POTTY BREAKS!!! Had a great question about peeing while running which I think could help a lot of runners!
“WHY do I need to pee during my runs almost right away, even after going before I leave the house?”
Ladies take heart, you are not alone if this issues has cropped up for you! From childbirth to other daily habits, there are things that could be causing it and potential resolutions!
Why do I Pee My Pants When I Run?
Whether you have stress incontinence which is something like you cough and whoops leak a little or urge incontinence which is more like thinking you always need to go, there are things that can help!
- Pelvic Floor Strength
- Hydration Levels
- Caffeine or Pre-Workout Drinks
- Bladder Training
Pelvic Floor Strength
Leaking while running is super common for women after babies. Pelvic floor exercises are a big way to help start retraining that hold it in tool set (along with core and hip and glute, all working together).
- Pelvic floor at home workout
- Pilates for core strength can help
- 30 Day Core Challenge to focus on all the core work
Dehydration
Being dehydrated and overhydrated are both an issue.
- Try creating habits that help you sip water all day long.
- Don’t feel like you must drink a ton while running as long as you start out hydrated.
- Be careful with sports drinks. Too much sugar actually causes bloating, which will create that feeling of needing to pee.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a diuretic. So if you are using a pre-workout or not used to much caffeine this is a possible culprit.
- Understand how caffeine effects you
- Caffeine has a 45 minute peak, so that could be the point it hits you hardest and creates the urge to go
- Stimulants in pre-workout drinks can have that same impact, so start with very small doses
- See if you can slowly lower the amount of caffeine you drink prior to runs if it’s currently a habit
Bladder Irritating Foods
We often talk about foods that upset our stomachs, but there are foods that also irritate the bladder. A few foods to watch out for and see if they might be the cause of your need to pee while running:
- “acidic” foods or beverages
- carbonated water
- Grapefruit, lemon, oranges
- Spicy foods, chili, hot peppers
- Artificial sweeteners
Meanwhile other foods are actually considered soothers!
- bananas – I often recommend these to runners because it also soothes the stomach
- potatoes – another great running fuel option
- oats
- melon, raisins, watermelon
Bladder training
Don’t laugh, this is literally me! I realized working at home I get up and go pee A LOT. Probably just to do something and the result is having trained my bladder to only hold little amounts of liquid.
I have been consciously going less and already working wonders.
According to Janet Yiu DPT here some normal bladder functions:
- Pee every three hours: pee “drips” into the bladder at a constant rate which gets full after ~3 hour.
- Eight seconds long: The bladder approximately contains 8 “Mississippi” seconds of pee.
- Wake up just once at night: Hormones slow the bladder filling so you really only should wake 1x max to pee.
- Don’t push it out: Don’t force it! The bladder lets pee out when the pelvic floor muscles relax.
- Don’t stop early: Let it all out so the bladder can signal to the brain it’s “empty”
- There will always be some residual. : There’s always from pee left sitting in the bladder which is normal.
Another tip from some runners is utilizing a tampon to provide bladder support. Obviously it’s not catching urine, but it puts pressure on the urethra in order to control urinary leakage during physical stress such as walking or running.
Let go of Embarrassment
Of course, no one wants to deal with this, but you truly aren’t alone! I’m not a mom, so it’s an issue that thus far has passed me by. But as a coach, I can say I’ve talked to many runners trying to deal with bathroom issues on the run.
PLUSSSSSS… you know how many tights end up looking like we’ve peed just from sweat?!
Ya, far too many.
So trust me, no one but you knows it’s more than sweat.
Whether it’s runner’s diarrhea or even the chafing in unmentionable places, these runner issues are common.
If you have any tips that have also worked for you or others, feel free to share and help out a fellow runner struggling with peeing while running!
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Trudi Seiwald
Older post menopausal women might look into an e-string (estrogen delivered from a vaginal round ring you insert every 3 months). It also stopped me from getting urinary tract infections. And you can use it with HRT. Helped me A LOT.
Helen Brunner
I’ve never had kids but had some issues with stress incontinence last year especially on some longer runs or when changing pace during intervals. Taking into account other symptoms and a pelvic exam, it was determined that rather than having a weak pelvic floor, my pelvic floor muscles were over active and eventually failing due to fatigue. Physio gave me exercises to help stretch and relax the surrounding muscles and others to work on retraining the pelvic floor muscles to relax as well. Strengthening exercises, at least initially, would have been totally counter productive for me. Have had no issues in the past 6 months, so fingers crossed :)
cammie simmes
I have found wearing a tampon has helped tremendously. My nurse friend running partner suggested may be giving some support.
amanda
Yup, that’s one of the suggestions I’ve heard help a few women!
Jen
Thank You!! This is something I have just started noticing on my runs now that I am going longer distances. I often have the urge during intervals, but I could always “hold it”; last week was the first time I was actively searching for bushes after 10k cause I knew I wasn’t going to make it home. I think I have stress incontinence, but I also need to do some bladder training.
Haley
Ben wa balls. After two vaginal births, I found myself frequently peeing accidentally after sneezing or even laughing. And it was often in the most inconvenient places (the kid’s school, work meeting, grocery store). The ben wa balls really helped correct that. It rarely ever happens now. They are comfortable and really help you to focus on contracting those pelvic floor muscles.