Cramping
i have a question for anybody who has done multiple Ironman's and is familiar with avoiding cramping, first let me say i am a chiropractor and am pretty knowledgable about basic nutrtion however in louisville ironman i cramped up severly on the bike and ran the whole marathon with bad cramps on my quads. I never cramp during training, does anybody have any ideas about this. my nutrtion on the bike is infinit nutrtion every 15 minutes and water and once an hour i replace the infinit with 2 block gels or 3 crackers. Help!
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Mike,
I probably don't know as much as you.... but my first thoughts would be did you hydrate more than usual for the brutal conditions? and have you been able to train in conditions like the race day in Louisville? Other than that, I think cramps have to do with whether or not your body is in shape, which obviously it was, now it is environmental factors that may have been the "x" factor. That is the first place I would look into. Other than that, I have no clue, cramps just come a go as they please!
Mike,
From the research that I have seen up on line. The experts don’t yet seem to agree on the true cause for cramps. This is an excerpt from the Mayo clinic web site.
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Overuse of a muscle, dehydration, muscle strain or simply holding a position for a prolonged period of time may result in a muscle cramp. Athletes who become fatigued and dehydrated while participating in warm-weather sports frequently develop muscle cramps. In many cases, however, the exact cause of a muscle cramp isn't known.
Although most muscle cramps are harmless, some may be related to an underlying medical condition, such as:
? Inadequate blood supply. Narrowing of the arteries that deliver blood to your legs (arteriosclerosis of the extremities) can produce cramp-like pain in your legs and feet while you're exercising. These cramps usually go away soon after you stop exercising.
? Nerve compression. Compression of nerves in your spine (lumbar stenosis) also can produce cramp-like pain in your legs. The pain usually worsens the longer you walk. Walking in a slightly flexed position — such as you would employ when pushing a shopping cart ahead of you — may improve your symptoms.
? Mineral depletion. Too little potassium, calcium or magnesium in your diet can contribute to leg cramps. Some diuretic medications prescribed for high blood pressure cause loss of potassium.
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Now with that being said I had bad leg cramps at IM CDA 8 weeks ago. These started heavy on the swim quads and Hamstrings which have never happened even in some over distance 3 mile open water swim in prep for the race. The cramps then showed back up on the run in big way. On that day I had been taking my salt tabs ?? At dinner one of the EN team commented that cold water has been known to give surfers leg cramps. So that is the explanation I hold on to for that day.
Matt
Cramping is such a tough topic. I've some about it in some books, most notably Lore of Running, and some others, and there is nothing consistent. I am a Hammer Nutrition user, but I don't use any of their salt supplements since I've yet to really cramp badly in any situation. Its just weird that if there are any imbalances in the body no matter if its hydration, salt, food, etc., you'd think more than one muscle group would cramp up. That is my simple mindedness at work. I understand that your legs are doing a lot of work, but other muscles are doing work too. I just try to avoid them!!!! Good luck fellas and I hope it doesn't happen to anyone again.
Dan