Gagging

That used to happen to me, at first I thought I was eating too much or eating too close to workout/race time (it only happened in workouts or races). So I started eating 3-3.5 hours before the run. That didn't work. I found that if you eat too far out from workout/race time it can be just as bad as eating too much too close to the workout/race time. I now have something light like a PB&J sandwich (don't put a lot of jelly though) 2 hours before, and then I have a granola bar 30-45 minutes before I start warming up.

One of the top runners on my college squad had the same problem. He could get 3 miles into an 8k and suddenly start seizing up and gagging. Occasionally he would even have to drop out because of it. We eventually found that a lot of it was due to stress. He was also fiercely competitive with another runner with similar performances and if passed would start to freak out and then the gagging would happen. Try to go into every race with the mindset that you are not obligated to perform well. If you have a bad race, oh well, no one cares, you move on. If you have a good race, awesome, congrats, here's a lollipop and a gold star sticker. This hopefully will help.

This is the same setback I had during my senior year of cross. Alot of which was associated with lactate-based foods and acid-reflux (do you have this). What I would general discover is that I would be well into a hard tempo or race and then phlegm would hit my gaga reflex and would cause me to dry heave. Though most of the time I would continue to race/run the workout, dry heaving takes so much energy out of you that you are ultimately forced to a much slower pace.

Here is how I combated this. If acid reflux is a problem, what happens is you will feel a burp coming, followed by an intense burn in your throat, followed by phlegm buildup. Its the phlegm buildup that is the antagonist. Try to avoid lactate-rich foods such as milk, yogurt, cheese etc on days of races and workouts. However, to combat acid reflux, yogurt and milk are great staples to a diet, so implement them into your diet on non hard days. This is only IF you have an acid reflux problem. On race days, eat a tum before racing, they will buffer your stomach and cause it to settle.

More important measures to combat gagging and dry heaving are making sure you stay well-hydrated throughout each and every day. During races and workouts if you feel this coming on just try your best to relax and not panic. Another step, if you have a phlegm problem, is to practice hacking and spitting phlegm out of your throat during normal easy days. This may sound gross but it really helps. If you can get down the art of hacking the phlegm up and immediately spitting it out, you are in good shape because then nothing will get stuck near your gag reflex.

I thought this thread was about Gags.

He's a fat man, but a great coach.

Thank you, i really need a solution and hopefully your advice can help

I take two Zantac (75mg) 40 min before I run and stay WELL hydrated. I also only eat bland foods if I'm doing anything that's a hard effort, and on race day I dont eat three hours before.

Keep a running log and try to figure out what type of workouts or efforts are causing you to vomit. Try training slower until you can go a few days or weeks without having a problem.