Wow, I have received a considerable amount of e-mails from you asking how to avoid the dreaded muscle cramps.

Can you relate to one of these photos?

Cramps can be the death of your race. Don’t you find it interesting you can run the first 20 miles with no issues then BAM! The legs go on lockdown. It hurts to move. The legs are frozen. Calf muscles no longer seem to exist. What the ……!

I believe there are several causes of cramps. Therefore, it’s necessary to deal with several factors to avoid them. The key factors are early race pace, hydration, minerals, electrolytes, weather, being adequate trained and a sufficient taper.

Recently I’ve seen research come out about Vitamin D deficiency and muscle cramping. Hmmm….I wonder if us Seattleites suffer more than other “sunny” parts of the country. I’ll do some online browsing because somebody must be doing a study on this.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin which plays an important role in regulating calcium, phosphorus and minerals in the body and for promoting normal bone development. If you are a regular cramp sufferer, it may be worthwhile to have your Vitamin D levels tested.

I experienced the worst leg cramps (calves) in my first marathon (Maui 2001) that slowed my pace considerably and reduced me to some walking after 21 miles. Looking back I know exactly why and how I got those cramps. So, in the process, I have adopted several techniques that I think are effective against cramps.

Pace is a major factor, probably the primary one that can lead to cramps. We often feel so damn good in the early miles that we are seduced into running just a few seconds per mile faster than goal race pace to “bank some time”, or because we want to believe that we underestimated our race potential. I think this was the primary cause, along with mineral/electrolyte depletion, of the cramps I experienced in my early marathons. It simply doesn’t work, unless you misjudged your goal pace to begin with. Running just 5-10 seconds per mile faster in the first half what you are truly capable of will extract a even bigger price in the second half. Positive splits harm your overall race performance. And, cramps can be one manifestation of them.

I highly recommend wearing a pace band to keep you on target pace and from going out to fast.

Potassium is an important mineral for cramp avoidance. Potassium is a mineral salt (electrolyte) that is essential for maintaining the balance of pH levels in our body fluids. When our bodies get out of electrolyte balance (like when running a marathon) cramping begins.  However, you can help avoid the problem of mineral imbalance if you follow a healthy, well-balanced, and plentiful diet of foods high in potassium. Potassium is naturally found in fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products. Specifically, great sources of potassium include: bananas, oranges, avocado, strawberries, spinach, broccoli, tuna, and halibut. I like to use bananas as one source of my race day fuel.

I have learned the value in using the sports drink and water offered during a marathon at every opportunity to supplement and replenish mineral and electrolyte stores. Don’t wait until midway through the race to use them. I’ve made the mistake of waiting until my brain said I was tired and/or thirsty and by then I was way too late. There is a 20minute delay from your muscles to your brain….so don’t wait.

However, I know of many people who cannot tolerate the sports drinks. For many, it causes upset stomachs and side aches. This is why you should experiment with different drinks and gels during your training runs. I find that bananas and water do the trick for me. But, if I also added a sports drink to the mix, I would get an upset stomach. I know because I have done it before. If you are a gel person, use them in lieu of a sports drink. Taking both can cause havoc on your system and throw off your electrolyte balance.

So, here are some suggestions for refueling:

• Banana and water
• Water and Gel
• Water and sports drink

But, not all 3 together or at once. You will have an “electrolyte explosion” and throw your mineral/water/electrolyte balance into freak mode if you put too much and too much variety all together at once.  Believe it or not this can cause muscle cramping!

Using the drink/gel/or fruit early delays depletion of your body’s stores. If you wait until your electrolyte stores are partially diminished before using the drink (or a gel), it’s too late. I take only one or twos bites of a banana, in addition to water, at 3 mile intervals (beginning after mile 10) during a race. But, that’s just me. You may find a different technique works for you. Bottom line: don’t wait too long and be sure to replace at regular intervals during the race.

Salt Pills?

What about salt pills? Well, my philosophy is they are not necessary. In fact, I don’t advise ‘em.  The reason I deem salt pills unnecessary is because the body generally consumes more salt than is recommended. Salt is used in the preparation and preservation of many foods and those who consume a large portion of their diet from either eating out or eating pre-packaged foods are likely consuming more than enough sodium. Most of us are walking around with plenty of salt in our system.

Besides, excess sodium results in a metabolic imbalance known as hypernatremia, an electrolyte disturbance that is defined by an elevated sodium level in the blood Hypernatremia is generally not caused by an excess of sodium, but rather by a relative deficit of free water in the body. Therefore, drink more water to help fix the problem.

However, running a marathon in hot and muggy climates does deplete salt stores quicker as you sweat profusely. In these cases, it may be necessary to aid with a salt. Again, it’s all individual. I know of plenty people who use salt tablets in marathons and it works for them. Just know your body and don’t try them for the first time on race day.

Not tapering before your marathon race can cause cramps. The taper is miraculous in marathon preparation. Done properly……neither too much nor too little work while tapering…..your body and mind will recover from any level of stress you placed on them during training and they will be at an optimum point of freshness and energy for the race. I do believe that being undertrained can be a factor in cramps, especially in endurance/stamina base. That’s why total mileage and a sufficient number of long runs of 18-22 miles are so important in a training program. Going into a marathon, I would be much more worried about being undertrained or under-tapered than overtrained or over-tapered for cramp avoidance.

Honestly, I think the most common cause of late race cramps in a marathon is running the first half too fast….with loss of hydration, electrolytes and minerals not far behind. You have to honestly assess the time that you are prepared to run…..then pace the first half a few seconds per mile slower than that. Trying to run a little aggressively and bank time usually leads to late race problems, often cramps. However, this puzzle does have several pieces. All have to be addressed. Only you can really evaluate your race and determine what the likely cause(s) were.

At any rate, hope this helps. If you have a technique that works for you to avoid cramps and I didn’t mention it here, please leave a comment and share it with the rest of us. Thanks.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 24th, 2010 at 4:07 am and is filed under Fitness, Run Training, Training, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted by admin | in Fitness, Run Training, Training, Uncategorized | 5 Comments