Don’t Cramp Your Style
It all feels perfect – sun beam kissing your face, cool breeze lightly caressing your skin, motivational theme song pumping. You’re breathing easy and each stride feels light and natural. You start to ponder thoughts of a gazelle version of you bounding through the savannah. Free. Easy. This is what running is meant to be.
Then it hits you, out of nowhere, a sucker-punch – the familiar but sickly feeling of the onset of a cramp. It could be a side stitch, a stomach cramp or perhaps a painful, involuntary contraction of your leg muscle. You try to push on but with every step the feeling gets exponentially worse and you start to make a goldfish like motion with your mouth as you gaze up to the heavens and gasp for air. Your mind goes into overdrive and you start to pray that this nightmare will pass. But it doesn’t and you are forced to a painful halt.
Cramps are the bane of the running fraternity. They are the painful and debilitating evil arch nemesis of a runner’s high; runner’s kryptonite if there was such a thing.
They’re a common evil. A study of 848 runners and walkers revealed that 27% had experienced exercise related cramps at some point or another. So, can you prevent them and is there anything you can do?
Firstly, know thy enemy. Unfortunately, running cramps are a mystery to many physiologists and doctors as to their true mechanisms. A number of theories have been suggested over the years however the ones below attempt to consolidate the more popular and mainstream ideas.
Cramps?
Side cramp aka stitch
Often manifests as a sharp pain in the side or your lower abdominal area. Shallow breathing is the main culprit here. Other factors may include an imbalance of blood electrolytes such as calcium, potassium and sodium. Another cause that has been theorized links running to bouncing forces inside your abdominal walls, causing your organs to bump into each other as your feet hits the ground. The connective tissue thus stretches on the nerves and causes pain. This connective tissue is also attached to your diaphragm which helps regulate breathing.
Stomach cramps
Shallow and irregular breathing may once again play a role, as may your pre workout diet. Here, exercising on too full a stomach hinders deep breathing. Electrolyte levels play an important role in preventing stomach cramps too.
Muscle cramps
Muscle cramps are often an indication of dehydration and sodium depletion.
Prevention is better than cure
Despite the ongoing debate on the causes of cramps, there are a few recommended steps that you can take to reduce your risk of cramping.
1. Deep lung breathing. Place your hand on your stomach and breath deeply. If you are doing this right and breathing from your lower lungs, your stomach should rise when you inhale and fall when you exhale. New runners tend to be more prone to stitches as they are not yet accustomed to this method of breathing. They also tend to start out on a run too quickly instead of easing gently into their target pace. Nervousness can also play a part by leading to rapid and shallow breathing. If you think you might feel nervous before a race, doing some mental preparation and mental imagery a few days leading up towards race day can help. The idea is to play a mental video of how the day will be like in your mind, with as much detail as possible, right down to the attire and gear you will be wearing.
2. Eat smart. As cramps are also often linked to digestion issues, you should be mindful of what you eat before running, opting for food types which are easily digestible i.e. low in fat and moderate fiber. Also, try to avoid eating 2 – 4 hours before your run.
3. Hydration. Aim to consume about 600 ml of fluid an hour to two before your run and about 90 ml every 15 minutes during. It is also a good idea to ensure you maintain your sodium levels during a long distance run by consuming fluids with electrolytes or taking a salty snack like pretzels along with you.
4. Regular stretching. Pay special attention to your muscles that are most prone to cramping – stretch them out regularly. Make sure you are gentle but thorough.
5. Prepare appropriately for the event. Ensure that your body has had the necessary training to adequately adapt to handle the race or exercise that it is being put through. Besides running, you want to ensure that core strengthening exercises and plyometrics support your training regime. On the other hand, you want to ensure you do not over train. Acclimatizing yourself or dressing appropriately for the conditions is also important.
I’ve got cramps, help!
In the unfortunate event that cramps still hit you, start by slowing down, to a walk or even stopping if need be and rehydrate preferably with a sports drink that can restore your electrolyte balance. Regulate your breathing by concentrating on lower lung breathing and give yourself time to recover – in order to keep a cramp at bay, you need to take the stress off your muscles. Stretch the affected muscle to help relax the spasm and apply deep pressure locally at the affected site to help relieve some of the pain and discomfort.