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5ksandcabernets: An interesting revelation

5ksandcabernets

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

An interesting revelation

When I've had cramps in long races, they usually start in my inside right thigh.

They start there, I try to stretch, try to hydrate more, and things get worse and worse and pretty soon, I'm sick to my stomach from too many fluids, and worse, my whole leg starts pulsating and then the spasms start and then we are talking 12 and 13 minute miles.

But maybe these "cramps" I'm having are not really cramps at all.

My long run last Saturday called for 6 miles out, 5 1-minute hill repeats, and 6 miles back. (They didn't tell us before the run, but the 12-miler was actually 13 miles. Sneaky, sneaky!)

Sure enough, my inner right thigh started bothering me when the hills started. I stretched some during the hills, at mile 8, and again at mile 10. Because I'd held back the first half of the run, I was strong enough to do the last three miles in under 24 minutes.

Still, I was kinda bummed about my right thigh. Good thing the marathon training people from Lukes Locker had a doc on hand answering questions afterwards. I told him about my malady and he said its probably not a cramp at all, but most likely an adductor injury that has been brought on by overuse.

Hmmmm.

He said I should stretch much more than I am now - groin, quads, back - then he told me to ice as much as I could and sent me on my way.

Even though this advice was pretty simple, it's got me excited. This injury always flares up on any run I do longer than 90 minutes. I can be running an 8-something-minute mile, and then this thing grips my inner right thigh and all of a sudden, an 8-minute-mile may as well be a 4-minute mile.

But if I can keep stretching, do some leg weights to strengthen my quads, then maybe, just maybe...

What's that Boston Qualifying time for me?

Better not get too far ahead of myself.

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3 Comments:

Blogger Phil said...

I've never had an inner thigh cramp...yes, it might be an injury. The other thing to try is electrolyte and salt tablets. There is a lot of disagreement about what causes cramps, but I consistently had cramping after 20 miles of running until I started with salt tablets and now it's not an issue. (I qualified for Boston by using them!) Also I've forgotten to take the tablets and the cramps come back. Check out zombierunner.com or any other running store.

August 19, 2008 at 11:08 PM  
Blogger P.O.M. said...

Oy vey - Stretch more, stretch more, stretch more... don't we hear that ALL the flippin' time?

I had the worst side stitch/cramp on my last longer run - it lasted 2 hours!!! I wonder about electolyte tablets.

August 20, 2008 at 6:35 PM  
Blogger DawnB said...

nice to have an answer hope what he tells you helps

August 20, 2008 at 8:31 PM  

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