AORTA News: January 30th, 2023

Race Volunteers Needed!
As a runner, we know your time is valuable. But if you have a couple hours to spare, we could use your help for one of the upcoming AORTA supported or directed races! Assisting at a local race is a fun and rewarding experience. You are surrounded by health conscious individuals that, like you, are motivated fitness enthusiasts and appreciate the effort of volunteers.

Upcoming Local Races

Feb 11th: Book It For Drake 1M/5K
When: Saturday, February 11, 2023
Time: 8:00 AM (1-Mile) / 8:30 AM (5K)
Where: Town Creek Park
Distances: 1-Mle, 5K
Fee: $30 for either 1-Mile or 5K
Description  Registration is open for the Fourth Annual Book It for Drake 5K and Fun Run, taking place February 11, 2023 at Town Creek Park. In an effort to cultivate students' love of reading, Drake Middle School will enhance its book club program. Book clubs provide students the opportunity to explore captivating stories written by critically acclaimed authors. All proceeds will support a range of cross curricular learning materials.

Feb 18th: Colors for Children's
When: Saturday, February 18, 2023
Time: 8:00 AM (1-Mile) / 8:30 AM (5K)
Where: Auburn High School Track
Distances: 1-Mle, 5K
Fee: $25 5K / $15 1-Mile
Description Colors for Children’s is a 5K hosted by the Auburn High School Key Club. The race is at Auburn High School, beginning on the track, and expands to the areas surrounding the school. All members of the Auburn-Opelika community are welcome to attend. The race benefits both Children’s Hospital. Please sign up by February 5 for a race shirt.

Weekly Whimsy

Nausea After Running: The Reasons Running Can Make You Feel Sick
Megan Hetzel, Runner's World

Unless you have ironclad guts, there’s a good chance you’ve thrown up or become nauseous after running. Upchucking is an unpleasant occurrence that doesn’t discriminate between weekend warrior or seasoned pro—just take the end of the 2020 Marathon Project race in Arizona.

Finishing second overall, Noah Droddy ran a huge personal best of 2:09:09, putting him at the time as the ninth all-time fastest among American runners. But as he told the Citius Mag podcast following his huge race, he was battling nausea the final few miles, and it’s a common occurrence when he races. “To be honest, I’ve thrown up after every marathon I’ve done. Stop. Throw up. No pause,” he said on the podcast.

So no, feeling some nauseous after running won’t necessarily sidetrack your entire effort, but knowing its possible causes is essential if you want to avoid regurgitating after (or during) a tough run. If you’ve ever found yourself draped over a trashcan after picking up your race medal, here are some possible reasons for your gut’s dissatisfaction—and the ways you can try combating it.

When you’re running, oxygen-rich blood is directed away from the stomach and other nonessential organs and sent to your lungs, heart, and other working muscles that need it more during high-intensity efforts. Because your stomach doesn’t have the normal resources to digest nutrients as efficiently as usual, this might be why you end up tossing your cookies, especially if you consume too much fuel while running or too soon after you finish.

Running while it’s hot and humid outside also produces the same result because blood flow is redirected to the skin as a means to cool down the body. To avoid it, practice fueling during training runs to dial in on how much fuel your stomach can handle on race day, says Carwyn Sharp, Ph.D., a Colorado Springs-based exercise physiologist and sports nutritionist. And if you’re consuming energy gels or other sugary foods, try to ingest them with water to aid in digestion. Even when you’re not working out, simple sugar is hard to break down, so downing too much sports drink or gels all at once could spell trouble.

Dehydration also slows the digestion process even more, so sipping water early and often is important to help you digest food better and help you avoid nausea after running. “Hydration is key to maintaining a healthy GI and avoiding nausea after workouts, but it’s a balancing act to hydrate enough to avoid nausea but not too much so as to cause it,” says Sharp.

Increased pressure on the stomach
“When you run at a high intensity, you increase the pressure in the intra-abdominal space, which puts pressure on your stomach,” Sharp says. This occurs because you use your core more and take heavier breaths while you’re running. When this happens, it can force contents in your stomach back up into your esophagus—possibly all the way back up to where it started.

