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I have heard several runners talk about this and especially dioralite before long hot hill races. They swear by it. I took some an hour before Rotterdam which didn't seem to help avoid cramp, but I think that was maybe extreme heat. Had same afterwards though and I am sure it helped recovery except for knot in right thigh which is still not perfect. Will keep trying though, this week before Stuc for example.
Jason
That was another thing those mountaineers were talking about too, diarolyte that is. The other thing everyone used to rave about was fortisip, but that's a different topic altogether.
I take roasted and heavily salted spuds for food on ultra training runs (anything above 30) In Don Allison The Definitive Guide to Ultrarunning they mention salt use in there. Also i find that my tastes change to wanting salty foods towards the end of race , maybe your body tells u what u need.
Back in the 80's I marshalled a drinks station, at a marathon somewhere (no idea where), and all the Japanese runners were turning up asking for salt. We hadn't got a clue.... Doesn't it help you're body to rehydrate?
no wonder dom it wasnt salt they wanted it was sushi :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by dominion
Cramp and Salt
For what it's worth - Time was I couldn't run for more than two and a half hours without getting severe cramp in the inner quads. Very painful :confused: but funny:D for spectators to watch me in my 'death throes'. By taking salt tablets I was able to extend these runs to three and a half hours. Then I discovered that by taking a Quinine Sulphate tablet, on prescription,:eek: I was able to get may be 6 or 7 hours of hard hill-time, if the weather was crap. Stopped taking salt then. However experiences since, suggest I should continue to take salt as well, and drink more than I do. Will definitely try taking dioralyte during a race and may be some savoury food beforehand.
Salt tablets seem difficult to get now - any ideas ?
www.pills2u.co.uk/ProductDetails/mcs/referrer/froogle/productID/55701/groupID/31/categoryID/76
I could have done with a mouth full of these half way round the 3 peaks :rolleyes:
Thanks Pike
Use "LO SALT" as it also contains potassium, essential for the heart. :)
Regards,
Max. ;)
My experience of cramp is zero. Or at least I think it's zero.
To my knowledge I have never had cramp in my legs, arms, etc...but.....
I have done 10 road marathons & Borrowdale (for a laugh), 9 of my marathons have been run under 3:15. :eek:
I actually ended up in hospital; 3 years ago as I very nearly crashed my car on the way home from Freckleton Half marathon, I started to get this awful pain as I was walking back to my car & then pain came in my lower stomach & it was excruciating, I have never felt anything like it. I was screaming in agony, sweating, being sick, had diarrhea, shaking & was delirious. An ambulance took me to hospital & gave me morphine for the pain. After 5 hours I got up & walked out. I was fine then. Then at another marathon I did 2 years ago, the same thing happened again, except the pain was much worse, then I was taken to hospital in London & once, I was given some pain relief & after 5 hours I got up & was fine, I joined my friends in the pub. Then again at another marathon last October, the same again, the hospital this time was in Oxford. It doesn't happen until about an hour & a half after I have finished running & it comes on so suddenly, there is nothing I can do about it. Since then I have seen my GP who recommended I go private for a quicker solution, so I went to see a gynaecologist & had several Ultra Sounds - all ok. I had loads of blood tests etc... then went on the NHS waiting list for an MRI which was clear, I already knew it would be. So... all this brings me to London this year, where after loads of discussions with various running buddies I/we thought it was something to do with the amount of water I was taking on & maybe watering down my salt, potassium & magnesium levels. I do spend a lot of time on the loo (as I am sure we all do) before big races, so I thought that maybe my body was not absorbing these nutrients & combined with the fact that I cut out adding salt to my cooked food about 3 years ago, it all made sense now. I/we decided I was suffering from CRAMP, but cramp in my UTERUS muscle. Having not suffered from cramp I am unsure as to what the pain is like. I also do long runs as part my training, but have never suffered.
I did London again this year & was terrified of it happening again, so a friend suggested that it was not just salt that I was lacking but all the other nutrients as well. A lady at our club suggested I take the BOOTS brand of Re-hydration Treatment sachets, they are Blackcurrant flavour. I bought some in London & took one the day before to see what it was like & later that day I practiced tipping the sachet straight into my mouth with just a swig of water to follow, I was ok with it. On race day, I packed some in my bag with my gels & took one as I got up, then took another at 13 miles & then another at 24 miles & then another when I had finished. It was such a relief to be still standing after 2 hours & pain free.
I still do not know if this is the answer & I was frightened of taking too many sachets, but it seemed to work for me & I have made the sachets a regular part of my running plans now. I take a sachet if I am doing a long run or a half marathon.
Not sure if this will help anyone, but I think its my experience of cramp :confused: :confused: