I go for a 15-minute run in the mornings and often find I get stitch in my side.

I go for a 15-minute run in the mornings and often find I get stitch in my side despite not having eaten since dinner the night before. What causes stitch and is there anyway I can prevent it?

Ouch, runners stitch. Apparently the medical term is “exercise-related transient abdominal pain”. The cause seems to be hugely debated. One theory is rapid shallow breathing causes the pain, another theory is that ligaments from the diaphragm to the liver are being stretched during the run.

Whatever the cause, all experts agree that the only way to stop the pain once it’s started is to stop running. To try to avoid the stitch follow these tips…

Eat moderate sized low fat meals 2-3 hours before the run, warmup before you run, stretch, hydrate during your run and make sure your breathing is deep and not too rapid.