Old Man Still running

Hi. I'm not a marathoner, and only just got back into running more on a regular basis. But I came across a link once on avoiding calf cramps during marathons, and am sending it along to you in case it helps. http://mysite.verizon.net/jim2wr/id66.html. (The article is a bit dated, so just take what you can from it!)

Good luck in Boston!!

Thanks CookieLegs, some good thoughts in the article. I think my main problem is just not enough tempo run training. The more I do, the longer it takes for any cramping to kick in. Perhaps it has to do with fast twich muscle fibers. I just don't do enough training at marathon pace. But I think I've been doing better. In the article it also mentions pre-race-loading of electrolytes. I've never bought into that, haven't seen any convincing studies. In fact, that can harm your performance. You need a balance.

My husband has to seriously LOAD up on electrolytes (and SALT) before marathons to help him avoid cramping. It has been fairly successful for him, but he drinks like 60 ounces of Gatorade a day for two weeks before.

Kelli, I would greatly caution anyone doing something like that. I believe all it is doing to help is to make sure Scott is well-hydrated before the run. Then during a run he probably is careful to make sure he is taking in electrolytes. Our bodies do not store up excess electrolytes. They quickly dump the excess. It is not like carb loading.

The concentration of sodium in the blood is highly regulated and remains relatively constant. All that “electrolyte loading” does is train your body to be more dependent on sodium, like dumping salt on every meal you eat. If it is more dependant, during a race, it will need more salt during the race, making cramping even more likely. If you take in a bunch of sodium, your kidneys will excrete the excess fairly quickly, within hours. If you take extra potassium, it is also excreted.

Also, there are a lot easier ways to get the right amount of electrolyte replacement than drinking tons of Gatorade. Yuk. But if it works for Scott, great. I just don’t believe it is helping, other things are.

I've never even come close to running a marathon, but from a biology standpoint, I tend to agree with Crockett regarding the electrolyte loading. The body tries to maintain a certain ratio of water/sodium/potassium and doesn't like it when that ratio gets out of whack.

I do agree with the article's suggestion that it is best to replenish your fluid, minerals, and electrolyte stores by taking in an electrolyte solution/gel periodically during the early miles of the marathon. Using the drinks/gels as early as you can delays depletion of your body's stores. Of course, this all depends on the race day temperature and how much you are sweating during the race. (ie, if it's 70 & sunny, start early. If it's 40, it probably isn't as important.)

Kelli, do you and Scott ever take gatorade/gels during your long runs? Some people have called you a running machine, but I think of you more like a running angel!! You should do great!

Crockett - I think you'll do great too!!

Oh, and I think it would work great to drink plenty of gatorade the morning of the race, and maybe the night before, just not 2 weeks before. Of course, if you drink bunches of it the night before, you'll be up using the bathroom all night long, so maybe save it for just the morning! :)

That is interesting! At the Ogden marathon, Scott crawled in (really, his time was 3:36 or something, but he was on par for a 3:12 at mile 21). He was in the medical tent for 3 hours while they waited for the sodium (or was it potassium?) levels in his blood to go back up. They were the ones that suggested he drink a ton of gatorade (and pedialyte) and put salt on everything. He actually takes sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium pills every day. Who knows what it is doing for him. He managed to BQ in St George, so it must have worked somewhat!

This time around he has not done much of anything, aside from all of the pills. he drinks maybe one gatorade a day (after running). He does take GU's and drinks both water and gatorade while running, and he takes some salt pill they gave him at Wasatch Running. Seriously, if running is this complicated, WHY DO IT?????? he is a very efficient sweater, so he has to replenish it all somehow, but it seems like overkill to me.

As far as me, I will take a PowerBar gel maybe once in a long run every once in a while, and I have had up to 3 during a marathon. They make me sick, but the caffeine is a good kick. I also get sick with gatorade, it is too sugary. During a race, I grab a cup of water and gatorade and mix them so I can handle it, but I do not drink much. When I do, I am proud i could handle it. I am working on the drinking and eating, I need to be able to do it so I can be amazing and run an ultra like Crockett!

Thanks for calling me an ANGEL!

Wow, what a story. I'm amazed they told him to do that. To me it sounds like during a race, his body just dumps electrolytes very fast...perhaps he sweats a ton or something. During a race it is all about electrolyte replacement and it really varies by person. For most people Gatorade doesn't have enough electrolytes to replace the loss. Boy, I wouldn't try to push all that stuff between races unless he had tests beteen races and a doctor told him too. High sodium diets can eventually do bad things.

But yes, during a race electrolyte replacement is critical. I take an S-cap about once per hour. Others have to take more because they sweat more or they have so much sodium in their diets that they require more.

Anyway, if you really want an expert option, Karl King who develops and markets the Suceed! Caps is really the one to ask. He understands all the science behind this and knows of all the studies. He loves consulting and replies to emails fast. He is at karl.king44@yahoo.com

Thanks, I will tell my husband to e-mail him. I think the S-caps might be what they gave him at Wasatch Running.

What they told him after Ogden was that his body is too efficient at sweating and that he goes into races already depleted. Honestly, he did a bunch of whacky stuff before St George, but he did not feel like it helped all that much. He believes he just needs to get used to it. However, he takes all of those pills in some funky combination as told to by some sports doctor. We will see, but it is worth talking to your guy and seeing what he says!

I hate pills, vitamins, all of that stuff! i like to just get what my body needs from food!!!