In March of 2022 I was diagnosed with colon-rectal cancer during a standard screening. The good news was the cancer had not spread to any other organs or lymph nodes, however the bad news was, as the cancerous cells were found very close to my sphincter, that I needed a permanent colostomy. Basically my rectum and a piece of my sigmoid colon had to be surgically removed leaving me with a stoma and the need to have a bag attached to my stomach for the rest of my life.

I had the colostomy surgery in June of 2022. Having run for decades one my questions to the surgeon was whether I will be able to run again. He ensured me that exercise and specifically running should be possible without reservations.

My first run with a colostomy bag

Around 3 months after my surgery I laced up my running shoes and headed out to the local trails which I have run literally thousands of times. I was excited and in good spirits, but my mood quickly soured. It was much hotter on the trail than expected, my bladder was acting up (still some weirdness from the surgery) leading to the feeling I had to constantly go to the bathroom and finally, the straw that broke the camel’s back was that I tripped and fell flat on my face including my stoma hitting some rocks/roots. I was miserable and walked back home in discouragement only to find out that my bag contained a fair amount of blood from the impact. Generally, a stoma is somewhat sensitive to impact and trauma and may bleed very quickly, but usually the bleeding also stops fairly promptly. I was inexperienced at the time and a little scared. Overall I found the experience a disconcerting and I was definitely not prepared for this outcome.

Higher volume running

It was not until late summer of 2023 when I made a second attempt to get back to running in earnest. I started slow, but built up to 150 – 200km a month and now, at the time of writing, I am up to around 300km a month and back to training for marathons. Most of the time I actually forget that I am running with a colostomy bag – until I don’t. The very few times I do have issues is when:

• The bag fills during a run and gets heavier creating friction between the skin and the bag adhesive. It usually starts as itching and develops to slightly burning sensation and can be a little painful or at least discomforting. It really is kind of a road rash that leads to bleeding of the skin close to the stoma under the adhesive with the blood ending up in the bag. Fortunately this happened only very rarely to me. Out of a few hundred runs this has only occurred only 4-5 times to me. I have only experienced this on very long runs (2+ hours) or when doing intensive workouts (e.g. track intervals). The good news is that the skin and stoma heal very quickly and I am ready for a run the very next day.
• The bag leaks – essentially the adhesive breaks down and the waste finds a way out from under the bag. Every ostomate dreads leaks! For some they may occur more frequently, but I have only experienced a leak once (having a colostomy instead of an ileostomy helps) while being on a long run. Now this can potentially be an issue when running out in the boonies and not having supplies on hand…

Bag support

I have experimented with the following 5 different ways of placing and supporting bags during running:

Using a Stealthbelt

Most support, especially for hernias, but also most constraining option. Probably best for concealing the bag.

Using a support belt

Gives some support and ease of mind that bag won’t move around too much. Also helps a little with hernias.

Regular

This is how I prefer to carry the bag everyday and this is also how I prefer it for running.

Folded halfway

Creates a larger bump, but the bag doesn’t show below the shirt edge line.

Tucked into shorts

Another way to somewhat conceal the bag, but I always felt that it restricted my running movements and it has some “pull” or “tension”.

My first intuition was to run with a stealthbelt, but to be honest I just hated it. Some ostomates like the extra support and sense of security, but I just feel too constrained in my movements and do not like the feeling of an extra belt on me. Then again, I am a very minimalistic type of runner. I never run with a phone, ear pods, running vest, hydration belt / backpack and I typically underdress. Any additional weight or garment just bothers me. Long runs are just with a water bottle in my hand, perhaps a few gels in my shorts pockets and some strategies on how to refill the bottle on the go.

So, I end up always running with the same way as I carry my bag daily. Now, as I do have a slight hernia as most ostomates do, the bag and the bump are visible to others on the roads and trails. I tend to shirts that a size larger than I need them to be and typically they are also baggy. However when I am out I typically look like this:

I do notice some people staring at me and wondering what kind of fancy carrying pack I have under my shirt, but nobody has every asked

Tips and tricks for ostomates

• Be especially careful positioning a new bag / wafer and make sure the bag edge is not touching the stoma. This should be done anyways, but I found when I am not running I can be a little sloppy every once in a while with not adverse effects. However the constant, if subtle, movement of the bag can create friction and bleeding when running.
• Shave the area around the stoma as much as possible. The skin should be as smooth as a baby’s bottom. The better that bag sticks to your abdomen the less likely you will encounter any issues.
• Empty the bag completely – I mean completely. Or put on a fresh bag. Any weight in the bag will exacerbate the amount of skin friction.
• If you prefer, use a supporting belt for security and ease of mind. I personally run with a loose bag, but I can see why many runners would want to use a belt or secure the bag othewise.

If you have made it this far, you are likely an ostomate. I can only encourage the reader to pursue any sports whether running or something else. I found alone the feeling not to be limited by a plastic bag very liberating. Start easy, use some common sense and precautions and just enjoy the feeling of being physically active and normal again…

The post Running with an Ostomy appeared first on Thoughts on Running and Life.

It is now 2025 and I am still running. So, what motivated me to run for over 40 years? I have been recently asking myself this question. The more I have been thinking about this (while running, of course) the more certain themes emerged. Although there are many common themes among runners such as “finding personal limits”, “carving out spaces” or more mundane reasons like “losing weight”, “feeling younger again” everybody will also likely have personal reasons.

