SH wrote:
Did you wear a wetsuit? Had you practiced in it leading up to the race? I don't know all the facts surrounding that swim, but here is a list of things that can cause cramps on the swim...
1.) Wetsuit tightness issues causing circulation problems.
2.) Not enough warmup
3.) Not used to swimming in wetsuit.
4.) You got excited about your faster swimming and went out too fast.
5.) Some kind of nutrition issue. (Usually lack of salt causes cramping. A gulp of salt water shouldn't be a problem.)
6.) And a new one from sweet_wtr: did you wear some funny shoes the day before?
Also, you gotta remember that you are out there pointing your toes for an hour -- sometimes in cold water -- with no walls and turns to break it up. Calf cramps can be pretty common.
Thanks for the reply. Interesting points, I'll do my best to answer.
1) The wetsuit wasn't too tight, I'm pretty confident about that.
2) There wasn't much of a warm up, but I did feel ready to go & pretty good from the gun - but the energy levels started to fade around 20 minutes in...
3) I have done a lot (LOT!) of wetsuit swimming over the years, but probably not enough over the past couple of years - so that is a good thing to take out of the race. More practice required...
4) Might be possible - It might be a good idea for me to do some more stand alone open water races next summer
5) I think this is a point. I don't think I started the day hydrated enough. I have had issues with salt water in the past though - I get numb lips & tongue, so more research required here...
6) Ha - no funny shoes for me.. :)
The pointing of the toes thing is interesting. I have had calf cramps when swimming recently - but mainly if I have done a bike or run session earlier in the day.
Funnily enough - I bumped into my old swim coach at about the 27k mark of the run - he lives 2 minutes from the run course & was tracking me (what a great guy - not bad for 70+!). I was really struggling at that point & we chatted for a couple of minutes. He swims in the open water all year round here in Melbourne (brrrr!!), so I hope to get out with his crew a lot more next spring/summer.