I competed in my first HIM this past weekend and cramped BAD right out of transition from the bike to the run. I couldn’t get it to go away until 8 miles into the run (and only partially then). What are the possibilities of what is going on? On the bike I took in one bottle of hammer/ water, one bottle of water, one half bottle of gatorade as well as 12 Enduralytes and two clif bars. It was hot (upper 80s during bike and into 90s for run) and sunny. I am going back over the last couple of days of food intake, but could there be anything else other than hydration? Uneven peddle stroke?? I have not had any problems like this in my training and I have done 60+ miles hard and 30 min run after that in training. Any and all help would be MUCH appreciated. I am doing Steelhead in a couple of weeks as my A race and really don’t want to have to walk the run portion of the race that I have been training for all year.
When I read the headline of your post, I said to myself that you didn’t have enough electrolites, but then I read your post and see that you took 12 endurolytes, which sounds like it should have been enough…
If you really overloaded your body, in the days leading up to race day, with water, you might have started the race with an improper electrolite balance (too much water relative to your electrolite levels).
What does your running stride look like? Are you a heel striker?
i had the same problem on Saturday, i did a double work out for about close to 5 hours. and cramped up on my 2nd run. it was hot. i took in water and electrolytes. I think in my case it is just that i am biking too hard. i don’t know if that is your case.
I haven’t really had my stride analyzed, but I would say that I strike mid foot. I am typically running around 7 min/ mile off the bike this year. I didn’t really get to run before cramping though. I literally cramped withing 20 yards out of T2. I know that I have had nutrition issues previously (lack of electrolytes), I had the same thing happen at mile 21 last year in my first marathon. I do sweat A LOT. I was going to drink more but I had two water bottles bounce out on the bike. ARG!! I also took in 40 oz of hammer gel/ water on the run (fuel belt) plus a water and gatorade cup at each aid station on the run trying to flush out the lactic acid while walking.
What has your training plan looked like? What’s your average hours in each discipline/week? Cramping that quickly would lead me to believe it’s fitness related.
M - off day
T - Swim 5000 yds, bike 1 hr 30 min
W - Run 6 miles (have to run dog =o), softball
Th - Swim 3500 yds (spd day), bike 1 hr 30 min
F - Run 6 miles (run dog again)
S - 3 hr 30 min ride followed by 30 min run
S - long run 12 - 14 miles (usually under 1 hr 50 min)
This is a typical week right now. T and Th rides are usually hilly rides (in Michigan standards anyway), but the HIM last weekend was flat.
How long have you been doing this type of training week? Did I read in your first post you’re training at seven min run miles? The training week looks adequate but if you’re truly racing the clock it’s probably a little light. JMO.
I am in week 16 of my 20 week program. This is my second year of Triathlon which last year was about the same but a bit lighter as I was only doing Olympics last year. As for the 7 min/ mile that is my pace off of the bike typically which I have gone 11 miles in training (running) off the bike at this pace so far. What do you mean by “racing the clock”? Kind of lost me there.
I had killer quad cramping issues and I’m little and don’t sweat much. My issue was hydrating too much before races, like another poster mentioned. It’s important to obviously take in electrolytes during the race, especially since you sweat a lot, but pay attention to what you are doing prior to the race. I changed a few things and have not had any issues with cramping. I pretty much only drink sports drink in the days prior to races, not gallons of water that flush electrolytes. Another little trick is V8. Look at how much sodium and potassium is in a can! I drink a can or two a day leading up to a race and race morning. Good luck!
It’s probably enough to get you to the finish line of a moderately pace 1/2 IM but to race the clock and get to the finish line as quickly as possible for yourself it’s probably not enough training. You sound as if you’re pushing the limits of your fitness. It has nothing to do with electrolyte replacement if your cramping as you dismount your bike. There’s something muscular involved.
It’s probably enough to get you to the finish line of a moderately pace 1/2 IM but to race the clock and get to the finish line as quickly as possible for yourself it’s probably not enough training. You sound as if you’re pushing the limits of your fitness. It has nothing to do with electrolyte replacement if your cramping as you dismount your bike. There’s something muscular involved.
I agree with you. His training plan seems a little low on cycling mileage for the 1/2 IM distance. Of course it depends on many things like base mileage and so on. It sounds as if he comes from a running background if he is coming off the bike running 7:00 minute miles, so he is probably good there.
Last year at Steelhead I had some cramping issues in my quads. There actually was a lot of cramping discussion here on this forum about muscle cramping. It seems that most of the time cramps are due to lack of fitness rather than electrolyte imbalance. In my case, I was pushing myself and I just didn’t have the mileage under my belt. You can fake it for sprints and olympic distances to some degree, but the 1/2 IM and longer will expose your weaknesses.
The muscles on both sides of my knees (yeah both knees) knot up and it is all but impossible to run. When I try to run through it, my inner thighs start to cramp. I take that as a “yes I mean STOP!” moment and walk at that point. I have tried to stop at that point and strech but when I stretch my quads my other muscles cramp in my thighs (groins, hamstrings, etc) making it all but impossible to stretch. I guess I could push it harder in training to see if it is fitness like some are suggesting.
I don’t know if it’s as much about pushing harder as it’s probably more important to up your volume. JMO. I have no business coaching. That’s for sure.