Looking back I can identify 4 fairly intense running periods which all have a very distinct motivation. I have also run more or less regularly between these periods, especially after 2000, but the running in those times felt somewhat more sporadic.

Teenage Years (1981 – 1987)

I cannot really remember the exact year, it must have been 1980 or 1981, when I started running. I do recall that our local soccer club wanted to add a track and field division and found 2 coaches to shepherd us kids/teenagers. One of the coaches was all about the technics of athletics, but it seemed like a wasted effort and most of us gravitated to the easy going Massoud, our running coach. We all just had too much teenage energy and running seemed the simplest way for exertion. Why I started running? Well, at first it was like “why not?”. Just me and a few friends running in the nearby forest goofing off and then measuring up on the gravel track. At some point my competitive side took over and the focus was beating my friends on the track and running PRs.

Over time I ran more and eventually ended up competing at local track meets (1000m – 10,000m) and regional races (5K through Marathon). Being physical active (playing soccer, handball, basketball and biking) outside of school was just a way of life during my teenage years and was also the core of my social life. Other than having some level of talent and enjoying the training and racing there was nothing really special about running. It could have easily had been a different sport, but running just stuck to me…

Y2K Years (2000 – 2004)

In the Spring of 2000 I found myself living in San Diego having a desk job. While my lifestyle was not completely sedentary over the last decade or so, I did not regularly exercise and so gradually gained weight to a point I just didn’t like what I saw. So, what to do? Well, there was a YMCA right across from where I lived at the time. One day I walked in and stepped on a treadmill for the first time of my life and jogged 5K (well, it was 3.1 miles, of course). I felt surprisingly good during the run, although it felt weird to me running inside a stuffy and hot gym. Then my running mode kicked in (more on that at same later post) and I found myself buying some decent running shoes and going to the Y multiple times a week. Fairly quickly, however, I found the treadmill to be quite a turn off – to this day I will only run a treadmill if there is absolutely no other option. It just didn’t feel right and after a month or two I slowly ventured outside.

Now, I lived about 20km inland from the coast so there were hot summers and I not one to enjoy running in the heat. So, it came down to running very early in the mornings or after work in the evenings. But there were beautiful trails close to where I live and really enjoying building a base, but also the more intense workouts in the hills. Old muscle memory from my teenage years came back and it didn’t take too long before signing up local races, mostly 5K and 10K races. I was pretty happy that I was able to run sub 40min 10K again and slowly gravitated towards longer races and ran a few half marathons.

Early 2003 I set my sight to run a marathon again, found a very good group of runners at a clinic and was doing really well in the program, but alas, around 6 weeks before the marathon I came down with Achilles tendonitis and as the healing did not progress quickly I decided to forfeit my marathon entry.

This phase of running was really about proving to myself that I am still able to run and have the drive and mental strength to race hard. I did get much satisfaction and enjoyment that I was able to do both.

Social Running (2008 – 2014)

In 2004 I moved from San Diego to downtown Vancouver. I ran casually, but with no real objectives and motivation. The following year I relocated to a city half an hour East of Vancouver and continued running on the great trail system for myself, but I was longing to get back into racing. Luckily there is local running store right in my town, so I signed up for a half marathon clinic in 2009. Right from the get go I felt at home at this clinic meeting a great group of runners and we spent much time on roads and trails, but also in the local pubs. We also traveled together for marathons in Portland, Boston and New York.

Running relays was a lot of fun and we did pretty well.

As people started moving away and going their ways the group started dissolving in 2013/2014, but I have fond memories of this running period. I enjoyed the social aspect of running and it just seemed the right time with the right people and we we were also able to push and support each other.

Driven by Running (2024 – present)

On a business trip to China in 2014 I had an accident and fractured my left patella. I had to stop running and it took over a year for this injury to fully heal. Although I was physically clear to run again I just couldn’t back into that head space. Maybe my body tried to tell me something or I was just tired of running. Every half year I would make an attempt to get back into running, but after a few months my running would just peter out… Fast forward to the Fall of 2021 when suddenly tragedies struck my life that derailed me for 2 years. My 13 year old son had suddenly passed away. 5 months later in the Spring of 2022 I was diagnosed with colon-rectal cancer followed by the colostomy surgery in the Summer. I was beside myself for a very long time. As much as I wanted to run as part of attempting to heal I just wasn’t able to lace my running shoes and get out…

In the Summer of 2023 I finally managed to get out and take some baby steps – also with the new feeling running with an ostomy bag. I did pretty well for 4-5 months and even managed to lose 10kg (22lbs) over the process, but then my motivation started to fade and I stopped yet again early.

So, where I am now? I started running, yet again, at the end of November of 2024 at the age of 57. This time I am approaching this very differently and I am letting my “running OCD” take over. I have run each single day since Dec 17 and I have mapped out every single day of every week for the full year of 2025.

For further motivation I signed up for the Royal Victoria Marathon in October and penciled in a few shorter races over the Summer. I have never planned my running so methodically and I am curious whether I can pull it off through end of the year. My thinking is to make running such a strong habit that it is hard to back out of it. The main challenge will be not to overtrain and maintain the joy and comfort of running.

Why I am running now? I think it is mix of getting older and searching mental stability in addition to just be as healthy as possible at my age. And, after 40 years of doing so, I believe that I just enjoy running…

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