Stitch

I was asked last week about stitch - how to avoid it. The bad news is that there isn't any consensus about what it is, what causes it & how to prevent it from occurring - sorry!
So the following is a list of ideas that have worked (apparently) for some people - hope it helps:

• Might be caused by your abdomen adjusting to the internal jostling that running creates. Strenghtening your core muscles may help - as may increasing fitness generally.
• A good warm up may help.
• Breathe out hard.
• Don't drink big volumes at once whilst running - opt for little & often. And apparently, avoiding fruit juice & soft drinks could help.
• Check that your sports bra fits & is suitably supportive!
• Could try avoiding solid food in the hour before your run.
• If you get stitch on the right side of your body, try to breathing out as your left foot hits the ground. Vice versa if the stitch is on the right side.

Gin