RUNNING WITH CELIAC DISEASE

When I was a junior in high school, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. According to celiac.org, celiac is "an autoimmune disorder that can occur in genetically predisposed people where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. It is estimated to affect 1 in 100 people worldwide. 2.5 million Americans are undiagnosed and are at risk for long-term health complications." Prior to this offical diagnosis, I was constantly getting sick after eating and always complained of a stomach ache. After many doctor visits and various "diagnoses" ranging from lactose intolerance to IBS, I finally got the tests that I needed to rule out what was causing me to feel crummy all the time.

I was always active as a child but did not start truly running for a team until I was a freshman in high school. From my freshman year until Junior year, I was eating gluten in all of my meals, especially before and after races (i.e. pasta dinners and bagels before races). Little did I know I was actually making myself sick. Once I got the Celiac diagnosis and started to adhere to a gluten free (gf) diet, did my running career along with overall well being start to improve.

Eating gluten free wasn't always easy, especially in the beginning. I did a lot of "trial" and "error" with different gf foods but eventaully found my favorites and have stuck with them ever since. Now that gf diets have become more "popular," it is easy to find food to eat almost everywhere in the country as well as at running events.

Running with celiac has taught me a lot about nutrition and what is important to eat before and after races in order to keep running competitively (and feeling good during!). I am now more aware of the nutrition on food labels and have become an advocate for myself and my needs. When I go out to eat, I tend to stick to simple/organic foods and when able, I ask for a gluten free menu to ensure I am not at risk of contaiminating my system.