I just completed a 10k time trial yesterday. Everything was great going in. My stomach felt great, I hydrated all day. Ate a bananna and had a solid carb intake during the day. Had a good warmup. Had my caffiene fix and hit a gel 15 minutes before. During the first 5 miles I was able to stay in zone3 and I held between 20-22mph. At the turn which was against the wind I could feel my right calf tweaking…by mile 6 I was cramping. I managed to keep my HR in the upper part of zone3 but my calf was just twisted up! I slowed to 15mph at one point trying to recover…around mile 7 it was letting go and I was able to get back up to 18mph…by mile 8 I was recovered and started picking up back to 20mph to recover the lost time. By mile 9 I could feel it again…about 100yds in I was able to spint in and actually hit 28mph at the finish line. But my right calf was at full spasm at that point. What’s really bugging me is that I never broke zone3 until the sprint and was on pace to have a PB. On top of that my quads felt fine! Is this just a strength issue or could it be my form or something mechanical like a cleat? This is my first season in triathlon and I have worked mostly on aerobic fitness and I’m very happy with my progress but I’m wondering if this is something that needs attention right away or something that will fix itself as I get stonger. Any help would be great! A 34minute 10 mile split is something that I’m not happy with at all!
any takers…thoughts…other? I’ll take a “suck it up and race ya poosie”…
Assuming you don’t do anything different training and racing the “mechanical” thing would be low on the list. The usual reply would be dehydration or electrolyte depletion. I was having pretty severe quad cramping and after all the adjustments to hydrate etc. I remembered I was using creatine at the time. You have to seriously watch hydration with creatine. Lost the creatine, no more cramps.
I don’t take any supplements. Only sports drinks, caffine and gels. It’s bugging me that it’s only my right calf. During training, when I’m using the stationary I can go for hours doing resistence intervals and never even get a twitch from my calf. It only happens on the road. I know I’m not very strong right now but why only the right calf on my bike on the open road? No probs with swimming or running…actually those are going very well.
Was this the first time it gave you grief cycling or has it been a regular occurrence?
Was this the first time it gave you grief cycling or has it been a regular occurrence?
I have completed two mini-tris and had cramps in my right calf on the bike both times. I had to slow down and guard it, then on the run had to stop…in both races! Now on this time trial. I’m frustrated because I have worked so hard on my aerobic fitness and I feel like come go time my right calf lets me down. I’m just looking for anything to try out or any suggestion. If it’s a strength issue I will deal with it in the winter but if it’s something else i would like to have it sorted out before Sept 13th, for my first “real” Sprint distance race. (1/2m swim, 20 mile bike, 5k run)
I don’t take any supplements. Only sports drinks, caffine and gels. It’s bugging me that it’s only my right calf. During training, when I’m using the stationary I can go for hours doing resistence intervals and never even get a twitch from my calf. It only happens on the road. I know I’m not very strong right now but why only the right calf on my bike on the open road? No probs with swimming or running…actually those are going very well.
One question, is your stationary different from the bike that you are using on the road? Same cleats/pedals, or different?
Different angles of the foot will stress different parts of the calf, it may be that on the stationary you use more of the gastroc, and on the road bike you use more of the soleus, or similar. So, if your setup is different, that could be the reason.
If they are the same, then I have no clue. (Some will say I don’t anyway…)
John
I’m thinking along the lines Devlin is. My guess is that you have a TT bike that you are racing on but not training on. This bike (specifically the position you sit on this bike) is likely then the cause.
Assuming the bike is the cause there are 2 further possibilities.
One is that it’s related to the way the different position stresses your muscles and getting more time on that bike in training will alleviate the problem.
The other is that the hip angle is hindering blood flow due to a vascular issue.
I’m thinking along the lines Devlin is. My guess is that you have a TT bike that you are racing on but not training on. This bike (specifically the position you sit on this bike) is likely then the cause.
Assuming the bike is the cause there are 2 further possibilities.
One is that it’s related to the way the different position stresses your muscles and getting more time on that bike in training will alleviate the problem.
The other is that the hip angle is hindering blood flow due to a vascular issue.
