So I can’t believe I have already run two of my 20 mile or over long runs! This one was SO MUCH BETTER than my last one.

Everything was smarter…pacing, fueling, attitude. I went out with a smile on my face and podcasts in my ear (still haven’t downloaded that new music).

Shoreline Trail: Buffalo, NY

The Shoreline Trail connects the Outer Harbor in Buffalo with Canalside, areas of the waterfront including parks and islands and going up to Niagara Falls.

There are off-shoots to this, and parts are still under construction. It is great for biking and for long runs.

You can find a very detailed article about it, and how to get to the different starting points on it here.

The best part is I can get to it from my front door. UPDATE: I can still get to it, but we have moved from our condo on the waterfront to a house in the Elmwood Village area of Buffalo.

So I decided for the first time this season (supposedly Spring…but still Winter here in Buffalo) to run it.

Fueling with Rice Pudding and Noka Smoothies

Fueling has been an issue for me, but my Runners Rice Pudding has been working well. I also took these Noka Organic Smoothies to see how I tolerated those…and I love them! I review them on my YouTube channel here.

Where is a Restroom when you Need One!

The only issue… I had to go to the restroom.

I love running in the mornings but one of the downsides is my coffee addiction.

It started around mile 2…that “I don’t REALLY have to go…but I’m anticipating I will have to soon” feeling.

Unfortunately the several restrooms available along the run were still closed for the season. It didn’t help I was running along the Buffalo River either, lol.

In the summer any inkling I have that I may need a restroom is gone after sweating for a few minutes.

In the winter that feeling gets worse because I am not dehydrating as much.

As an older runner my bladder is in hyper-drive anyway…even sitting at home.

Away from home the feeling of having to go is exacerbated by not being able to.

On a run, it can seem like an injury…it’s all you can think about. It was especially annoying when I saw restrooms along the way, but couldn’t use them.

Athletic Incontinence

While I was able to “hold it” for the duration of the run, I was interested in exploring whether my younger running counterparts have it easier in that department.

Athletic (or exercise-induced) incontinence is when someone is exercising and leaks urine during that activity.

Usually it is identified as exercise-induced when you do not leak at other times such as sneezing, coughing, laughing.

Athletes young or old can experience leakage during exercise and over 90% are women.

There are several factors that can contribute to this, but a weak pelvic floor seems to be the main cause.

Because age and childbirth is a major factor in incontinence in general, an older woman who is just starting out as a runner may have leakage that ultimately prevents them from continuing with the sport. Which is such a shame.

It is not something that most people are going to want to talk about, although if people did perhaps there would be more solutions being studied.

Exercises for Incontinence

As with any kind of incontinence, Kegels are the number one exercises to come up for women to utilize in strengthening the pelvic floor.

This helps to stabilize the area, which when weakened by age or childbirth causes the urine to leak out.

If you have never done a Kegel the best way to find the pelvic floor muscles you are aiming for is to stop urination mid-stream while going to the bathroom.

Bingo…Kegel One is done!

You can basically do Kegels anywhere. Start by tightening those muscles a few times a day for 5 seconds, and work your way up to longer periods of time and more repetitions.

One caveat from the Mayo clinic… do these separately from going to the bathroom as stopping urine flow can cause the bladder not to empty completely.

Urine left behind can cause UTI’s, which is a whole ’nother issue you do NOT want to be dealing with!

I ended up with a UTI a few months ago and every step of a run was torture. It was so bad on Day One that I stopped at a Tim Hortons a mile down the road and had my husband buy some water so I could go to the restroom. 

I always feel like I need to buy something if I stop somewhere, lol.

There was blood in my urine and we ended up walking home and going to an urgent care center.

We’ve talked about strength training from a running perspective (here) and I’ve demonstrated some of the exercises I use for that (see my exercise page here), but another benefit linked to greater muscle mass in older women is it can lessen the chance for stress incontinence.

If you are a woman with a weak pelvic floor, this website has 5 exercises you can do to strengthen that area.

Older Women Need to Keep up their Strength

A study was done on elderly women (elderly being defined as 70 or over) and those who maintained or even grew their muscle strength had far fewer instances of stress incontinence.

The study is no longer available online.

This shows why strength training while being a runner can be an advantage, even beyond the sport of running.

So keep doing those bridges, squats and bicep curls.

Strength training will not only keep you running into your 70’s, but could also help you with any athletic incontinence as well.

Online Resources for Incontinence

Here are some products I found online that can help you if you already find yourself with urine leakage while running.

Please be aware, some of the links go to my Amazon store so I do receive a small commission on those (they do not charge you more, however).

Icon Undies (no pad required) – this site has a good explanation for what they sell and what they do. I have not used these, but the reviews (on-site) are good and they ship all over.

Allegro Medical- has many items for incontinence, this link goes to the active underwear page.

These are for the men.

I did not include adult diapers or pads, as these are readily available in grocery and department stores. I also would not recommend them for running, since chafing would be a real possibility and would only add to the misery.

See Your Doctor

Please do not hesitate to talk to your doctor and get his/her opinion on what you can do.

Don’t let embarrassment keep you from running! There are treatments and solutions to this, and you can stay on the running path for a long time with a little dialog.