Like the title suggest is it good to be really hydrated before running and is there a way to stop stitches,I had one nearly put me on my knees today.

i like to drink 1 cup of water 10 minutes before a run, too much liquid and u get cramps, but i guess everyone is different. if by stitches, u mean shin splints, i'm right there with ya. hate those buggers. get the right shoes, rest ur shins if they REALLY hurt, if needed, i sometimes wrap them real right with gauze and that relieves the pain when i'm runnin.

No I mean in the ribs it's a deep sharp stabbing pain that takes your breath away, yet you don't feel tired, never got shin splints, nor did my Dad who ran for his county, guess it's all genetics.

No I mean in the ribs it's a deep sharp stabbing pain that takes your breath away, yet you don't feel tired, never got shin splints, nor did my Dad who ran for his county, guess it's all genetics.

uh no man that doesnt sound right. i would get that checked out, unless its jus like a regular runnin cramp, but u should only get those if u havent ran for a LONG time...

i know exactly what he means, its nothing abnormal and happens to people all the time, they are buggers and stretching is the only way i get rid of them but then they come back, do you run alot?

if you suck in your stomach and push your fist into your belly, where the pain is and hold it... preferbly making your fist under your ribs. That should ease your stitch.

I think stitches occur when all the blood leaves your stomach in order to go to other areas of your body which drastically need it more at that time (as your under great exertion).

As you get more used to running, they shouldn't occur as often.

Kay thanks mickey will try that today.

Apparently a stich is caused by the internal organs (like the liver and stomach) pulling downwards on the diaphragm. Thats why the onset of a stich is even quicker if you've shortly before you go on a run.

Apparently a stich is caused by the internal organs (like the liver and stomach) pulling downwards on the diaphragm. Thats why the onset of a stich is even quicker if you've shortly before you go on a run.

Yea? I might be wrong, i can't say biology was my strong point! I got my information of my mate Gaz down in the pub, and he's hardly encyclopedia brittanica hahaha.

Why would the internal organs pull downward though?

i drink loads about 30 mins beofre exercise and sip during to stop my mouth getting dry

I just read this today actually about stitch pains.. it says the blood flow thing isnt true. According to this focusing on your breathing can help, which is my experience too.

"Stitch Pain - The biggest pain for athletes
What have 70% of regular runners suffered from within the past year? Blisters... no, shin splints... no. Well I'll put you out of your misery - stitches. Stitches are a pain in the... well you know what I mean, and they are not confined to the running fraternity; in fact, just about anyone taking part in a sporting activity, be it swimming, team sports, aerobics or even just running for an occasional bus will have experienced a stitch at some point. There are many theories and quite a few old wives' tales about stitches, but now a couple of exercise physiologists based in New South Wales, Australia, have put together a list of the top 10 facts and fallacies.

1. Stitch occurs in both fit and unfit people, and research suggests it is are unrelated to training frequency, training volume or performance level.

2. Stitch is most prevalent among younger athletes, but older athletes can still suffer from the problem.

3. Yes you can get a stitch in the shoulder! It appears that when the diaphragm and neighbouring tissues become irritated they can refer pain to the tip of the shoulder.

4. Studies have shown that you are more likely to suffer from stitch if you eat before a run. Drinking before a run can also be a contributing factor, but less so than eating a meal. Obviously you need to eat and drink before exercise to ensure an adequate energy supply, but research and anecdotal evidence suggests you should avoid the following:

- carbonated drinks and those with a high concentration of sugar and salt;
- fatty foods;
- apples, bananas and chocolate.
5. The risk of stitch may be increased by exercising at high intensity, failing to warm up and working out in cold conditions. Best not go for a really hard run on a cold day without warming up then!

Peak Performance magazine is renowned for its efficiency training formula, and athletes the world over have used our 'train smarter, not harder' approach to get them to gold medal placing! If you want to know more about these cutting edge training techniques simply follow this link: http://www.pponline.co.uk/prewp/pp-spspb125.html

6. The theory that stitch is caused by lack of blood flow to the diaphragm doesn't hold up for three main reasons:
it does not account for why pain occurs low in the abdomen;
it does not explain why stitches occur during activities that do not seem to require high levels of respiratory activity (eg horse riding);
it is not consistent with the evidence that neither lung function nor breathing is affected by a stitch.

7. One of the most widely-accepted theories that stitches are caused by stress on the ligaments that attach the abdominal organs to the diaphragm during jolting activities like running may also be false. If it were true, why would swimmers - whose sport is relatively free from jolting movements - experience stitches?

8. The tissue that may be responsible for the pain is the parietal peritoneum, which envelops the abdominal cavity, separating the abdominal organs from the stomach muscles. This piece of tissue is sensitive to movement when irritated, which would explain why rest quickly relieves the pain. Additionally, part of the parietal peritoneum extends up and under the diaphragm, giving rise to the referred shoulder pain when irritated. What could cause this tissue to become irritated? One obvious answer is that if you fill your stomach with food and drink it's going to get bigger, causing it to push against - and so irritate - the parietal peritoneum.

9. Some breathing techniques may help to alleviate the problem. These include:

- taking deeps breaths;
- grunting as you exhale;
- holding your breath;
- breathing by bloating your abdomen in and out (belly breathing).

10. Most sufferers experience stitch in the same place each time, and the pain is commonly described as sharp or stabbing when severe, and cramping, aching or pulling when less severe. "

Thanks DocterKillJoy helps me and probably many others out a lot.

Thanks DocterKillJoy helps me and probably many others out a lot.

No problem. I just remembered something else too. I've also heard that varying your speed can get you through these. It could have just been a coaching trick but I had a friend who was some sort of state champion in cross country and he said that if he gets a stitch or a cramp he runs faster and it goes away because different muscles are being stressed. Maybe theres a difference in how that works for stitches vs cramps, but it seems like a good approach to me... especially since these things usually don't last long anyway, so if you change your movement and concentrate for 10-20 seconds on doing something like increasing your stride/ intensity/etc then it'll just go away on its own.