Nov 8, 2023 | Nutrition, Training Advice, Uncategorized
Most runners have experienced it. That feeling, deep down in the gut, that signals bad news if you are midrun or ridrace. It means you must slow down or stop and
(hopefully) find a bush, a tree, or a porta john and take care of business or risk the unfortunate and embarrassing mess of not making it!
If you are one of the lucky runners who has never experienced this, read no further. This article is a summary of the possible causes of runner’s diarrhea and how you can
prevent it while running.
1. Eating a high fiber or high fat diet, especially in the 1-2 days prior to a big run or race can contribute to having a larger load of **** and the need to eliminate said load.
Prevention here involves eating low fiber carbohydrate foods for at least 1 day prior to your event paired with lean protein and generally avoiding fibrous veggies, beans, and salads. An
example might be meals of chicken or fish served with white rice or white pasta or white potatoes and/or white or sourdough bread. Low fiber and low fat breakfast items such as instant oatmeal, plain bagel, banana, and a favorite sports drink are recommended 2-3 hours prior to race start, to allow time for full elimination.
2. Lack of hydration and electrolytes in the days leading up to your race or during a run can lead to gut distress.
Prevention: Losing 4% of body weight in sweat during a run or race increases your risk of bowel movements while running. Drink about ½ of your body weight each day in fluid ounces to maintain hydration. Try drinking a diluted carbohydrate drink with electrolytes before, during, & after running to maintain electrolyte balance and optimal performance.
3. Eating or drinking foods or products containing lactose, fructose, or agave syrup for certain individuals will increase likelihood of gut issues while running.
Prevention: Many runners have some degree of Lactose intolerance and dairy products can cause increased gas, bloating and bowel movements in those individuals. Women have a harder time digesting and processing fructose than men and this can lead to more gut issues with any sports drinks and energy gummies/gels that are high in fructose!! i. Try to use drinks and chews or gels that do not contain fructose: Skratch, Huma, Tailwind, Clif, UCan are some brands to try
4. Lack of regular eating habits and a strong routine around nutrition for training
Prevention: Our bodies like to create and maintain a state of balance… changing routines can have a HUGE impact on how we feel and perform. Avoid introducing new foods and or
drinks on or near race day. Start introducing any new fluid replenishers, gels, bars, race breakfast, etc. weeks or even months prior to race day and during training days to get your
body used to them. Plan and practice eating and drinking for your race day routine around a similar time you would for race day so your body is more likely to be optimally prepared.
Keep a journal of foods you try and your bowel movements so you know what works best.
5. Relying on bowel prep and anti-diarrhea medications can be risky.
Prevention: Using drugs such as chemical laxatives, enemas, bowel preps, and colonic irrigations to purge their intestines can cause altered electrolyte levels and have side effects such as nausea and cramping. Avoid taking ibuprofen before a race as it can aggravate GI bleeding and potentially cause leaky gut which could interfere with fluid balance and cause dehydration, as well as potentially interfere with recovery. INSTEAD… try eating a few mint TUMS roughly 20 minutes before higher intensity workouts and long runs. This can help slow down GI issues. ALSO…consider taking a prebiotic/probiotic product each morning oftaper week to help improve gut integrity which can help when the gut is stressed due to increased body heat and lower oxygen levels in circulation during exercise.
6. Lack of food intake and nutrition/hydration in the days leading up to the race
Prevention: DON’T STOP EATING!!! The last thing you want to do is stop eating during the build up to your event and long training runs – your body needs that fuel! It can take anywhere from 24-72 hours for food to travel through our digestive system (and this tends to be faster with runners) so continuing to consume food throughout training and up until ~ 3 hours before the race will help maintain the natural cycle of food absorption and digestion. If worried about bowel movements during long runs or race day, start keeping a journal of foods you consume and how your body reacts to them (positive or negative) so you know what you want to eat during training and pre-race.
Aug 23, 2023 | Community, Newsletter, Nutrition, Training Advice, Uncategorized
Have you noticed feeling fatigue, tired or heavy legs during running, difficulty completing workouts, or not recovering well before the next session?
You may have low iron stores (as measured by low serum ferritin). In fact, many athletes experience some form of nutrition related fatigue that is related to one of the following:
- Under fueling in general, not eating enough energy (calories) to support training.
- Not taking in enough carbohydrate during the time just before, during or after training.
- Eating inadequate iron to support the demands of running and suffering from lower production of hemoglobin and red blood cells – that carry oxygen to working muscles.
