Aspire guide
Specific Populations
Specific Populations manual
Gut Training for the 1500m: Racing at the End of a Decathlon
How to prepare the gastrointestinal tract to handle the physiological stress of a 1500m race after two full days of eating and competing.
Why this matters
The decathlon concludes with the cruelest event in sports: the 1500m run, performed by a heavy, muscular athlete whose body has already endured 9 grueling events over two days.
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Gut Training for the 1500m: Racing at the End of a Decathlon
Read time
3 min
Audience
Coach + Athlete
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Talk to your coach about adding gut training to your practice schedule.
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Talk to your coach about adding gut training to your practice schedule.
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How to prepare the gastrointestinal tract to handle the physiological stress of a 1500m race after two full days of eating and competing.
SOLID FOOD CUTOFF
3 Hours
- Stop eating solid food this long before your 1500m race.
AVOID RACE DAY DISASTER
Eating solid food too close to the 1500m guarantees cramps, nausea, or vomiting.
- Your body sends blood to your legs and lungs, not your stomach, during intense running.
- Food left in your stomach will cause pain and distress.
WHY YOUR GUT GETS UPSET
During a hard 1500m, blood rushes to your working muscles (legs, lungs).
- Less blood goes to your stomach, making it hard to digest food.
- Undigested food can cause stomach pain, cramps, and nausea.
The Phenomenon of GI Distress
During the 1500m, blood flow is aggressively shunted away from the stomach and directed entirely into the working legs and lungs.
During the 1500m, blood flow is aggressively shunted away from the stomach and directed entirely into the working legs and lungs. Any food remaining in the stomach essentially ferments, causing acute distention and pain.
Pre-Conditioning the Gut
You cannot implement a brand-new fueling strategy on Day 2 of a National Championship decathlon.
[!WARNING]
### The 3-Hour Solid Food Cutoff
The athlete must mathematically cease all consumption of solid food at least 3 hours before the gun fires for the 1500m.
- Practice How You Compete: The athlete must actively practice running fast 600m or 800m aerobic repetitions…
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[!WARNING]
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Use it this week
Talk to your coach about adding gut training to your practice schedule.
Source topics
decathlon 1500m • gut training track • track gi distress • heptathlon 800m • running on a full stomach