Pre race poop

It adds all that extra weight. It's like running dragging a ball and chain through quicksand. I recommend chugging an entire bottle of magnesium citrate from your local pharmacy an hour before the race. It can be name brand or generic.

🤣👌

Thanks. I normally chug loads of coffee which does the job but then it's all sloshing around in my stomach!

If not regular or the race starts very early, hold off on pooping the night before so come race morning you can really pinch a good loaf.

If you can't, it probably means you didn't need to go and it shouldn't have a negative effect.

1 spoonful of xylitol

leads to waterfall

My dude, I'd be concerned if I can only squeeze out 1 poop! I expect at least 3 on race day. Anything less would freak me out.

Colonoscopy prep 2 days before the race.

But be careful - mistime it and you could end up doing a Paula mid-race.

The last race I did had one of those half marathon things for the hobby joggers .Those fattys were holding up the Porta pottys so bad the race organizers were making announcements to give priority to the marathon runners. In the end I had to do a Paula at the first water station so I ended up missing my PB by a few seconds.

Definitely makes a big difference

But then if it doesn’t come out in the morning as expected, you are doubly damned.

Yeah. I don't think holding a poo in is a good idea. You're more likely to end up constipated. If you need to poo, poo. As to the original question... I think nerves would take care of it for most people. If not, maybe a caffeinated drink. I don't think the average poo for a runner is weighty enough to make much of a difference to times, but it's more about the discomfort. It's horrible trying to run or walk when you need a poo and you're worried it might come out.

Would anyone else like me be terrified of entering a race and not taking a sh*t beforehand? I'd have serious reservations about running if I hadn't gone for one beforehand.

If I can't go within 30 minutes of waking up I know it's going to be a weird day. However, I usually have to go at least twice on race day mornings before I leave the house.

It's usually just nerves.

I will regularly visit the toilet 4 or 5 times on race morning, and 5 minutes before the race I'll feel like I need to go again.

Once the gun goes however, I don't even think about it.

In Deena Kastor's memoir she talks about a marathon in which she wondered about, and presumably found, the answer to this question. If I was home I'd give you the pages numbers on which the relevant passage is located. Interesting story, I thought.

I pay someone to fist me and pull it out.

Yes, regular posters aren't quite as full of #### as they normally are.

This is why I hate early morning races. My bowels are pretty regular and I typically go between 8 and 10 am. So those 6 and 7am start times don’t agree with me. One year I ran an ultra and ended up with the shidds. Ran 4 miles squeezing my cheese before saying uff it and dodging off into the woods. Shidd 8 more times after that, closest I ever came to DNF’ing. The next year I ran a 25k in the UP of Michigan, was pacing with three others when it hit me, started to get the poop sweats so I ducked out to shidd, after I dropped my load though, I felt like a god. Ended up passing those three people about an hour later, and snagged 1st in my AG, 7th overall.

Part of your training should be to training your body to poop when you want it to poop. It can be done with relatively good success. I'm currently batting .800. Won't bore you with how to get there - just know it IS important and you can do it.

This is a really important aspect of running (particular marathon or other distance running). When qualifying for the Boston Marathon seconds are often a deal breaker. Additionally the older your get the weaker your anal sphincter muscles become more laxed and uncontrollable. I haven't (yet) crapped in my shorts during a marathon but I have seen plenty who have. Port-a-cans are strategically NOT placed where you need them the most.