s/o Grossness: Bathroom stops during outdoor workouts

[Wines Not Whines]

If you do long outdoor workouts (run, bike, etc) in a location without ample public restrooms, what do you do if you need to relieve yourself during a workout? Do you just pee behind a tree? Find somewhere with a bathroom you can use (gas station, McDonald's)? I'm curious to hear how different people deal with this.

[kams]

Lol Wines,  (heart) (heart) (heart).


obvs I prefer squatting in the woods (well, here we call it open space). I live in the desert so I have to be careful to avoid cactus!

[mrshandy]

I have yet to have to pee in the woods thankfully. Prepregnancy I never had to pee when running. Usually when I have to go its #2 and I wouldn't do that in the woods.

I'll go at any place available, which has included a gas station, hospital, five guys, cvs, etc.

[kams]

May 23, 2013 17:01:05 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

I have yet to have to pee in the woods thankfully. Prepregnancy I never had to pee when running. Usually when I have to go its #2 and I wouldn't do that in the woods.

I'll go at any place available, which has included a gas station, hospital, five guys, cvs, etc.

Sometimes there's no choice!!!!!! 

[hannahb]

May 23, 2013 17:02:39 GMT -5 kams said:

May 23, 2013 17:01:05 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

I have yet to have to pee in the woods thankfully. Prepregnancy I never had to pee when running. Usually when I have to go its #2 and I wouldn't do that in the woods.

I'll go at any place available, which has included a gas station, hospital, five guys, cvs, etc.

Sometimes there's no choice!!!!!! 

Sometimes there is no choice!! I have also peed in some not so private areas and am pretty sure some people have looked out their window with their cup of morning coffee and seen my bare ass.

[Wines Not Whines]

I do my long runs along a well-traveled semi-urban wooded trail, and while it's not exactly in the middle of nowhere, there aren't any bathrooms along the trail. I prefer to find a hidden spot and pee in the woods. I could run about half a mile off the trail to find a legit bathroom, but that's too much effort.

It gets hard to find a secluded spot in the winter though. Not enough leaves on the trees!

[cinco]

The only time I've peed during a run was during pregnancy. I'd go into the woods and do my thing. My older kids thought it was hysterical when I'd hide behind the stroller. I've never had an urgent emergency with #2, thank goodness, but I usually plan routes somewhat near a bathroom. I can usually slow down and clench for a mile or so.

[keweenawlove]

I have no shame ducking behind a tree thanks to my rural roots! Living more in town now, I'm normally close enough to a city/park bathroom. It gets tricky in the winter when they lock them all!

[Brit]

I purposely run by a porta potty that is in a neighborhood that is under construction.

[texassmith]

I have never had to stop during a run or race. But I am admittedly a camel. I can hold it pretty much forevah.

[shorewife]

I have IBS so peeing isn't the problem.... And there are not many secluded spots near me so I generally suffer holding it until I can get to a potty. It has also happened more than once where i called DH to come get me with the car!!

[jene]

I have stopped numerous times. At our old house, I would run down to a couple of dead end roads with trees if I felt the urge. I am still determining my running route here, so I will have to keep am eye out for good spots.

[aurora]

Peeing in the woods (or grasslands or deserts or whatever) has never bothered me, but I grew up in a rural area. A lot of my workouts (esp. mountain biking) are remote enough that it could be hours to a real bathroom.

Of course, I also camp in completely undeveloped areas, so there's no way to avoid peeing behind a tree then!

[breezy8407]

I've only had one #2 emergency and found a gas station. I was in a different city, so I totally lucked out. Not sure what I would have done since it was a very busy street.

Post pregnancy I've had a lot more #1 emergencies. My long run route has a few porta potties that have come in handy.

[sadlebred]

For road cycling, we'll often stop at a convenience store or find a tree if it's a rural area. If it's intown Atlanta, there is usually a store nearby or a park with bathrooms. Behind a dumpster works in an emergency.

For mountain biking....if I'm on a local trail where you do laps (ex. there may be 3 loops that are 5 miles long each in the trail system), I'll wait til I'm done a loop and head to the porta potty/bathroom in the parking lot. If it's a long ride in the middle of no where, find a tree.

