Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Marathon Training Help

giricoccola

By giricoccola
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

giricoccola Newbie
giricoccola
Posted

I'm training for a marathon and I'm having a terrible time with fatique. Low blood pressure and potassium levels are killing me. Is anyone out there a runner with any help....I was diagnosed 5 months ago and I'm having a really tough time adjusting!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


wschmucks Contributor
wschmucks
Posted
I'm training for a marathon and I'm having a terrible time with fatique. Low blood pressure and potassium levels are killing me. Is anyone out there a runner with any help....I was diagnosed 5 months ago and I'm having a really tough time adjusting!

I'm a runner! The biggest thing is going to be your Iron. Female runners have a huge problem with iron because the pounding actullay breaks apart your red blood cells, and having Celiac makes it ever worse. So make sure you eat alot of spinich and I'd try to get as much fresh carrot juice as possibe (you want to have vitamin C with your iron to help with absorbtion). This could be causing the fatigue-- BIG TIME. You could take a supplement if you wanted. SlowFE is gluten free and is a timed release supplement, I wouldnt recommend taking a regular supplement, it should be time released. Other than that, make sure you're eating well/ enough and resting! Happy Marathon!

LuvMoosic4life Collaborator
LuvMoosic4life
Posted

I am a runner also. I find that having variety in my diet greatly takes away fatigue. If I eat nothing but veggies rice, fruit and chicken I start feeling drained...I found adding stuff like peanut butter and sweet potatoes (2-3 times a week) helps.....they are satifying and leave you fuller longer. I also have low potassium and can feel it when I'm am not eating variety- no fun!

I used to be anemic before knowing I was gluten intolerant...after 5 months gluten free my hemooglobin went up to 13.8....it never got above 11 before....but now I'm just dealing with potassium....dont understand it too much myself...

IMWalt Contributor
IMWalt
Posted

This topic is right up my alley. I am a serious marathoner. I am on a sponsored team and last time I checked I was ranked 17th in the country in my AG.

Right after I first started having GI troubles I had my yearly chekup and my iron-related levels were all much lower than in previous years. I suppose that explained why I was struggling with my training at the time. I had just came back from Iraq, which is were I started having the more severe GI troubles. I decided to start taking a time-release iron supp, and I quickly noticed a big improvement.

I have run 3 marathons under 3 hours since I started eating gluten-free. One thing I think is very important for marathoners to remember, is that you really need the calories. They are your friend if you are putting in 40+ miles a week. So my big advice is to not be afraid of sweets, as long as you know when to eat them. I highly recommend (and most of my friends have started this) having a quart of low-fat chocolate milk after every run of more than 1 hour. After long runs have the chocolate milk (if you can toloerate milk, that is) and then make a nice big breakfast with lots of carbs. gluten-free pancakes or waffles with home-made buttermilk syrup, You want to quickly replenish the glycogen you just depleted. A couple hours later have some protein. If you are a meat eater, have some chicken or beef. I make my own beef sausage and have a couple patties afer a few hours.

As MSAU22 suggests, peanut butter and sweet potatoes are excellent choices. I have sweet-p's a couple times a week and top them with cottage cheese, salsa and shredded cheese of some type. Peanut butter by the spoonful. I also eat lots of nuts of all kinds. When you are training for a marathon you need lots of calories. Don't worry if all of them are not "good for you". Just worry about them being gluten-free.

I travel to a lot of my races, so I have to eat out a lot. The last thing I need before a race is a case of D, but you are usually safe ordering a baked potato or two. I have ordered extras to take to my hotel to eat race morning.

Good luck. Feel free to PM me if you want more training or eating info.

Walt

giricoccola Newbie
giricoccola
Posted
  • Author

I haven't been taking an iron supplement...mostly potassium, b's, multi, magnesium. Guess I better get on the ball. I've been taking a short break for a few days and I'm going to start back up after the Thanksgiving break so hopefully the iron and food will have a chance to settle in:). Thanks for the suggestions. I'll let you all know how the first run is!! Maybe I'll start with a 6-er.

cheers, guys!

Rya Newbie
Rya
Posted

Just a note - Ferrous Sulfate is the most easily absorbed form of iron.

Best of luck!!!

