Leg Cramps

rockr · February 23rd, 2007, 10:54 AM

I have been running for about three years now. I run about 20-30miles a week. Each year I run about ten, 5 and 10k races. I also run one Marathon a year. I train for about 25 weeks for the Marathons. During each of the Marathons, at about mile 12 or 13 I begin to get craps in my calf muscles. Is this a hydration problem? Training? or lack of ?????? I would like to complete a Marathon withour having to walk.

**g_samsa** · February 25th, 2007, 12:33 AM

I guessing you're problem is an electrolyte deficiency.

There are two ways to try to fix the problem, and my opinion is that it's best to do both of them at once. Every runner has different electrolyte needs. Per hour on a run your body will exhaust a certain amount of salts, and each person goes through them at a different rate. Lack of salts in your body is a big problem because it means that you cannot retain enough water to keep yourself hydrated, and you end up getting cramps.

The big mystery is finding out what the correct balance is for your body. Professional runners spend a great deal of time figuring it out, which is why during marathons, at designated water stops, they each have a different bottle. Each bottle contains a different mixture of electrolytes and carbohydrates. There is a company called Hammer Nutrition which sells these little pills that you can add to water. They are called endurolytes on their website. The idea is that through experimentation you will be able to eventually find your right balance.

Another thing to do that will greatly help is to push up the weekly mileage just a bit so that your long runs are no more than 1/3 your total weekly mileage. So if you run 30 miles a week your long run should only be 10 miles. By pushing up the mileage during the week, you will condition your body do a point where it is not shocked by the sudden increase in mileage. Gradually, you will extend your threshold and reduce cramping.

Hope that helped a little.

rockr · February 25th, 2007, 04:30 PM

Thanks for the tips. I will see how this works. I do sweat excessively when I run and can feel a salty residue on my face and white stains on my dark colored shirts and shorts. Thanks again and I will let you know how it works out.

**g_samsa** · March 5th, 2007, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by super maverick

sounds like dehydration

Um, ah, That's what I said. Dehydration is a real problem, but it won't be fixed unless you understand how dehydration works. So, if it's a hydration problem then the typical response would be to drink more water. However, if you've lost enough salts in your body then not only will drinking water do you no good, it might actually kill you. He has to drink the water along with the salts that will help the body absorb and retain the water. Otherwise he's dealing with over-hydration which has lead to death in people who just chug water alone. The Marines learned this lesson about 10 years ago when they had a few recruits suffer brain damage from either being overheated or being forced to chug water before and after long marches. This is also why there seems to be several frat pledges each year who die from water drinking games. The problem is just magnified in athletes (and the military) where salts vanish very quickly.

rockr · March 2nd, 2008, 07:18 PM

Here I am a year later and your advice helped. I purchased two products from Hammer Nutrition. The electrolyte pills and the Heed. I had no problem with the cramps but I simply ran out of gas at the 18th mile. The Heed is only good for runs under 2 hours. I purchased the wrong product I know. The other thing is I hate the taste of the Gu and othe such gels. I tried to take some jelly beans that are made for energy.(can't think of the name now) I just couldn't handle the taste. This I think made me fail. I did not replenish my energy. I did finish the Marathon but did not run the whole thing, this is my goal. Time to me is not important now. Once I can run the entire 26.2 then I will focus on time. I'm going to try another product from Hammer that will subsitute the gels. I'll ask the advice of the customer service rep. I'll take any and all suggestions and tips from anyone.

daniella · March 10th, 2008, 03:15 PM

rockr, I'm reading this thread for the first time and I have to say that g_ offered some excellent advice. It's all about the electrolytes. The medical term for overhydration is hyponatremia, and as g_ says, a few runners die of it every year.

I get tired of the gels and Gatorade, too, and the Hammer capsules are a welcomed addition to my arsenal of nutrition supplements. I did IronMan Louisville last summer and it was 93 degrees and humid. I drank Gatorade on the bike and ate Power Bars, Hammer gels and Clif Shots, but by the time of the marathon I just wanted water. I had 18 of those Hammer gelcaps for the marathon and they were not enough. My calves cramped up worse than they ever have in my life. Another racer gave me some of his gelcaps, because he had a stash of them waiting for him in his "special needs" bag. I ended up doing a walk - run (1 to 3 ratio) for about 5 miles until the cramps went away. Then I jogged the last 7 miles to the finish. I swear by those things now.

BTW, g_ probably doesn't worry about nutrition during a marathon, because he's not out there as long as you and I. But, FWI, many old school marathoners swear by flat Coke during the race. It has sugar, salt and caffeine to give you a boost in the late part of the race. It doesn't have the complex cocktail of electrolytes included in the gelcaps, so you will want to do both.

cuteitaliangurl · March 10th, 2008, 05:05 PM

Yes it is all about electrolytes. I normally have Pedialyte and a bottle of flat coke or juice to give me the energy to finish strong. Pedialyte for electrolytes and coke or juice to finish strong, need the sugar for energy. I also for immediate cramps have a bottle of pickle juice brine, this normally kicks in within a few minutes, and I swear by it.

Pedialyte, great for replenishing electrolytes and the hang over syndrome the next day.