[naldridge]

May 23, 2013 17:19:23 GMT -5 keweenawlove said:

I have no shame ducking behind a tree thanks to my rural roots! Living more in town now, I'm normally close enough to a city/park bathroom. It gets tricky in the winter when they lock them all!

Ditto. I don't really have rural roots but we have spent a lot of time in 3rd world countries on mission trips, etc. so I have absolutely no shame doing my business anywhere during workouts, road trips or whenever. When ya gotta go, ya gotta go!

Has anyone tried the she-wee or similar devices?

[foundmylazybum]

[demandypants]

May 23, 2013 22:13:46 GMT -5 naldridge said:

Has anyone tried the she-wee or similar devices?

my old neighbor used to carry a "you go girl" in her purse for use in public restrooms or whenever nature called. we used to laugh about it, but she loved it. the name alone was just to silly to not giggle over.

This whole post though makes me happy that my two typical running trails both are equipped with year round port-a-potties.

[mcc]

I've never had to stop while running but Im classy and have peed in parking lots after concerts when porta pottys were too gross

[runblondie26]

We live ina pretty wooded neighborhood, so tree or bush it is.  When you gotta go. you gotta go.

Before this, we lived in areas where I could duck into a McDonalds or chain store bathroom if I needed to.

[al320]

Ive luckily never had to stop. Mh, on the other hand... we live in suburbia, there isnt a lot of empty land. But, we do have dunkin donuts on every corner, we always make sure to have a few dollRs on us so we can buy a bottle of water or powerade after using their facilities

[finallykrisb]

The one and only time I had to stop to pee in the woods I got tangled up in a massive thorn bush and my legs were shredded. I'm surprised the cars that passed me on the remainder of my run didn't stop to render aid since I had blood running down both legs!

There's a park with a restroom nearby and a Walgreens on my route. I've stopped at both.

[Deleted]

When I would do long runs, I made sure my half-way point was through a local park that had a bathroom. Otherwise, the woods is my friend.

[gt7301b]

Wines, I think we run on the same trail. I try and park close to the community center to elliviate these concerns. I usually have to pee after a mile or so of running, so I park my car at a spot that is ~1.5 miles from the community center and I stop there on almost every run. If I do a longer run there are porta potties a few more miles out and I will use the bathroom at the ice rink in Reston if needed. That gives me a good stopping point every 2-3 miles, which is normally enough for me.

When I race I go to the bathroom after my warm up and I am good for the actual race.

[tuggyruns]

May 24, 2013 7:07:27 GMT -5 mcc said:

I've never had to stop while running but Im classy and have peed in parking lots after concerts when porta pottys were too gross

Bahahaha! Ditto.

[vanillahip]

There are a plethora of parks with restrooms around us, so while I've never run the same route more than twice I've also never NOT had a public restroom available.

I camp and have no problem going in the woods but it takes me for.ev.er. to scout out a good spot because I'm deathly allergic to poison ivy. So in that time on a run I probably could've just run home! (Ok, maybe not deathly allergic but I've been hospitalized for it so its pretty darn bad!)

[shorty20]

Luckily I've never had to go in the woods or anything. I've either always been able to make it back home or to a porto-pot. I've had some close calls though, they were not fun!

[LWoods]

My typical run takes me through a large local park/the zoo so there are public restrooms. I did have to wait in line once and 1) some lady started pulling the hair off my back (that had fallen out of my head, I don't have a gorilla back or something) randomly and 2) once I got in there I discovered only one stall was available because the cops were helping a less than sober person who had pooped herself. Shit was everywhere. Literally. BARF.

[emuni04]

I pop a squat. Is this an Iowa saying? I thank my years of drunken tailgating for learning the art of gracefully peeing in the woods. It was invaluable once I began marathon training

[osulori]

I've been lucky-anytime I've absolutely had to go there has been a gas station or porta potty or something nearby. Sometimes I've had to walk to the nearest potty because I'd crap myself if I ran, but I always got there