Is bloody difficult.
I’m not going to beat around the bush, it’s hard and sometimes really bloody painful. Especially during a flare up.
I’m a lot better with my diet than I used to be, mainly because it feels a lot nicer to be pain free but there are still times where I struggle.
A prime example is last weekend when I thought it would be a good idea to eat 5 brownies. In my defence, they were really scrummy. Come Monday my Stomach was not a happy bunny but I thought I would chance it and go for a little run. 1 mile into my run, I knew it was a big mistake. My stomach was in knots, I really needed the toilet and every step was agony, regardless of whether I ran or walked it.
The frustrating thing about IBS is it can change a killer run into one of the worst runs you’ve ever done. On Monday, my form was the best it had been in a long time and each stride felt effortless. Well, for the first mile. It went downhill from there and the majority of the run was walked / jogged through gritted teeth.
Yesterday’s run was better – it wasn’t the speed I wanted but I knew my stomach was still sensitive and therefore I wanted to go careful. I managed to run 5 miles (whey) without any real issues and thankfully my stomach seems to be back to normal today.
While I was running, I realised that I need to take my diet more seriously. I have 5 and a half months to train for a marathon and I can’t miss runs because I’ve eaten Food I shouldn’t or because my IBS has flared up. Although you cannot control IBS and there will be times where I’ve been super strict with my food and yet it still hurts, there are things I can do to help myself and minimise these days.
I need to cut out dairy. I can’t keep having the odd brownie or cake, I have to be more disciplined and dedicated. I need to start eating the right foods, foods that are going to nourish my body and help it heal rather than hinder it. I need to take 10 minutes out every day for me time; stress is a huge contributor to IBS. I need to make sure I drink 3 waters a day, more on training days to help support my body.
I just need to be more aware of how my body is feeling, how it reacts to certain foods and which foods are ‘safe’.
Does anyone else suffer from IBS or similar issues?
L x
