Stitch

musto_skiff
musto_skiff Posts: 394
edited June 2008 in Training, fitness and health
What causes a stitch and how do I avoid it?

Did the evening 10TT tonight and went 9s slower than last week :-( at 27:18

After about 6 miles the stitchkicked in and I struggled the rest of the way.

Went off quite fast and had an average HR of 168; max 178. I'm a 41 year old newbie.

Comments

  • ellieb
    ellieb Posts: 436
    Nobody really knows what causes stitch as a result the suggested remedies are pretty variable. I find breathing out deeply can work but there are plenty of other options
  • musto_skiff
    musto_skiff Posts: 394
    ellieb wrote:
    Nobody really knows what causes stitch as a result the suggested remedies are pretty variable. I find breathing out deeply can work but there are plenty of other options

    I am pretty sure it would have gone had I eased up but I was racing :evil:

    I was wondering if it was because I started too hard ...? interstingly google brings up a huge range of view. Anerobic breathing seems to be quite a popular theory; I was puffing a bit ...
  • ut_och_cykla
    ut_och_cykla Posts: 1,594
    Stitch is very unusual on a bike I've heard... think about aspects like meals before riding, warming up and more practice/fitness.
  • jonginge
    jonginge Posts: 5,945
    I remember as a junior I used to get stitch during club evening TTs. It was definitely worse (or so it seemed) if I'd eaten a meal too close to the start. It was a bit difficult to control though as I wasn't cooking my own meals at that point ;)
    FCN 2-4 "Shut up legs", Jens Voigt
    Planet-x Scott
    Rides
  • mackdaddy
    mackdaddy Posts: 310
    Rick

    I've had the same problem in TTs in the past and FWIW here are my findings:

    Modifying what I ate before the race/not eating/type of food didn't change stitch kicking in.

    Tried increasing my core strength, didn't change the stitch but I did get stronger!

    I never get stitch at any other time than in a race.

    Warm up didn't have a significant effect on it's own, except it may have helped with what did.

    I think my max HR is similar to yours. If I go out too fast, my HR gets up to about 169 and I will get stitch after about 5 miles. This will slow me significantly in the second half of the race. If I control myself to about 164 for the first half, I will be faster on the second half. For the last mile I can blow out without getting stitch.

    I have since found that because my cadence is relatively high (95rpm in TTs) I can control my heart rate by driving a higher gear for a while, keeping the speed the same, run at about 85rpm. I think the principle is that I am reducing the strain on the heart and increasing the muscle work. Not sure but it seems to work.

    Overall, I've taken a minute (now PB=23'07) off my time in the last 3 races just by not getting stitch. Good luck, hope this helps.
  • musto_skiff
    musto_skiff Posts: 394
    Thanks ... I think I just need to calm down a bit at the start ... :D

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