I did Diamondman Half this weekend. I felt great on the swim and good on the bike but this is a progression down hill. The run I had bad leg cramp in my thigh the inside muscle that atatches at the knee. It was locking up. I first felt it when I stood up on the bike towards the end to stretch the legs. It went away after about two miles for a little bit and then kept coming back along with horrible calf cramps. This is the same issue I had last year at my first marathon.
Ok before we say nutrition I drank two bottles of infinit six scoops each aprox 700 cals each and washed down with water. Took a gel just before finishing the bike and then had gatorade and water every mile along with two or three more gels. I dont think I could have taken anymore nutrition. Probably to much but my stomach was fine so I wanted to try to get rid of the leg cramps. I want to figure this out because I am starting training for Novembers Philly Marathon and I want to be able to finish this year without a limp/crawl to the finish with locked up legs. Please help!
you could be going too fast—slow down OR take more electrolytes—lots more endurolytes or better still endurolyte in your nutrition bottle. OR it could be a psychological issue—try a calming MANTRA== your choice— I try "I can do all thing through Christ which strenthenenth me.
good luck
I thought last year at the marathon I had pushed to hard and not enough training. This year I went on a heavy training schedule which I thought was probably more than enough and I drank a lot of Infinit on the bike, used gels and gatorade/ water on the run. So I am not sure I how it could have been nutrition but maybe I am wrong. That is why I am asking cause I would like to figure it out but not sure how.
You think between gels infinit and gatorade you I might not have taken in enough salt? I am just asking cause I do want to figure this out. Could it also be stretching? I dont do much if any. Can that cause cramping in competion? The odd thing is the marathon last year was cold and rainy so it was not a heat issue and this has happened on the bike and the run so it is not a specific sport that is causing this.
I have faced this same challenge for several years, and am slowly getting it figured out. I am a very heavy sweater, and have a bigger muscle structure without a lot of body fat. I have cramping in the same area of leg and occasionally in calfs. To combat, I agree with above posters, need to control electolytes. I do this through E-caps, but more regularly, Succeed. Basically, I am taking the maximum reccommended dosage of these supplements starting on the bike, so that I am still in control of the electolyte situation by the time I get to run. Runs start easy, easier than necessary to get my body shifting from bike to run and for me to keep the heart rate down. Once I am into the run, than I can pick it up.
All of this applies primarily to the long distance triathlon. I think that the marathons can be just as challenging for nutrition since I am going harder on the run. Along with this is getting your body acclimated to this process and that takes repetition through training.
Correct, E-Caps Hammer product, Succeed are known as S-Caps. My opinion only is that an individual can benefit more from the use of one over the other. i am sure that proper medical testing could give you a precise approach to deciding, but like most, I just experimented until finding a method that mostly works to prevent cramping.
I think you were the guy that e-mailed me before. I e-mail this info to you.
Do a sweat rate test to find out how much water you loose. Cramping can be a result of dehydration. You can take salt by the pound and if you are not drinking enough you can cramp. Too much stuff in your gut can draw water from your system. Make sure that you are drinking plenty of water if you are taking solids or gels. Flexability Bike positioning
My guess is that you were not taking in enough water. But you certainly can bump up the salt in your formula. Most salt pils are aprx 40mg of sodium per, so if you have a formula that has 375 mg it is the equivelant of taking 9+ salt pills per hour. That is plenty for most people.
http://www.succeedscaps.com/Facts_scaps.html
Ultra runners swear by S caps and the other products from Succeed. I and runners I know have taken 1-3 s-caps/hour for 5-30 hours at a time with no problems. I use an old NUUN container for salt tabs, it holds about 20 tablets or enough for 10 hours of running.
They also help a lot of runners when they start feeling queasy or their stomach is ‘sloshing’.
S-caps have 340mg/pill
Hammer products have only 40mg/pill
I had a stint where I was getting severe calf cramps and some so bad I that I had calf pulls that kept me down for weeks. I never had any problems and couldnt figure out why I was getting them.
One day I was reading about how Creatine caused muscle cramping and found that my Whey Protein was fortified with Creatine.
As soon as I stopped supplementing with the Whey\Creatine mix my issues went away.
It was so strange, my legs turned to concrete and it was like the muscles would contract but not release. It took about a week of light running to get back to normal.
I have run low on electrolytes and locked up during races just as you described. I could tell it was coming on 4 days before the race as I was mildly cramping on easy training runs. It took me 4-5 days to get my electrolyte levels back up using NUUN and Pedialyte for all my hydration. It is not a condition that comes on in a single day and you can’t fix it in a single day.
I frequently have cramping issues. Over the years I’ve learned quite a bit about fighting them:
the mostly probable cause of cramping is low water. it’s easy to start the race or workout dehydrated so drinking at a normal rate just keeps you dehydrated. When I get cramps my initial response is to drink 1.5 to 2 bottles of water. (beware too much water is even more dangerous than too little) This is for when I haven’t had the need to make water during the training. I can confirm that this was the problem if I feel better almost instantly after drinking the water. If you don’t feel better immediately, water is not the problem move down the list
the second most likely cause is working at too high an intensity or poor form. I check my form, I go easy and see if I start feeling better. This takes longer.
electrolyte problems are common and related to water intake. For me they do not directly cause cramps, but tend to cause a more general lack of strength/energy/will. They also cause lack of thirst and inability to make water.
You can tell the difference between the two types of cramps in that water/electrolyte issues come on more gradually and tend to move around from one muscle to another. Intensity cramps are often in a single place and tend to stay there.
A few more notes:
Cramps may also be a combination of both things…
when working at a high intensity water may not be absorbed into the body… for me it will sit right in my stomach
Gu’s, food and carbs in general may slow water absorption. I’ve been in situations where my stomach is full and drinking water didn’t help because it had to get past all the other junk
Sodium helps regulate water content. It tends to force you make water when you have too much, and to make you thirsty when you have too little. Take the clue from what you feel! if you feel thirsty or a frequent need to go to the bathroom take some time to stop and think why you plan is off.
changes in temperature/humidity and effort level can make a hydration plan completely wrong… but it’s better to have a plan and modify it than to not have one…
Agreed on this… during period of hard training I’ll start getting headaches and salt cravings. It takes days to fix once I get to that state. I have avoided the problem by using S-Caps during long training sessions.