With California off the list I'm looking to my next Marathon in a week!
And the next state will be....
South Dakota!!! *Cheer & applause*
If you've been reading along then you've probably noticed my small hitch in running... leg cramps! Particularly, hamstring cramps. I seemed to be getting pain in my hamstrings anywhere between mile 16 and mile 26 that feels as though someone is jabbing knives into me. I've been told these are cramps. So... I'm looking for YOUR help!!! Below are my list of problems/solution, but if you have any other tricks/tips to add please feel free! I'm desperate and will try anything... even if that involves drinking a bottle of pickle juice-- apparently!!!! I'll post the accumulated list early next week and we can play guinea pig... with myself acting as the guinea pig. I'll try anything... well nearly anything!
Problems... (what is causing the pain)
~ Cramps... from dehydration
~ Cramps... from lack of Salt
~ Muscle fatigue... from lack of muscle strengthening (with these tree trunks?? Please!)
~ Muscle fatigue... from running 9 marathons this year idiot (toward me)!!!
Possible Solutions...
~ Constant influx of cytomax for a week before the race. This is supposed to help with hydration.
~ Pickle Juice... I'm not even kidding. MB threw out this tid bit. It's an old school remedy, but I'm willing to try. The idea is to get salt directly into your system. Anybody know how MUCH pickle juice??
~ Strength training those hammies!!! (with the number of marathons I've been doing and my speed workouts, its been difficult to get a lot of strength training in). So I've added in a few workouts posted in runners world that Ryan Hall does! I'm a HUGE proponent of strength training for both adding speed and for injury prevention!!! What do I normally do?...
... Walking lunges... forwards and backward*** my favorite
... Box step-ups--- ryan adds a twist with uneven weighted box steps. This is supposed to help your hip muscle and IT band issues.
~Salt Tabs? These are not easy to transport while racing so I'll have to figure something out.
For strength training... my coach has often suggested that hammy issues stem from weaker quads. Runners typically have really strong hamstrings but NOT quads. Work the oppposite muscles!
ReplyDeleteAlso - salt tabs. I just throw a small handful into a little siploc baggy and stuck it in a pocket or in my bra if I have to!
I have never tried this myself but my friend who runs marathons say that she carries a mustard pack and takes it at the first sign of cramps.. Not sure why it works, but she said it does... She learned the trick from her brother who played football... I should probably try this myself before passing it along, but there you go :)
ReplyDeleteBest of luck in the next state.
I take Endurolyte tablets on hot, long, sweaty runs and they do well with warding off cramps...I wrap them in plastic wrap and stick them in my bra or shorts.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy SoDak! What a beautiful part of the world!
Hey, I found your blog through Mel over at Tall Mom on the Run!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering about:
Box step-ups--- ryan adds a twist with uneven weighted box steps. This is supposed to help your hip muscle and IT band issues.
I have some IT band issues and the chiropractor said my hips were weak! Do you have a link to that exercise so I can figure it out!?
Happy Running, I will be following your blog and cheering you along!
Amanda
IT IS PICKLE JUICE WITH SULZER WATER. OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YOUR GRANDMOTHER HAS SOMETHING ELSE SHE USES, SHE CAN TELL YOU BECAUSE SHE ALSO GETS CRAMPS ALL OVER BECAUSE OF THE CHEMO ASK GRANDMA, SHE CANT BELIEVE HOW WELL IT WORKS
ReplyDeleteLOVE AND KISSES YOUR MOTHER MOM
HYPONATEMIA, baby, HYPONATEMIA! That's my guess. I can't remember ... what were you drinking during the marathon?
ReplyDeleteJust in a cursory look in the subject, it looks like you'll lose a rather high concentration of sodium through sweat. Depending on the sodium concentration of what you were drinking, you may have been further screwing up your blood sodium concentration.
This is an oversimplification and there are multiple confounding factors, but if your sweat has a higher sodium concentration than your replacement fluid, you're diluting your blood's sodium concentration, although not as much as if you drank plain water. You'll never know how much dilution has actually taken place at the aid stations.
Next time it happens, see if there is medical staff present who can draw blood and get the sodium concentration checked.
Right now, I'm sidin' with Mama ... try the pickle juice!
I agree withw WII i have the same problem, but how do you solve it???and you can die from it while running uck... its not as bad in the cooler weather marathons but still can be bad..
ReplyDeleteMOM