Low levels of hemoglobin in the blood, or low levels of the iron storage protein ferritin, can have a profoundly negative impact on your ability to have successful workouts and races.
Low ferritin levels can cause poor performance, even when hemoglobin levels are normal.
Research with high school cross country runners has shown about 3% of boys and 40% of girls were iron deficient at the beginning of the season and even higher numbers were seen by the end of the season.
There are 3 primary sons for why female runners are at greater risk for iron deficiency:
- dietary intake of iron tends to be very poor.
- menstrual cycles cause a substantial loss of blood. This increases the body’s demand for iron.
- running training itself causes an additional loss of iron – this happens primarily through gastrointestinal blood loss.
Distance runners can suffer from impaired performance even at iron levels at the low end of the “normal” reference range. (12 – 200 ng/ml for women; 12 – 500 ng/ml for men)
Athletes with ferritin levels at the low end of “normal” for the general population were found by researchers to exhibit many of the same symptoms as athletes with clinically low iron (<12 ng/mL).
Runners should aim for ferritin levels above 40 ng/mL to avoid fatigue and impaired performance from iron deficiency.
The best and easiest way to fix iron deficiency is the most obvious one: increase the iron sources you consume. This can involve increasing your dietary intake, taking an iron supplement, or, preferably, both.
Meat, especially red meat is rich in heme-iron, the form of iron that is readily absorbed and least impacted by factors that impair the absorption of non-heme iron (found in grains, beans, and vegetables). In fact, eating varied meals that contain both heme- and non-heme iron improves absorption of the plant-based sources. Meat, poultry and fish all share this ability to improve absorption of non-heme iron foods.
There is a significant benefit of iron supplementation in iron deficient athletes, both when it comes to increasing serum ferritin levels and to increasing aerobic performance.
Runners Essentials Daily Vitamin Formula by Without Limits is designed to support the endurance athlete’s needs for key nutrients including iron. The form – Ferrous Fumarate is less likely to cause GI problems (constipation), and the dosage – 22 mg (or 122% of Daily Value) is intended to prevent diminishing iron stores. It is recommended that you take the 2 capsules with a Vitamin C rich juice to increase absorption, apart from meals, antiacids, tea, or Calcium supplements which can inhibit iron availability for absorption, or at bedtime for better GI tolerance.
Aug 2, 2023 | Nutrition, Training Advice, Uncategorized
By Diana Davis RDN LDN
It’s that time of year again – hot, humid, muggy! We know it’s what we get every summer in the South, but we still want/need to train to maintain fitness or get ready for our Fall races. The most important detail of your run or bike plans over summer is hydration.
Why: Better hydration (specifically using a sports electrolyte drink) promotes better cooling of the body, better endurance, less muscle damage, less cortisol release, faster recovery and a better workout the next time you go out.
What to drink: This is a very individual choice. If your run or ride is 1 hour or less, water is an appropriate choice. For all runs/rides that are over 60 minutes, I recommend a sports drink – the one that tastes so good that you want to drink it! Your sports drink choice should contain carbohydrates from dextrose, sucrose, and/or maltodextrin and relatively less fructose. Sweat contains the electrolytes sodium, chloride, potassium, and magnesium so your electrolyte replacement drink should ideally contain all of these.
How much to drink: The most accurate way to determine this is to calculate your sweat rate, but if you have not done this, a good rule of thumb is to drink 16-32 ounces of your favorite sports drink for each hour of running.
When to drink: Pre-hydrate well the day before and day of training or racing. Once you are ready to head out, drink early and often, taking sips before you start and continue to take sips while you run or ride. This means that you need to carry or wear your preferred sports drink and have replenishments stashed along your route or circle back to your house, car or other source to refill.
#diana.davis.rd
Jul 6, 2023 | Uncategorized
Running in hot and humid conditions can have several effects on the body due to the increased stress placed on the cardiovascular and thermoregulatory systems. Here are some of the effects you may experience:
- Increased heart rate: When running in the heat and humidity, your body has to work harder to regulate its temperature and maintain a stable internal environment. This leads to an increased heart rate as the heart pumps more blood to the skin for cooling purposes and to the working muscles for oxygen supply.
- Elevated body temperature: Running generates heat, and in hot and humid conditions, it becomes more challenging for your body to dissipate that heat. As a result, your body temperature can rise significantly, potentially leading to heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke if not managed properly.
- Increased sweat production: To cool down, your body relies on evaporative cooling through sweating. In hot and humid conditions, the moisture in the air reduces the evaporation rate, making it less efficient. Consequently, you may experience profuse sweating, as your body attempts to cool down by producing more sweat.
