How do you experience fatigue in running?

[FriendlyFire]

Inspired by Aerochicas thread, when you run what causes you to fail? For me it is 98% of the time a cramp in my right ab in a fairly specific spot. My legs may feel tired and I might be winded but I can push through both of those pains, however the sharp stabbing pain is crippling. I can keep going a bit by pushing in on the spot, but that makes running itself harder and only delays the inevitable.

Note: I am no frequent runner. I go through periods of running regularly for different sports, but outside of that I almost never do it.

[dumblucky]

If you've ruled out nutrition and a specific abdominal weakness/ injury try playing around with your breathing pattern. Specifically, figure out if you are exhaling when a particular leg hits the ground. If you are - switch legs. (It sounds like your diaphragm is spasming because your liver is bouncing up and down). Also try bringing your belly button into your spine for a couple of strides.

Doing stuff like this probably won't get rid of a stitch once you have one but it may keep one at bay once you feel it coming on.

[Goju - Joe]

You probably need potassium

I am also developing a new way of training running

I call it chasing

It involves a meat suit and Rottweilers

[EmetShamash]

I fatigue from ab pain too, I don't run often enough and my ab strength is for ****.

[FriendlyFire]

If you've ruled out nutrition and a specific abdominal weakness/ injury try playing around with your breathing pattern. Specifically, figure out if you are exhaling when a particular leg hits the ground. If you are - switch legs. (It sounds like your diaphragm is spasming because your liver is bouncing up and down). Also try bringing your belly button into your spine for a couple of strides.

Doing stuff like this probably won't get rid of a stitch once you have one but it may keep one at bay once you feel it coming on.

I never thought of it, but I do breathe in a pattern so that may well be my problem, thanks. I am mostly curious how many people struggle because of muscle endurance (ab,calf,ham, whatever) vs how many struggle over cardiovascular endurance.

[meataxe]

Running more regularly and being sure to hydrate and eat properly should take care of the cramps.

Otherwise, it might be a tumor.

[Cassius]

I have a permanent rib injury from a BJJ tournament in 2006 on my right side. If I don't keep good upper body posture when I run (back straight, head up, arms loose, lungs open), I can develop pretty bad cramps on my right abdominal/lower chest area.

The biggest factor in fatigue for me is mental. If I feel like I can't keep it up, my breathing gets irregular, my posture goes to ****, I can't relax and zone out, and eventually I have to slow down. Also, drink more water.

[jamesdantes13]

The way I was taught to breath while running is as follows:

-Inhale when your left foot hits then ground then exhale when your left foot hits the ground again.

This is for your normal/fast pace. When sprinting you'll probably need more air; but still exhale when your left foot hits the ground. Never exhale when your right foot hits the ground.

The reasoning behind this is that cramps on your right side are often caused by the downward pressure on your liver when you exhale and your right foot hits the ground.

Also, its good to have a constant breathing pattern when running even if your cramp is caused by something else. However, after picking up this breathing pattern, I experienced less cramps and my run times improved.

[IMightBeWrong]

It might be a potassium thing, yes, but more likely (since you say you are not a frequent runner) it is being caused by inconsistent or improper breathing. Running, like any other sport, requires proper technique. When I was younger, I had cramping problems way too often and learned to hate running, but my dad forced me to get back into it after a while. He was a champion cross country runner when he was younger and helped me get past all of that. I'd say these are the things that helped me the most:

1. Breathe through your nose, taking full breaths at the same pace with each breath. If you have to swallow saliva or something, do so at the very top of a breath.

2. Don't bounce up and down when you run. Keep your knees slightly bent and never lock them and try to keep your head at the same level at all times, rolling your feet from heel to toe with each step. Unnecessary bouncing can wear you down quicker, causing a loss in proper posture while running which makes you more likely to cramp up. Keep in mind the objective when running should be to find a target heart rate and maintain it, not to burn out.

3. Keep your head up, never watch the street when you run. This opens up your airway more to take in greater amounts of oxygen. Also, do not torque your hips while your arms sway. Make special effort to keep yourself standing properly, as torquing on its own could be fatiguing you and aiding in these cramps.

As somebody else stated, potassium. Eat a bananna before you run and that may help.

[That Shy Girl]

Back when I was in high school I ran cross country, and our coach gave our team all the same advice that zaohu just mentioned!

As far as breathing, though, the coach also added to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth (in addition to breathing in a rhythm) to reduce or delay cramps and fatigue. As far as why, she said that breathing in a rhythm + inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth would help reduce/delay oxygen debt, which can cause cramps.

The inhale through your nose + out through the mouth was helpful for me, but some teammates didn't really notice a difference with just that one factor alone. (Then again, most of the ones that didn't really notice a difference were talented distance runners to begin with.)