It was wet, windy and my belly was full of T-bone steak, but I still managed to force myself to go for a run last night. Just a short one, but still a run. My 214 lbs body has never felt soooo heavy, my oversize heart was struggling, my muscles were burning as my lungs couldn't get enough oxygen in. I felt I was about to faint. All this after quarter of a mile. Although I recovered slightly, it felt bad until I was back home and in the hot shower.

I started wondering: Is it good for the body to go for a run with the belly full of food? I know you can get a side stitch but that was not my problem yesterday. Rather, this overwhelming feeling that there wasn't enough blood in my body to keep it going.  So I figured, perhaps the digestive system needs a certain amount of blood, at least the first hour or so after a heavy meal (o.k. I ate three plates more than I should have).  Then, if you go for a run at the same time, the "running muscles" must compete with the digestive system for the blood available. My question is, can this competition be damaging for the body?