Run Well by Juliet McGrattan (reading books for 5 year olds .TXT) 📕

can be used to stabilise mood, relieve stress and therefore manage IBS. There seems to be a close relationship between the brain and the gut. Certain antidepressant medications improve IBS symptoms even in people who aren’t depressed. This may be because they reduce pain or have a direct effect on the nerve endings in the gut. When you run, your body releases natural versions of some of the chemicals that are in antidepressants, such as serotonin, a well-known feel-good chemical. So although we don’t fully understand the mechanism, running can ease IBS through controlling stress, but it also seems to have a more direct action on the gut. However, it would be wrong not to mention that for some people with IBS running can trigger symptoms, especially if they suffer from excessive pre-race nerves or diarrhoea.

Real-life runners

I have IBS. I get a griping pain, a gurgling in my stomach and I have to go. It becomes all I can think about. For some reason it started affecting me 4km into runs. Thankfully a recent 10km race was a country route and I climbed over a gate and hid behind a hedge. Luckily I had tissues, but I pity the poor sheep! I was fine afterwards and could run again. I worked out the trigger was my breakfast and since swapping from Greek yoghurt and oats to a plain bagel it hasn’t happened since. It certainly wasn’t my finest hour and I was just glad it wasn’t a city centre race!

Louise, parkrun director and cockerpoo owner (find me on the last page of the race results)

Q I’ve got food poisoning and can’t get off the toilet today. I have a race at the weekend. Will I be OK to run?

A Bouts of food poisoning or other types of gastroenteritis can be as brief as 24 hours, but can last up to a week. Your digestive system is vigorously and efficiently ridding itself of its entire contents with vomiting or diarrhoea or, if you’re unlucky, both at once. The biggest risk is dehydration. You can lose large amounts of fluid in vomit and loose stools. It can be hard to get sufficient intake when you’re vomiting recurrently or liquids seem to be going straight through you. There’s no doubt you will feel weak and drained after this illness and without sufficient recovery time you aren’t going to be in good racing condition. Before you return to exercise you should have at least two full days of recovery when you can eat and drink normally without having diarrhoea or being sick. If you’ve had a short 24-hour bug and bounced back quickly then it may be reasonable to race following that recovery time, but don’t expect a PB. Longer illnesses are going to need more time and recuperation, particularly if you’re taking part in an endurance race. For now, concentrate on resting, sipping frequent, small amounts of fluid and make the call nearer the event.

Did you know?

The liver is the biggest solid organ in the body. It weighs approximately 1.5kg and it’s the only organ that can regenerate itself.

Q Will drinking alcohol affect my running?

A The liver is part of the gastrointestinal system and has a huge number of roles in the body, including the breaking down and removal of alcohol from the bloodstream. As a rough guide, the body breaks down alcohol at a rate of one unit per hour. This means that it takes about two hours to break down a pint of beer and three hours for a large (250ml) glass of wine. How much alcohol affects you depends on a number of variables, including your gender (women break down alcohol more slowly than men), weight, metabolism and race (some Asians have an inherited deficiency in one of the enzymes which breaks down alcohol). A moderate alcohol intake is unlikely to have a significant negative influence on your general running, but you’d be hard pushed to claim it could have a positive one, apart from perhaps a glass of something to help you relax the night before a race. If you’re looking for optimal performance, then these negative effects of alcohol might be enough to convince you to abstain:

• Alcohol affects sleep Even small amounts of alcohol can affect sleep quality. You may fall asleep more quickly, but you’ll experience less restorative (REM) sleep and that will have a knock-on effect to your performance.

• Alcohol can impair recovery A few pints after a race is a nice way to celebrate, but a single, large amount of alcohol can affect skeletal muscle repair, impede hydration and affect glycogen synthesis as the body attempts to replenish its stores. How much is too much post-race has many variables, but 0.5g/kg of bodyweight is unlikely to have a significant effect on recovery. One unit contains 8g of alcohol so this works out at around two pints of beer (four units of alcohol) for a man weighing 70kg.

• Alcohol contains empty calories Alcohol is highly calorific (a 175ml glass of wine contains around 160 calories – equivalent to three ginger nut biscuits) but of no nutritional value. High-performance running requires nutrient-dense, high-quality food. Alcohol doesn’t offer this and an excess can lead to weight gain.

• Alcohol reduces immune function Excessive long-term use and binge drinking can affect the body’s ability to fight infection and heal injuries.

• Alcohol causes dehydration Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it increases the amount of urine produced and water is therefore lost from the body. Hydration is also important in temperature regulation so this may be disrupted too, further affecting performance.

• Alcohol lowers blood sugar Although blood sugar may rise initially, soon after a drink, once the liver gets busy removing the alcohol from the body, it neglects its role of regulating glucose. Insulin secretion is increased causing low glucose levels, which are not compatible with good sports performance.

Q Is it safe to run with a hangover?

A Obviously, the more alcohol you