Yes…I train more on the stationary and it has clips. I try to push at the same spot as my bike…but I mostly push more towards the middle of my foot on the trainer (normal platform pedal). With my bike I’m in a standard clipless ball of foot position. I am very comfortable on my bike and I had a very good fitting. No breating issues or even saddle issues. I really cannot train on my TT bike during the week, first because I have to workout so early…it’s dark when I get to the gym and second I can’t ride in the afternoons because that is family time. So I do pace work, speed work, resistance intervals on the stationary during the week and I do my long endurance ride on the weekend. Same with running. I do all my intervals during the week and do a long solid state run during the weekend. The other post about the different parts of the calf makes sense…it’s only the inside head of my calf that cramps…when I get off the trainer my quads and hip flexors are the most spent. Should I move my cleats as far back as I can and do more strength work on the weekends when I’m on the road?
Yes, try moving the cleats back.
Are you saying that you are doing a weekend training ride on your TT bike? If you are doing that successfully (without cramps) then your race-only cramps must be due to something race-specific. It could be as simple as the incredibly high intensity you put out on these very short races. It could be something dietary you do or don’t do on race days.
Go ahead and move the cleats back and continue to get time on that bike each weekend.
I just completed a 10k time trial yesterday… By mile 9 I could feel it again…
Maybe riding 9 miles in a 10 k tt is the problem?
Yes, try moving the cleats back.
Are you saying that you are doing a weekend training ride on your TT bike? If you are doing that successfully (without cramps) then your race-only cramps must be due to something race-specific. It could be as simple as the incredibly high intensity you put out on these very short races. It could be something dietary you do or don’t do on race days.
Go ahead and move the cleats back and continue to get time on that bike each weekend.
Yes. My only bike is my 05 QR Kilo. I do my endurance ride (40+ miles) on the weekend. I treat it more like a pace workout where I stay at the upper zone2 or bottom zone3 for that ride and try to keep an even cadence and speed. Work on staying calm and relaxed in the aero position…breathing…and “game day” management. During the week I do timed interval workouts…the first workout of the week is speed work…the second resistence intervals.
I’ll go back to both races and the 10M TT and write down everything I consumed pre-race to see if I can find a common thread…I’m really hoping it’s just a strength issue like you said. I’m happy with my pre-race routine. My energy levels were high and my stomach was calm…which is an issue for me.
I just completed a 10k time trial yesterday… By mile 9 I could feel it again…
I hydrated all day.
Sorry that was a 10 Mile TT…not a 10k. And I did hydrate all day. 20oz smart water with my breakfast, I kept my liter water bottle full all day, water with my lunch…then another smartwater with a bananna for a snack, then a 20oz G2 with a peanut butter/jelly sandwich about 2 hours out…sipped plain water on the way…bike bottle had plain water.
I just completed a 10k time trial yesterday. I hydrated all day.
That hydration can very well be the problem. Drink normal.
And I did hydrate all day. 20oz smart water with my breakfast, I kept my liter water bottle full all day, water with my lunch…then another smartwater with a bananna for a snack, then a 20oz G2 with a peanut butter/jelly sandwich about 2 hours out…sipped plain water on the way…bike bottle had plain water.
Plain water will just dilute the salt in your body. Don’t overhydrate. If this is the only thing you do different from the training, than you might give it a go without all that water next time.
I just completed a 10k time trial yesterday. I hydrated all day.
That hydration can very well be the problem. Drink normal.
really?! I’ve never heard that overhydration could cause cramps. I’m not being sarcastic, I really have never heard that.
Over hydrating can cause you to wash-out all your electrolytes.
Overhydration can cause a lot of problems. You can definitely put too much water in your body. No need to do that. It makes you heavier, and as you go to the toilet more often, also more diluted. Drink normal. That means when you are thirsty. Not more.
And I did hydrate all day. 20oz smart water with my breakfast, I kept my liter water bottle full all day, water with my lunch…then another smartwater with a bananna for a snack, then a 20oz G2 with a peanut butter/jelly sandwich about 2 hours out…sipped plain water on the way…bike bottle had plain water.
Plain water will just dilute the salt in your body. Don’t overhydrate. If this is the only thing you do different from the training, than you might give it a go without all that water next time.
Son of a mother…I’m doing the Homer Simpson over here…doh…All that hard work I did over these 18 weeks just to piss it out…literally! I hate pissing all day long. I feel like a dope but I hope this is my answer! Thanks!!!
Yep, don’t do anything different on race day.
It’s about electrolyte concentration. Being dehydrated overconcentrates the electrolytes and overhydration underconcentrates the electrolytes.
Hydration won’t be an issue in a 30 minute race! In fact, you could start that race just slightly underhydrated…ie no liquids the hour before (as long as you are staying cool).
In sprint tris I only drink about 12 ounces before race time and have no food and take no hydration during the race…but then again I do up to 2 hour workouts without hydrating during my workouts so I’m ready for it.