Try as I might, I legit can't run more than like a quarter mile without my calves siezing up. What. The. Deuce. It's really getting annoying. I take baby Taco out for a walk/run at the dog park, and halfway around the lake, mama has to stop and stretch out her calves.
Frankly, I'm surprised it's my calves, as usually my pain issues are concentrated in my lower back and right hip from a work-related injury in 2008ish. Now my CALVES are jumping ship, too?? Uncool, guys. Uncool.
So basically, the next plan is just to fight my way through it.
Since I don't have an iPod or any other portable music device, I sing to myself to get through the running and subsequent walking. Usually I just sing "Just Keep Swimming" a'la Dory from Finding Nemo in my head the entire time, but that gets a bit tedious.
What are your go-to work out/inspiration/motivating/jam out songs? I need help with a playlist I can sing in my head. Or maybe for the day when I have enough disposable income to purchase an iPod. GO.
Hey Angie - I know, calf cramps and muscle spasms are the worst!
ReplyDeleteSome athletes and trainers recommend magnesium supplements to prevent cramps, although scientific controlled trials don't show any statistically significant benefit of extra magnesium for leg cramps (Garrison et al 2012: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22972143).
Insight from Carol E. Torgan, Ph.D., FACSM, exercise physiologist at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in "Solutions for Cramps":
"Do you get cramps in muscles that are not working very hard during cycling (such as the biceps)? If you do, this suggests a systemic factor is the main culprit (e.g., an electrolyte imbalance or dehydration). However, if cramps only occur in the muscles doing all the work, then fatigue is probably to blame. *
Do cramps occur only in hot conditions, or do you get them if you ride hard on mild days? Review your training diary and look for patterns a la Sherlock Holmes. Check weather conditions, type/length of ride, eating/drinking patterns the day before, during and after the ride, location(s) of the cramps, etc. For example, if your cramps always occur in the same muscle when you ride a certain bike in a certain position (i.e. aero), then you can pinpoint it to local muscle fatigue and train accordingly."
For more from Carol Torgan on this, see http://www.roadbikerider.com/miscellaneous-medical/solutions-cramps
hope this helps :)