Salt - Performance Enhancer

[Trossachs?]

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

[Graeme]

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.

[Alf Tupper]

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.

[dominion]

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?

[daz h]

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

[Grubby]

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 but funny 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, 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 ?

[Pike]

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

[Grubby]

Thanks Pike

[Max]

Use "LO SALT" as it also contains potassium, essential for the heart.

Regards,

Max.

[Clarky]

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.

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