- Dehydration: The combination of heat and humidity can accelerate fluid loss from the body through increased sweat production. If you don’t adequately replace the lost fluids, you can become dehydrated, leading to symptoms like fatigue, dizziness, muscle cramps, and even more severe complications if left untreated.
- Decreased performance: Running in the heat and humidity can significantly impact your performance. The increased cardiovascular strain and higher perceived exertion due to the environmental conditions may cause you to feel fatigued earlier, reduce your endurance, and slow down your pace.
- Electrolyte imbalances: Sweat contains not only water but also essential electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Excessive sweating in hot and humid conditions can lead to electrolyte imbalances, which are crucial for proper muscle and nerve function. These imbalances can result in muscle cramps, weakness, and in extreme cases, hyponatremia (low blood sodium levels).
- Respiratory challenges: Breathing can become more difficult in hot and humid environments due to the increased moisture in the air. This can lead to a higher perception of effort, shortness of breath, and potentially aggravate respiratory conditions such as asthma.
To mitigate the effects of running in the heat and humidity, it’s important to take certain precautions. Stay well-hydrated by drinking water or electrolyte-replenishing beverages before, during, and after your run. Dress in lightweight, moisture-wicking clothing and consider running during cooler times of the day. Listen to your body, pace yourself, and be aware of the signs of heat-related illnesses. If the conditions become too extreme, it’s advisable to seek shelter, rest, and cool down.
![REBRANDING]()
Oct 19, 2022 | Apparel, Community, Newsletter, Nutrition, Testimonial, Training Advice, Uncategorized
We all go through challenges, and after 16 years in business I hit a major challenge with
Without Limits. REBRANDING! Running a business
is a journey of ups and downs.
Without Limits turned out to be my career, which I never would have predicted a long time ago. It turned out to be better than expected and I thank God for giving me that blessing.
So why did we rebrand? I could say it was time for a change, and maybe it was, but unfortunately a much bigger athletic company than mine thought our brand looked too much like theirs and change was inevitable.
The decision was easy, don’t fight this, instead, make things better!
We are who we are, and we don’t want anyone else to think we are trying to be them. So for all of my friends and followers, WOL is Without Limits and that is what it was called from the start.
Our journey continues and our story gets better and stronger. We want to thank all of our athletes and the folks that support our events and wear our gear! Our mission continues to set goals and break through our old limits. Limits are not always defined by speed. While getting faster and improving performance is a part of endurance sports, so is mental improvement and overcoming obstacles in sport and in life. All this trickles down to our inner core of improving the SELF. WOL is what people have called Without Limits since we started. There is no symbol to define without limits than the words and letters themselves!
Embrace the Challenge and continue to LIVE WITHOUT LIMITS!
A big thanks to our athletes, coaches, colleagues, friends , and most importantly my wife
Annette Clifford! She took over the administration and helped me tremendously when we first got married in 2011. She gave up her job with a big unknown. We developed a brand together have some amazing people around us!
Cheers to the future and thank you for your support!
Sep 8, 2022 | Uncategorized
All Without Limits Youth athletes racing the Wilmington Beach blast should arrive between 4 and 4:30pm at Olson Park.
Closer to 4pm is the best time to arrive. Come find the Without Limits Tent and we will have your bib number and pins. Please give yourself extra time to arrive at the park.
Without Limits middle School kids and St. Mark Middle School kids wear your Without Limits team shirts. I was told today that we may be getting St. Mark singlets for the St. Mark School kids by tomorrow. I am not 100% sure yet, but if we do we will have them at the race. If you did not get a shirt, I will have them at the race.
All of our kids are invited to race elementary through middle school, however I would advise the sprint team not to race a 3K cross country event. It is a long way for kids 8-9 or under to run. If your child has been consistently coming to the distance practices or you know they can run two miles, then we will have a bib for them. If you are unsure, email Coach Tom at tom@iamwithoutlimits.com
WHAT TO EAT ON RACE DAY
– Oatmeal for breakfast
– A lunch that has a lot of carbs and not a lot of ruffage in the stomach (aka not a burrito)
– Drink lots of fluids with electrolytes throughout the day
– Have a snack after school such as a bagel with honey, a banana, or salty crackers of some kind.
– Continue to sip on fluids.
OFFICIAL MEET WEBSITE: https://www.its-go-time.com/wilmington-beach-blast-nighttime-xc/
Thanks and see you at Olson Park (or next week Tuesday for practice)
Thank You!
