In the world of multisport, today is Commitment Day, the day when we commit to our race plans for 2025.

This winter, I am working towards 2 road races: the Chilly Half Marathon (March 2nd) and Around the Bay (30K, March 30th). I love the Chilly Half; I think I have run it more than any other race. I am also really looking forward to Around the Bay, especially after having to defer last year’s entry when I had that “freak” hip injury. After a fall, though, with some unexpected health challenges, I am approaching both of these winter races with some trepidation.

My training for the TCS Waterfront Marathon was solid. I had several long runs (greater than 30K) under my belt and I was feeling strong. However, at the end of September, I developed some uncomfortable and disgusting GI issues; I couldn’t run more than 5K without needing a bathroom break. At first, I thought this was a one-off, but it happened again and again and again; I had to plan my long runs around stopping for a bio-break every 30-40 minutes. By mid-October, a week before the marathon, I knew that I shouldn’t run it; I simply couldn’t trust my gut.

I’m lactose intolerant and I am very careful with what I eat, especially before running or racing. I felt, though, that this was more than my intolerance for dairy. My physiotherapist reminded me that distance running does jostle your GI tract and I know what that feels like, but I had a few runs when I literally had to stop every 4 – 6 km. What I had going on was far worse than your typical runner’s trots.

When I met with my family doctor, he decided that I need to meet with a gastroenterologist. The wait time: up to 8 months. “Seriously?” I asked. “Can’t I get on a waitlist? Can I have a colonoscopy before then?” Thanks to our health care system, my GP’s hands are tied; only the gastroenterologist can book that after he meets with me. And, it gets better. If I don’t have an appointment within the 8 months, I start over. The good news is I am not a priority. The bad news is I am frustrated beyond belief.

To add to this GI puzzle, a routine follow-up visit with my respirologist (for asthma) led to a requisition for bloodwork to check for auto-immune diseases. One of the statements in the results “ruled out Stage 2 Kidney Disease.” What? That was completely unexpected but it also made some sense, given the GI issues that I have been having. I learned, though, that kidney disease is not anything for me to worry about. All blood work, apparently, looks for kidney disease and it is only a concern if numbers indicate Stage 3. Both my respirologist and family doctor are not concerned and my family doctor told me that it is not related to my gastrointestinal tract. So I am not worried (at least, not too much).

But the GI issues still exist and I still have months (if I am lucky) before I can see anyone. I’m still running but am being cautious. I have cut my distance and slowed down my pace to be kind to my stomach issues. I have eliminated some foods that tend to trigger reactions and have replaced other foods with those that I can generally handle. Even with this, I still need to consistently stop 5-7 kilometres into my run (which is usually 9 -12km). But I am still running – and at good distances – and I am happy about that.

Today was my second run over 15km since October. I am slowly building my distance so that I can toe the lines at the Chilly Half and Around the Bay. I am committed to these events. However, I am still worried and my plans could change, depending on the placement or numbers of porta-potties on the courses.

What happens next? I train… and I wait…and I stay committed to my plan.