A few notes about me cramping during a marathon ... for those that have known me for a while, you've heard my stories. Either just bear with me, or skip this. But I'll share the story again in the hopes that maybe someone reading this might have some more advice to offier me. In 22 marathons, I've never been able to run the whole thing. I've always been stopped by leg cramps. Sometimes they start as early as 13 miles, sometimes as late as 23 or so. I've learned in the last year that I can run through them for a while and they will (usually) eventually release. This is especially true when it's just my calves that are involved. But when it gets to the point where it's calves, hamstrings and especially adductors (inner side of upper leg), I can't move. And I want to scream. I have to stand there and massage the cramps until they release. Yesterday, mile 25 was 15:22 and mile 26 was 16:27. I am embarrassed at all my mile splits for that marathon, but the last two were torture. So ... what I have I tried that might resolve the problem? LOTS of hydration the day before. Friday night I was up 3 times to pee. LOTS of hydration during the race. (Usually I have to stop at least once on the course to pee, but yesterday I didn't.) I take electrolyte capsules during the race. Yesterday, probably 6 or 7. I've tried Endurolytes, Succeed and one other that escapes me. I salt my food the day or two before the race. I've tried carrying small baggies of Heed or Perpetuem (Hammer products) during the race and mixing my own non-simple sugar electrolyte drinks during the race. I've gone out slow ... nothing faster than 9:00 pace. Yesterday I took 3 or 4 GUs (can't remember as I gave one away and don't remember exactly how many I started with). One MD suggested I needed more calcium in my diet so I started taking calcium citrate. I use The Stick regularly. I know the cramping is worse the warmer it is. So ... I'm really at a loss as to what else to try. Any and all suggestions are welcome. I'd love, just once, to be physical or mental fatigue be the limiting factor in a marathon, and not leg cramps. JUST ONCE.
My day today started at Panera with Dave, Emily, Jean, Kristin, Millie, Tom and eventually the "other" Tom. We headed toward the Cascade trail and the new bridge and bike path. My legs actually felt pretty good after about 10 strides. By about 3 1/2 miles, my right knee was a little sore so I decided it would be best, to try to avoid injury, if I turned around and did a walk/run back to Panera. So I got in 7.01 miles before we went inside for coffee.
At about 11:30, I helped someone move an extremely heavy desk from an upstairs bedroom out to his truck. I was giving it away on Craigslist. It's all steel and boy was that a workout. But nothing in the house got damaged in the process so all good.
After that I went for a bike ride as Paige was under the weather and we were going to ride a 44-mile loop this afternoon. I decided that 30 would probably be just fine so I rode through Rock Dell and just past highway 30 before turning around. Wicked SE wind, but that made riding north a whole lot of fun. All in all it was a beautiful day.
This evening my house was "staged" before being photographed tomorrow afternoon. All clutter (i.e. knicknacks, photographs, "stuff") had to be removed (even rugs in the bathrooms) and it has to look like I don't live here. I think she was successful.
Well, time to call it a day. Hope you all had a great weekend, and a great week ahead.
Good night ............
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