Think I've managed to get back in the water once again this summer, open water only. I've run into the same problem again this year that I had a couple years back. Cramping, only when I kick.
Normally for me most of the time my feet are 'flailing' in the water. Not doing anything real useful unless I think about it and really try to keep them spread apart so I can kick. Once I do this and start kicking about 10 seconds later my calves start cramping up. I stop kicking and get the cramping to go away and I can continue on swimming like normal, flailing. If I try to kick again, the cramping comes right back once again.
I normally eat 2 bananas each day for lunch and drink a gallon or more of water a day so I know dehydration shouldn't be an issue and lack of potassuim(sp?) shouldn't really be much of an issue either.
I can get the cramping at the beginning of a swim or after doing a couple of miles. The only trigger that always seems to hold consistent is I will start cramping once I start kicking.
Any suggestions on how I might get rid of the cramping but still be able to kick?
Parents
Former Member
The funny thing is at times you can tell what the cause of the problem is.. ie, yesterday.
After an early morning errand run on the bike(25 miles roundtrip) I loafed until around 3:30PM and headed for the lake. Everything seemed fine, compared to today. I got in the water and started what ended up being a rather interesting 1.7 mile swim. Rather shortly after start...not even .25 mile, I already had my first cramp of the day in the right calf. I hadn't even been trying to kick. For me the only 'kicking' I do when not kicking is mostly just crossing one foot over the other, not nice and symettrical(sp?) like you would normally want. The cramping continued off and on the entire swim. Granted the swim didn't get helped any by Mother Nature. That was the worst chop I've seen thus far. At the half way point I stood on a rock by shoreline and was shocked by the dynamic nature of the waves. I don't think I have ever seen it that bad before. I knew the trip back was going to be 'fun' to say the least...right into the wind. I played with arm stroke technique on the way back and didn't worry about anything else...as long as the cramps stayed away.
After running pretty much the same errand this morning and seeing how much worse off I was thanks to Mother Nature...talk about surfing like a stuck pig, I decided to take the day off and only get wet, instead of doing any swimming. I knew dehydration was EXTREMELY easy today compared to yesterday. I knew I was going to be in real bad shape if I tried and I also knew the wind/chop was definitely going to a lot worse than yesterday.
At times you can rule something as being the main culprit...yesterday I would say was dehydration, several days ago I wouldn't say that though.
The funny thing is at times you can tell what the cause of the problem is.. ie, yesterday.
After an early morning errand run on the bike(25 miles roundtrip) I loafed until around 3:30PM and headed for the lake. Everything seemed fine, compared to today. I got in the water and started what ended up being a rather interesting 1.7 mile swim. Rather shortly after start...not even .25 mile, I already had my first cramp of the day in the right calf. I hadn't even been trying to kick. For me the only 'kicking' I do when not kicking is mostly just crossing one foot over the other, not nice and symettrical(sp?) like you would normally want. The cramping continued off and on the entire swim. Granted the swim didn't get helped any by Mother Nature. That was the worst chop I've seen thus far. At the half way point I stood on a rock by shoreline and was shocked by the dynamic nature of the waves. I don't think I have ever seen it that bad before. I knew the trip back was going to be 'fun' to say the least...right into the wind. I played with arm stroke technique on the way back and didn't worry about anything else...as long as the cramps stayed away.
After running pretty much the same errand this morning and seeing how much worse off I was thanks to Mother Nature...talk about surfing like a stuck pig, I decided to take the day off and only get wet, instead of doing any swimming. I knew dehydration was EXTREMELY easy today compared to yesterday. I knew I was going to be in real bad shape if I tried and I also knew the wind/chop was definitely going to a lot worse than yesterday.
At times you can rule something as being the main culprit...yesterday I would say was dehydration, several days ago I wouldn't say that though.
