering is this a sign of not training hard enough, and pushing too hard on the day? or just something that will pass.

Be interested to hear any feedback as its a right pain

grahamor

What are you eating before the races ? Are you allowing sufficent time (2+ hours) for the food to digest ?

omeatheopian

Just weetabix yesterday 2 hrs before alright. I could understand if I was horsing into an kebab en route

menoscemo

omeatheopian wrote: »

Just weetabix yesterday 2 hrs before alright. I could understand if I was horsing into an kebab en route

I have had this problem before alright.
Generally I will have to eat at least 4 hours before a race of 10k or less. If It's a morning race I'll generally eat nothing or have an apple or Banana maybe 3 hours before the race.

Are you having Milk with your weetabix? That can sit in the stomach a bit. Experiment eating your breakfast 3 hours beforehand. Anti Nausea Tablets can also help.

Milk tends to unsettle my stomach anyway. Have run races after a bowl of muesli and had cramps, so just I just stick with lots of water and pasta. Could be psychological, and pasta at dawn isn't lovely, but just makes me feel more comfortable.

Clearlier

Give yourself more time between eating and racing and try different foods. It's hard enough to replicate in training as you don't often hit the same level of intensity. I'll easily manage to eat an hour or so before a long run but the last 10k I ran I ate half a dry pitta bread 3 hours before the race and it was all I could do not to throw up as I went over the line. Very, very unpleasant.

kencoo

This happens to me too. Its does not happen in training just in races when im really pushing it.
I have spoken to a few more experience runners and it boils down to core strength or lack of it... i.e. running alone is often not enough to get you race fit.

omeatheopian

kencoo wrote: »

This happens to me too. Its does not happen in training just in races when im really pushing it.
I have spoken to a few more experience runners and it boils down to core strength or lack of it... i.e. running alone is often not enough to get you race fit.

This is interesting alright! I also suffer a bit from lower back discomfort, and am constantly working on my core now to fix this. Hardly a coincidence, but can't understand how a weak core would make me duff

kencoo

I used to think the same however when you look at the biomechanics it does make sense. If you look at the top athletes pushing it they are using all of their muscles not just their legs.
Most people can keep themselves pulled together at a slow pace and under no pressure to keep the optimum running position, i.e. shoulders back, head up, eyes forward etc. However when you are under pressure/tired you will probably find that you run quiet differently, i.e. bow your head, lean forward or back more and may even wander a bit as you concentrate of keeping momentum up. If your core strength is not as strong your stomach will also churn more. You’ll feel ill and may eventually get sick. (Its annoying as it usually happens quiet suddenly and half the race could be on your back when you stop!) . Its fairly common and the finish line of long distance races is usually pretty messy...
As other posters have said don’t eat a large or inappropriate meal just before you run either. The best type of food for morning running is probably porridge/banana and boiling water. It’s disgusting but will give you the slower release energy and should keep you going for training exercises.

That’s just my twopenceworth which you may find helpful.

omeatheopian

kencoo wrote: »

I used to think the same however when you look at the biomechanics it does make sense. If you look at the top athletes pushing it they are using all of their muscles not just their legs.
Most people can keep themselves pulled together at a slow pace and under no pressure to keep the optimum running position, i.e. shoulders back, head up, eyes forward etc. However when you are under pressure/tired you will probably find that you run quiet differently, i.e. bow your head, lean forward or back more and may even wander a bit as you concentrate of keeping momentum up. If your core strength is not as strong your stomach will also churn more. You’ll feel ill and may eventually get sick. (Its annoying as it usually happens quiet suddenly and half the race could be on your back when you stop!) . Its fairly common and the finish line of long distance races is usually pretty messy...
As other posters have said don’t eat a large or inappropriate meal just before you run either. The best type of food for morning running is probably porridge/banana and boiling water. It’s disgusting but will give you the slower release energy and should keep you going for training exercises.

That’s just my twopenceworth which you may find helpful.

I certainly did find it helpful, and appreciate the advice