Runner’s Diarrhoea and How To Avoid It... 

This weekend I ran my first EVER road race and half marathon. 

One thing that plagued my mind was the dreaded curse of runner’s diarrhoea, aka code brown pants, aka self defecation nation. I didn not want to be at the receiving end of this sort of fate. 

Why does runner’s diarrhoea happen? 

We have many theories but no one proven cause and indeed it might even be a combination of what I’m about to describe... 

1. The most prevailing theory suggests that reduced blood flow to the gut during periods of intense exervise to supply oxygen to working muscles can lead to a temporarily impaired gut function. This then increases the permeability of the gut lining to allow water and other irritants to enter the intestine, resulting in diarrhoea. 

2. I personally subscribe more to the mechanical jostling theory – whereby the repetitve, high impact movements and oscillations during running can jostle the interanl organs of the GI tract which can stimulate the intestines to contract more rapidly and bring on the urge to defecate / have diarrhoea 

3. Long distance running also triggers hormonal changes where there is an increase in stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol which both influence the gut in different ways; adrenaline speeds up intestinal motility and reduces the time available for water absorption, leading to loose stools and cortisol can influence the gut’s inflammatory response and its permeability. (My gut says it’s more likley a combination of 2 & 3). 

It’s great knowing why it may happen, but what can you do to reduces the chances of this tragedy befelling you? 

Well here’s what I did in the run up to and during the race to mitigate my chances of this cruel fate: 

1. Modify diet before running: in the 24 hours before a run you want to keep an eye on your fat and fibre intake. Limit sugar alcohols (found in many zero calorie chewing gums and fruits with stones) and excessive caffeine, particularly close to race time. Stick to low-residue foods (e.g., white rice, pasta, bananas, plain toast) before a run. 

2. Stay hydrated: Maintain hydration throughout training and race day. Use isotonic sports drinks (balanced sugar and electrolytes) instead of hypertonic drinks, which can worsen diarrhea. 

3. Train your gut: Gradually train your gut to tolerate fluids, energy gels, and food during long runs in the weeks before a marathon. Practice fueling strategies in training to help your GI system adapt. Research suggests the gut can adapt to handle more carbohydrate intake without distress. 

4. Time your pre-run meal: Eat 2–3 hours before running to allow time for digestion. If eating closer to the run, choose small, low-fiber snacks (e.g., a banana or white bread with jam). 

5. Strengthen your pelvic floor: For some runners, pelvic floor weakness can contribute to urgency. Exercises like kegels, squats, deadlifts and even diaphragmatic breathing exercises can strengthen the muscles that control bowel function. 

6. Reduce gut jostling: Tighten your abdominal core during running to stabilize the intestines. Use gear like compression shorts or belts to reduce excessive movement. The phrase “boosting your metabolism” might sound like one of those promises offered by fad diets and supplements and fat loss hacks but you can actually alter your metabolic rate and metabolism might not be what you think it is.. 

P.S if you want to learn more interesting things about human health, grab my book here: 

p.p.s if you’ve already got it, drop a review on Amazon please! 

How I Ran a Half Marathon in 8 weeks!

There are some elements of this training that are NOT ideal but I tried to optimise my workout and routine as much as time allowed. 

Around 9 weeks ago I was approached by Pancreatic Cancer UK to see if i wanted to run the London Marathon in 2025 for them to help raise money for a new diagnostic breath test. 

Even though I HATE running, I said yes through gritted teeth! 

But...I had no idea where to start or how to begin training for a marathon beyond just running. I had no idea of structure, fuelling for long distance runs etc. 

I’ve tried to get into running in the past and used various apps to structure my workout and I even tested a couple of apps on this occassion but the only app I found works for me as a total novice and really solidfied my training was the “Coopah Run Coach” app. 

I set my target as the Malaga Half Marathon I ended up running and it gave me an 8 week plan to get me in the best shape mentally and physically for this target. (N.B 8 weeks is probably a bit roo rushed for me as a novice but I wanted to push myself!) 

I learned things from the app I would not have figured out on my own like realising that my weekly 3 runs needed to consist of: 1) a short run 2) a “tempo” run and 3) a long run. 

I was also helped my in app strength workout to build endurance in my legs during my marathon training. 

Over the next few months I’ll continue to share my workouts, fuelling, supplements, gear and running related things I learn as I embark on this new journey so stay tuned for this! 