This scenario is more likely if you had a large quantity of food or liquid in your stomach before a run. This amount is highly individualized, however, so determining what your body can tolerate is essential, especially going into a race.

“The more food you have in your stomach during an intense race or workout, the higher your risk of vomiting,” Sharp says.

Some runners might face a disorder like acid reflux called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and are at an increased risk of experiencing this scenario. That’s because their lower esophageal sphincter—the muscles between the esophagus and the stomach—are weakened and may relax when they are not supposed to.

GERD can be treated with medications or an adjustment in diet away from foods that can irritate the esophageal lining, such as acidic foods, tomato products, fatty foods, alcohol, and coffee, Sharp says.

Consuming the wrong foods and beverages beforehand
Steer clear of highly acidic foods like citrus fruits (oranges, berries, grapefruits), processed cheeses, as well as liquids like soda or orange juice before your run.

“Acidic foods and beverages cause the stomach environment to be more acidic,” Sharp says, “which slows emptying of the stomach contents into the small intestine, but also increases risk of vomiting.”

High-fat, high-protein, or high-fiber meals and snacks are a no-no before a workout as well because they slow down the gastric emptying process. In other words, the food stays in your stomach longer, and it might still be present during your run and give you that “brick in the belly feeling” that’s hard to keep down, making you nauseous.

To keep food-induced vomiting at bay, try not to eat during the two-hour window before a hard workout or race. “If you do need to eat something, make it bland and small in volume,” Sharp says.

If diet adjustments don’t work, take antacids or Pepto-Bismol about an hour before running to reduce nausea and vomiting.

Stopping too quickly
Hitting the brakes hard after your last interval or once you’ve crossed the finish line can wreak havoc on your stomach because it’s not prepared for the rapid change in exertion, causing you to feel ill as you return to normal. (It’s similar to how you might feel after riding a wild roller coaster.) This can be exacerbated if you really push hard during the final stretch, Sharp says.

Rather than dropping to the curb, try to keep walking or jogging to give your body time to readjust and ward off stomach cramping. Also, resist chugging a sports drink or downing food too quickly. Sip on water, keep walking, and allow your body to return to stasis level.

Excessive dehydration
According to William Roberts, M.D., you might be getting nauseated if you’re an especially heavy sweater. If you lose more than 4 percent of your body weight while running, some studies say your gut quits absorbing liquids correctly, which causes queasiness.

“This is especially true for those who are dehydrated before they start to replace fluids during exercise,” he says.

For those who believe spilling your guts is a sign of a race well run, it’s not. Vomiting can cause damage to the lining of your esophagus, which can affect digestion.

Link to Runner's World article

Quote of the Week

      “Sore today,

            Strong tomorrow."

                                 - Anonymous

Video of the Week

I Never Thought This Record Fall (8:49)

** AORTA provides this informational video to its members as a courtesy and does not endorse any particular product, process or service. 

Ongoing Events

RunGo For Turn-By-Turn Directions!
RunGo provides turn-by-turn navigation allowing you to just enjoy your runs without having to think about looking for street names and when you may have to turn next. Other great features include, audio cues with your running stats, split updates, the ability to share your runs via social media, and create new routes. Another great feature of the app is the ability to work offline. You can create and download your routes ahead of time, before your run so you don’t have to use data during your run.

Race Volunteers Needed!
As a runner, we know your time is valuable. But if you have a couple hours to spare, we could use your help for one of the upcoming AORTA supported or directed races! Assisting at a local race is a fun and rewarding experience. You are surrounded by health conscious individuals that, like you, are motivated fitness enthusiasts and appreciate the effort of volunteers.

Water Stop Volunteers Needed
Water stop signs and coolers are available at the following location: 1536 Professional Parkway, Auburn, AL. (Thank you Adahli Massey!). Coolers and signs can be picked up Monday-Thursday from 8AM-4PM and on Fridays from 8AM-12 noon. Items are in the room next to the back door. If you are unable to pick up supplies on these dates/times, e-mail clemster@aol.com to make alternative arrangements (we deliver!).

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