So this is the problem…49 year old triathlete and doing triathlons for more than 10 years by now.
I started swimming from childhood and also have been playing waterpolo for more than 25 years, so the swim is my best discipline, usually coming out of the water in the top 5%.
In OD or half Ironman distances I don’t have any issues during the swim leg and I can hold a 1:27-1:28/ 100 m, which is a very comfortable pace I could hold forever.
But during an Ironman swim every time my legs start cramping after 2.8-3k. The only way I can handle it is to really slow down, even stop for a while and do some awkward kind of breaststroke kicking…
During the swim I’m doing a very easy 2 beat kick, just to keep balance and nice body position, not for propulsion, in order to save energy for the bike and run as well.
Once I try to speed up a bit these cramps return immediately.
Of course I do a proper warm up beforehand and I’ m well hydrated before the start etc…
As cramping occurs at the last part of the swim I’m starting to believe it is a lack of specific fitness of my leg and core muscles. I have to tell you that I don’ t spend much time doing lots of kick drills ( because I’m just using my legs for balancing) or core training , so there might be a part of the solution.So I call upon the slowtwitch wisdom an I hope to get some sound advice to avoid these annoying issues.
Thanks!
I had a similar issue that was remedied by tugging the legs of my wetsuit down putting my calf muscles in a more neutral position. Instead of them being “pulled and held up”.
Have you tried flexing your foot periodically (and early) during the swim? In polo you are constantly flexing your foot while doing egg beater and turning/maneuvering. During swim practice (unless it is all OWS practice) you are flip turning, giving your calves a stretch when you push off the wall. During OWS your toes are pointed for a very long time and that can cause cramps in your calves. When are your feet ever pointed that long (except maybe in bed sleeping all night)? Giving them a quick stretch by simply flexing your foot hard could be all it takes. It will feel like you are putting the brakes on for a second, but it still beats getting a cramp.
Thanks for your suggestions and advice! But the calves aren’t the problem…my upper leg muscles esp. Sartorius and vastus medialis and problably rectus femoris are the bad guys.That’s why I thought that specific strength/ endurancetraining might help.
Do sets with a kickboard, wearing shorty fins to toughen those muscles up. Build up their potential power in training, then don’t use it in a race, and you won’t cramp.
Do sets with a kickboard, wearing shorty fins to toughen those muscles up. Build up their potential power in training, then don’t use it in a race, and you won’t cramp.
Thanks a lot! Sounds right and it gives me a good excuse to buy some new stuff
I thank you all for your replies, opinions, tips and advices!
I’m going to buy a pair of fins and a kickboard to build swim specific strength and endurance of my upper leg muscles.