P.S if you are a new runner, non-runner interested in getting involved or trying to prepare for a half marathon/full marathon yourself and want some structure I can highly recommend the Coopah Run Coach App:  

As a bonus, if you use the code: DRKARAN you get a 2 week free trial and they donate 10 pounds to pancreatic cancer uk on your behalf! (full disclosure, I do not profit financially or make any money from this..I genuinely benefitted from this app and they’re also helping to raise money for pancreatic cancer uk) 

How To Have The Life You Want (Unpopular answers incoming)…

 It took me a long time to come to a few quite basic realisations about the choices I made in my life and how my decisions affected the way I lived my life. 

It’s very okay to disappoint and upset people because your role in your life is not to be a fixer of other people’s problems. By bending your back and contorting yourself to make all your choices be ones that avoid offending others...means you are potentially hindering your own happiness. Again, your role is not to keep everyone happy. Be comfrotable letting people down and disappointg them; the most harmful myth is that we are somehow responsible for influencing the emotions of everyone around us. 

Tips for Bloating During the Festive Period… 

1. The causes of bloating are enormous and this is by no means an exhaustive list of strategies to combat this but some simple lifestyle change which can help with bloating related to GI issues. 

   1. Eat smaller meals and at a slower rate: Eating too quickly or consuming large meals can cause swallowing of excess air (aerophagia) and places a higher digestive load on the gut. In fact, research has shown that eating smaller, more frequent meals improves symptoms of bloating, particularly in individuals with conditions like IBS according to a study in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology). 

   2. Keep a track of your foods to see which triggers your symptoms: One common bloating culprit is FODMAP foods (Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols) which are short-chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed and fermented in the gut, producing gas and bloating. Identifying your trigger foods and selectively reducing the consumptions of certain FODMAPs has been shown to reduce bloating and other symptoms in people with IBS by up to 76% (Gastroenterology, 2014). Classic high FODMAP foods include: Onions, garlic, legumes, apples, dairy (lactose), and artificial sweeteners like sorbitol. 

   3. Go slow and steady on your fibre intake:  Fiber is key for  gut motility and reduces constipation-related bloating. However, a sudden increase in fiber can exacerbate bloating due to fermentation by gut bacteria. Add high-fiber foods (e.g., oats, sweet potatoes, chia seeds) gradually over 1–2 weeks and aim to increase your daily fibre intake at a rate of around 5g per week (e.g. if your baseline in 15g a day --> week 1 20g, week 2 25g, week 3 30g daily) 

   4. Try peppermint oil: Peppermint oil relaxes intestinal muscles, reducing gas buildup and spasms. A randomized controlled trial published in Digestive Diseases and Sciences (2014) showed peppermint oil capsules significantly reduced bloating and abdominal discomfort in IBS patients mainly due the menthol content. 

   5. Monitor your stress levels:  Stress activates the gut-brain axis and can worsen bloating through increased gut sensitivity and motility disturbances. A study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (2018) showed that stress-reduction techniques like mindfulness, breathing exercises (diaphragamtic or belly breathing) reduced bloating and abdominal discomfort in IBS patients. 

   Caveat to the above: if you experience very painful, persistent or severe bloating then it could indicate an underlying condition that requires medical attention.  

    

Overdue Life Updates.... 

1. My legs feel like jelly after my half marathon so I’m planning to take a week off from all running / stregnth training until they recover 

2. I’m going to document more of the food I eat in relation to gut health and bring back my regular “feed your gut” cooking videos over the next few weeks 

3. I’m planning to launch a gut health account that will focus purely on all aspects of gut health including gut health recipes, review of supplements (scam or science) and evdience based strategies to level up your microbiome 

4. I’m planning on tracking my health metrics a lot more over the next few months – sort of as a fun science exepriemtn on the road to marathon training to reall get into the nitty gritt of this “tracking” craze and sussing out the evidnece behind it and also to see if it makes any imrpovement in my own health (sleep tracking, dietary tracking, maybe even a DEXA scan and trakcing my VO2 max etc) 

Walking And Depression....  

 An interesting new study published in the JAMA Network Open suggsted that people who walk a higher number of steps each day are less likely to have depressive symptoms. According to international researchers who combined the results of 33 previous studies looking at the link between step count and depression and using data from nearly 100,000 adults, the higher a person's step count, the less likely they were to have depression, with reaching 5000 and 7500 steps a day both associated with lower risks.

We have to bear in mind that this study can't prove the higher step count causes the lower depression risk, but the researchers say more work should be done to see if increasing your step count could help protect against depression.

As small fixes and low hanging fruits go – this one is ripe for the picking. Walking is so underrated and overlooked as a health modulation tool so if you don’t fancy going to the gym or lifting weights – try going for a stroll in your local area or park..you might get more returns than you imagined!

P.S If you want deeper dives in health topics like the aboe, check out the Dr Karan Explores podcast!P.s check out the Dr Karan Explores podcast to learn more about gut health and listen to insights from world leading experts about different subjects!