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. Kimmy88
      - Kimmy88 commented on Scott Adams's article in Winter 2026 Issue
      8

      Can You Really Trust Gluten-Free Menus? What Every Celiac Needs to Know Before Eating Out

      Thanks this is helpful!
    2. xxnonamexx
      - xxnonamexx replied to xxnonamexx's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      2

      Fermented foods, Kefir, Kombucha?

      very interesting thanks for the info
    3. Florence Lillian
      - Florence Lillian replied to lmemsm's topic in Gluten-Free Recipes & Cooking Tips
      13

      gluten free cookie recipes

      More cookie recipes ...thanks so much for the heads-up Scott. One can never have too many. Cheers, Florence.
    4. Russ H
      - Russ H replied to Charlie1946's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      15

      Severe severe mouth pain

      Hi Charlie, You sound like you have been having a rough time of it. Coeliac disease can cause a multitude of skin, mouth and throat problems. Mouth ulcers and enamel defects are well known but other oral conditions are also more common in people with coeliac disease: burning tongue, inflamed and swollen tongue, difficulty swallowing, redness and crusting...
    5. cristiana
      - cristiana replied to Charlie1946's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      15

      Severe severe mouth pain

      Hi @Charlie1946 You are very welcome. I agree wholeheartedly with @knitty kitty: "I wish doctors would check for nutritional deficiencies and gastrointestinal issues before prescribing antidepressants." I had a type of tingling/sometimes pain in my cheek about 2 years after my diagnosis. I noticed it after standing in cold wind, affecting...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,914
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Momxiety
    Newest Member
    Momxiety
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • xxnonamexx
      Fermented foods, Kefir, Kombucha?

      By xxnonamexx · Posted

      very interesting thanks for the info  
    • Florence Lillian
      gluten free cookie recipes

      By Florence Lillian · Posted

      More cookie recipes ...thanks so much for the heads-up Scott.  One can never have too many.  Cheers, Florence.
    • Russ H
      Severe severe mouth pain

      By Russ H · Posted

      Hi Charlie, You sound like you have been having a rough time of it. Coeliac disease can cause a multitude of skin, mouth and throat problems. Mouth ulcers and enamel defects are well known but other oral conditions are also more common in people with coeliac disease: burning tongue, inflamed and swollen tongue, difficulty swallowing, redness and crusting in the mouth corners, and dry mouth to name but some. The link below is for paediatric dentistry but it applies to adults too.  Have you had follow up for you coeliac disease to check that your anti-tTG2 antibodies levels have come down? Are you certain that you not being exposed to significant amounts of gluten? Are you taking a PPI for your Barrett's oesophagus? Signs of changes to the tongue can be caused by nutritional deficiencies, particularly iron, B12 and B9 (folate) deficiency. I would make sure to take a good quality multivitamin every day and make sure to take it with vitamin C containing food - orange juice, broccoli, cabbage etc.  Sebaceous hyperplasia is common in older men and I can't find a link to coeliac disease.   Russ.   Oral Manifestations in Pediatric Patients with Coeliac Disease – A Review Article
    • cristiana
      Severe severe mouth pain

      By cristiana · Posted

      Hi @Charlie1946 You are very welcome.   I agree wholeheartedly with @knitty kitty:  "I wish doctors would check for nutritional deficiencies and gastrointestinal issues before prescribing antidepressants." I had a type of tingling/sometimes pain in my cheek about 2 years after my diagnosis.  I noticed it after standing in cold wind, affecting  me after the event - for example, the evening after standing outside, I would feel either tingling or stabbing pain in my cheek.   I found using a neck roll seemed to help, reducing caffeine, making sure I was well-hydrated, taking B12 and C vitamins and magnesium.  Then when the lockdowns came and I was using a facemask I realised that this pain was almost entirely eliminated by keeping the wind off my face.  I think looking back I was suffering from a type of nerve pain/damage.  At the time read that coeliacs can suffer from nerve damage caused by nutritional deficiencies and inflammation, and there was hope that as bodywide healing took place, following the adoption of a strict gluten free diet and addressing nutritional deficiencies, recovery was possible.   During this time, I used to spend a lot of time outdoors with my then young children, who would be playing in the park, and I'd be sheltering my face with an upturned coat collar, trying to stay our of the cold wind!  It was during this time a number of people with a condition called Trigeminal Neuralgia came up to me and introduced themselves, which looking back was nothing short of miraculous as I live in a pretty sparsely populated rural community and it is quite a rare condition.   I met a number of non-coeliacs who had suffered with this issue  and all bar one found relief in taking medication like amitriptyline which are type of tricyclic anti-depressant.   They were not depressed, here their doctors had prescribed the drugs as pain killers to address nerve pain, hence I mention here.  Nerve pain caused by shingles is often treated with this type of medication in the UK too, so it is definitely worth bearing in mind if standard pain killers like aspirin aren't working. PS  How to make a neck roll with a towel: https://www.painreliefwellness.com.au/2017/10/18/cervical-neck-roll/#:~:text=1.,Very simple. 
    • Scott Adams
      gluten free cookie recipes

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      We just added a ton of new recipes here: https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/gluten-free-recipes/gluten-free-dessert-recipes-pastries-cakes-cookies-etc/gluten-free-cookie-recipes/
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.