Need help with side stitches.

[sir pball]

3. They're very hard to preempt

You can do core strength work to try and stave them off, but since the Men In White Coats don't even know what they are exactly let alone what triggers the,, there's no really good preventative. In my 20+ years running it just seems that some people are more prone to them and there's not much you can do; build your intensity slowly while making sure to breathe deeply until you're up to workout level.

WHEN you do get them, my surefire cure is to drop back just a little, put your hands on top of your head and inhale-exhale fully while focusing on pushing your stomach in and out as much as possible with each breath (to learn the motion, we laid on our backs with books on our stomachs and tried to move them as far as possible). It looks silly and it's a bit awkward but it works like a charm.