I was excited to finally be back in the game. Even a little puffed up. I mean, 10K? I could do a 10K —especially one that was still more than a month away. Fast-forward to race day. My husband and I parked the car and jogged to the start.

New runners are shocked and repulsed when they hear about it, but seasoned distance runners shrug nonchalantly, immune to embarrassment. Though the practice is less common in races longer than marathons, those racing to the finish line or dueling with a competitor in ultra-distance races are known to forgo seclusion as well. Stepping primly off the trail to do your business in private could cost you at least a minute or two. Multiply that by several stops in a marathon and you can realize the potential time savings. Going the Distance. Therefore, Wolter cautions against an ultra-distance cycle of wet-dry-wet-dry. Instead, save the shorts wetting for those last miles.

Plumbing problems: You can hit the porta-potty eight times before a run to prevent them, plot your running route carefully to relieve them, or wear dark bottoms and bring a change of clothes to disguise them. Still, issues like leakage or an overactive bladder can make your run uncomfortable and embarrassing. Whether you always gotta go or often let a drip slip, there are more flow-related fixes than you may think. According to a study in the Journal of Human Kinetics , more than 40 percent of elite female runners report leaking during running or other high-impact activities. Doctors call this stress incontinence.

The short answer is that there are a lot of possible reasons. Loss of bladder control can be due to poor control or timing of pelvic floor muscles. There can be weakness, tightness, or pain contributing to the problem. Pelvic organ prolapse is a condition that results in the dropping of pelvic organs from their normal position due to injury to the muscles or tissues that support the uterus, bladder, or rectum. Leaking urine while running can occur any time during the run.