Cra(m)p !!

[Ambar Dev]

Hi,

I have been getting cramps with an alarming regularity .. the first one was in the gym when my calf stiffened while cycling .. 

next happened at the 17k mark at the KTM .. both the calf muscles started twitching .. and I couldn't even manage a fast walk ..

Since then every training run ~20k, I have faced this .. the muscle twitches almost every time .. even though I sip almost a Litre of water mixed with Glucon D and Salt along the run .. 

At the Ultra again .. I could feel the twitching after the 30k mark .. probably it happened late because I was doing very slow speeds .. all I could manage after that was running 200mts and walking another 300 ....

The worst attack happened yesterday at the Hyd HM .. the aid stations didn't have any salt or electrolyte .. just plain water .. which was made clear before the run .. I had a few packets of GU with me and my assumption is that GU contains enough salts to replenish the ones lost during running .. I had ample amount of water during the run ... and 3 GUs .. felt twitching in one of the calf at the 16k mark while jumping a divider to avoid traffic .. realized that if I ignore it and keep running without any irregular movements it's not bothering me .. 

Was able to run till the 20 .. after which it was again a twitch in either of the calf muscle after every 200mts of running .. just managed crossing the finish line .. walked another 500mts .. tried resting my bum on a stone pillar .. and IT HAPPENED !!

First it was the right calf which went berserk .. I was howling in pain lying on the footpath .. the gatekeeper of the eatery started helping me out .. was a little relaxed after 5 mins of massaging ...asked him to get me water and salt .. while I was still on the footpath stretching my legs to recover .. the left calf turned into stone right in front of my eyes .. more screaming .. one passer by  (runner) stopped and he took hold of my left leg .. the right leg again twitched .. the gatekeeper attended to it ..

While my calf were being attended to .. suddenly both the thighs stiffened too !! I had to use both my hands to manage them from becoming any worse .. after 45 mins .. 2lts of water and lots of salt .. I could finally get on my feet ...

Need some help: 

- I generally run with Glucon D+lots of salt drink for trainings .. on RFL runs I manage with the electrolyte on the aid stations .. WHAT more can I do avoid getting cramps ?

- Does GU provide enough salt or it's JUST an energy gel?

Ambar

[Rishikesh Basu]

Ambar,   When I started to run long distances(4 years back), I used to get lot of Cramps. I sweat a lot and salting happens for runs longer than 21Km. However I have been able to control the cramp now for all long runs.   I am not sure what I do will help you or not, however you can try. I take 1 or 2 packets of Electral just before (15 minutes) starting the run. This helps to sustain till 25Km. But will give cramps by the time I reach 25Km. So in case I am running longer I start taking endurolyte capsules (available mostly in US costs $20 for pack of 120) from 20Km mark. I take one capsule each at 20, 25, 30 Km marks. At 35, 40 and 45 I take 2 capsules. This I do for my 50 Km runs. I have not run more than that so far so don't know beyond that. In case you don't have endurolyte capsules, replace that by 1 small packet of Electral. Glucose will not help salt is the issue not sugar.   The above helps me to the extent that I walk out normal after the race. Cramps are due to salt imbalance so the above should help. You need to find out the dosage for yourself. It varies from people to people.   Also with practice the dosage will come down.   Rishi. --- On Mon, 23/11/09, Ambar Dev <amba...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Shantanu Singh]

Correct Rishi,

Cramping used to be one problem which used to hold me back for a long time. I did a lot of research on it, actually you have to do a lot of trial and error and find out what works for you. For me, I drink only electral waala water before the run, during the run, I stick to only electral. When I am running a full marathon, I try and take an Edurolyte at 25, 32, 35 and 40K mark. If you cannot get your hands on endurolyte, just try taking common salt. keep it on your tongue and suck on it, dont swallow it. the minute u start cramping just get some common salt and try taking it, but please be careful dont take salt in large quantities as it can raise ur BP.

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Cheers!
Shantanu
+91-9900266372

[Ambar Dev]

Hi Jugy,

I run 3 times a week .. doing 10k each on the treadmill on Tue and Thur .. and do a 20Kish run on the weekend (on the road) ..for the treadmill I lock the speed at 10 most of the time ... on the road whatever speeds come naturally.. and you're probably right about the pushing part .. 

During my training runs on a good day I am able to clock speeds of 10kph for a 20k stretch .. but usually it happens in 2:06 kinds .. but yesterday it started with with 11kph+ and stayed at the same levels till about 19.5k ... at the same timeI wouldn't say that I was uncomfortable with the speed .. it was all happening naturally .. 

Thanks,

Ambar

On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 11:16 AM, Jagannath Raju <jaganna...@gmail.com> wrote:

Ambar, what is your training schedule - I am not an expert but I have found that most often cramps are a result of extending oneself beyond what one has trained for....

Jugy

PS - What you have described happened to me last Midnight Marathon when I completed the half in under 2 hours by pushing myself even though I was not comfortable with the pace. I got to my car and when I sat down the legs and body turned to stone... this lasted for a few minutes and then I was careful not to make any more sudden movements for a while and all was well - no further discomfort later or residual effect after a few hours.

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Ambar

[Sudhir P]

I am genetically prone to cramping, and i have faced cramps even without a drop of sweat, many a times..... And due to this, i can somehow portend when i'm about to cramp.... I stretch that muscle before the cramps aggravate (usually on the move, without stopping), and also drop my intensity..... And has worked for me a lot of times..... Of course, i keep myself hydrated and electrolyted.... Taking salt 'after' the cramp is not what will help you, cos it'll take time to reach ur muscles.... And if it stays cramped for long enough, its gonna be sore for quite a while

-sud

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Sudhir.P
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