Since I’ve been back from vacation, every time I’ve run I’ve gotten a side stitch and had to stop. Every time. Until this started, I don’t think I’d had one since elementary school. It’s high up on my right side and it hurts so badly I have to stop and walk. Anybody know why I’m getting them? Am I running wrong, breathing weirdly, pushing too hard, not pushing hard enough? Am I wearing the wrong shoes, the wrong sports bra, not enough sports bras? Please help, because this has been severely limiting my distance.
Anonymous
August 28, 2003 — 8:25 am
I used to get those, and the doctor said it was because I wasn’t taking full breaths — I was doing a small intake, and a small outake of breath, when you should be breathing in and out fully each time.
Moire
August 28, 2003 — 8:28 am
Yes, I’ve been told the same. I never seem to breathe correctly when I run, so of course every time I run ends painfully. I also tense my shoulders, and they get so painful… I don’t know what’s worse: the cramp between my shoulder blades, or the stitch in my side.
Tricia
August 28, 2003 — 8:51 am
I always wonder if it’s from drinking too much or too little water before the run or from running on a full stomach. ?
Amy
August 28, 2003 — 10:32 am
Here’s what Runner’s World has to say about it:
http://www.runnersworld.com/home/0,1300,1-78-79-432,00.html
Also, hey Moire – I get the shoulder thing too. My coach tells me to do shoulder rotation exercises and stretch my neck as many times as I can during the day, before I run, during and after…and to try to relax my shoulders and back as soon as I start out. Also I’ve discovered some really hard, deep tissue massage – while painful and seemingly *not* helpful – really does help it. Bigtime. (Icing does not. However, stuff like Icy Hot during the massage feels good and seems to be even more preventative, too.)
So I haven’t had it in a while. If it starts to creep up during a run, even remotely, I slow down and start rotating my shoulders or look down at my feet for a few seconds, then reach up and push down into the muscles as hard as I can. It hurts but usually stops it dead. Hope that helps!
Kris
August 28, 2003 — 11:39 am
Thanks for that. It’s definitely not food, as the last two times I’ve run have been in the morning before work. I’ve been on basically an empty stomach and I still get ’em. I think the breathing thing is probably the culprit. (Although why I should suddenly start getting them now after *not* getting them for a year is rather worrisome.) But it helps to know that other folks feel my pain. I’m going to try some of those techniques to cope next time.
And dude! I seriously pulled my right shoulder this morning while running. The Snook thought it was pretty funny, like how in the world do you hurt your shoulder while running? We chalked it up to my general inability to walk – much less run – first thing in the morning. (I always feel like I’m flailing around like a puppet for the first ten minutes.) But maybe it’s just because I was tensing up because I’m so hard-core! Yeah, that’s it.
Anonymous
August 29, 2003 — 2:45 am
I heard it’s down to too much sex the night before.
Kris
August 29, 2003 — 10:12 am
Have you been hiding under the bed again, Ferret?