Calf Attack!

I had a very long trip home from Alaska. I had to take a flight from Juneau through Seattle and San Francisco which had me landing in Boston at 8:00 am on Saturday. I knew I was going to be attending my son’s District Championship Track Meet in Fitchburg when I got home. This meant that I would not be able to get out on the road for my normal Saturday long run. I figured that I would forgo that run and go out for a 10 miler on Sunday.

I woke up well rested on Sunday morning and decided to head out to one of my favorite loop routes. It has some nice rolling hills and keeps me out of the heavy trafficked areas of Westborough and Hopkinton. It was a beautiful morning for a run. I put in my headphones, turned on one of my favorite NPR podcasts and headed out. I was feeling great for the first 4 miles. Then I started to feel some cramping in my left calf muscle. I decided to turn around and start back home. The pain wasn’t too bad. Next, the right calf started to cramp up as well. The next thing I knew (at the 5 mile mark) was that I was in such pain from the cramping that I had to stop. The worst part was that I had a little over a mile to walk back home. I wasn’t sure if I could make it and I had not brought my cell phone with me to call my wife to come and pick me up.

I started the walk of shame with major pain in my calves. People driving by could see that I was limping and in pain. I tried not to look at them as they passed. I just wanted to get home, stretch and then ice them down. I did finally make it home and knew my calves were finished for the rest of the weekend. I would take Monday off and try to run on Tuesday if I felt up to it. I decided to look up what could have caused such severe cramps. After some research, I decided it was caused by two things – dehydration and poor nutrition. My lack of hydration and nutrition were caused by my week on the road. I never seem to get enough water when I travel and I am always off my diet when traveling, try as I might to stay on it.

Most people say that dehydration is linked to calf cramps. But, I could not find any clear correlation. It is mostly anecdotal evidence. As I read further, there were several articles that say improper hydration does correlate to muscle cramping as evidenced by the fact that many runners experience leg cramps during the night. As you know, you dehydrate quite a bit as you sleep. This is why I always drink about 4 - 6 ounces of water before I head out. I have not made a habit of drinking much water after dinner as it causes me to have to get up some time during the night to relieve myself thus disrupting my sleep.

When thinking about nutrition, runners all know that the biggest minerals we need in our diet to perform well are sodium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. There is clear evidence that if you are lacking in any of these nutrients, you will be prone to calf cramps. Like dehydration, leg cramps at night could be caused by the lack of nourishment we are getting while we sleep. I have noticed that I get minor cramps sometimes and that they tend to go away when I eat bananas which are good sources of potassium. One of my favorite pre-marathon foods is a banana and ½ peanut butter and honey sandwich. I have never cramped up during a marathon.

So exertion, dehydration and poor nutrition are all linked to muscle and calf cramps. Muscle and calf cramps are not something that you have to accept when you are out on the road. There are things we can do to avoid them. One of the key preventions is to complete a thorough warm up before heading out. A good warm up will stretch the cold muscles and increase the blood flow through your calves. This way your muscles are warm and pliable before putting the strain of running on them. But, don't forget the equally as important warm down. This should allow you to avoid your muscles tightening after a good work-out and have them recover quickly.

As I have discussed in previous entries, we must hydrate or die. Well, hydration is equally important in helping you avoid muscle cramps of all kinds. I have noticed that as the weather has been heating up, I have needed to drink more water while I am out on my runs. I sweat profusely and know that this is my body's natural cooling process. If I do not replace the water I am losing through sweat during my runs, I will not be able keep my calf cramps at bay. I am convinced that this current bout of cramps is caused mostly by dehydration and lack of potassium in my blood stream.

I noticed in my research that there is some controversy about whether or not lack of potassium causes muscle fatigue and cramping. But, from what I have read, the evidence for potassium deficiency being a cause of muscle cramping is more prevalent than the evidence against it. Besides, I had not been eating my normal healthy diet the past few weeks and suddenly I experience these severe muscle cramps. Coincidence...I don't think so.

Potassium is a mineral that works with sodium to balance the fluids and electrolyte levels in our body. Since steady fluid levels help to regulate your heartbeat and prevent muscles from cramping, potassium is of particular importance to runners. According to nutrition experts, you should be taking in 3,500 milligrams of potassium to meet your daily needs. But, high mileage runners should be taking in closer to 4,700 milligrams of potassium to prevent any type of fatigue or cramping. To help increase the potassium in my bloodstream I typically eat bananas, avocadoes and cantaloupe. But, according to Runner's World, if you don't like these foods, they suggest trying any of the following as they all have more than 225 milligrams of the mineral per half-cup serving: apricots, honeydew, kiwi, lima beans, milk, oranges, prunes, spinach, tomatoes, meats, poultry, or fish.

This week I made a conscious effort to drink more water and to eat foods rich in potassium. I did notice that my calf cramps did seem to ease up each day. Unfortunately, there is still a lingering tightness and soreness when I run. I am going to have to keep up my regimen and hope that my lower legs get back to normal. I am also planning to go and have a deep tissue massage which should also help.

Here are my training totals:
May 30 – 6.00 miles (57:39, 9:40 pace)
June 1 – 4.50 miles (37:39, 8:22 pace) – Tempo Run
June 2 – 6.20 miles (52:25, 8:27 pace)
June 3 – 6.00 miles (51:02, 8:20 pace) – Tempo Run
June 4 – 6.20 miles (55:38, 8:58pace)
June 5 – 10.30 miles (1:34:16, 9:09 pace)

Total Miles: 39.20 miles
2010 YTD Miles: 728.80 miles