I have not been able to use fins at all. I tried them last year upon joining the local masters team, but my toes cramped immediately. So I waited. Yesterday I tried again figuring I'm no longer a newbie having done my share of kick sets, so I grabbed a pair of fins off the rack at the YMCA, but only made it 1/2 a length and the feet began cramping again.
I wear a size 11D shoe, nothing unusual or extra wide. The fins on the rack are a stiff rubber so the feet are heavily constrained. Are there any fins that have more flexibility and less pinch?
BTW, I am very prone to cramping in the legs as well, but I bring a bottle of pickle juice. A couple swigs and the cramps subside in seconds.
Are you just too tense in your feet as you're kicking? Have to keep pretty loose ankles/feet, just pointing toes enough to get in the position but not forcing them down too much.
With your running background, you may have to take it slowly until you develop more flexibility in your calves. Fins force your feet & ankles into a more extended (plantarflexion) position. That's good for swimming, but beyond the range of motion typically developed by running.
I've got a couple of sets of fins in my bag: A pair of generic Voit-style long fins and a pair of short Finis Zoomers.
I initially got blisters from each of them when they were new until I built up some calluses on my feet and the fins got stretched out a bit.
Swimmer magazine did a fin comparison article a couple of years ago that did a good job of comparing the comfort and performance of different models.
When I first tried on fins, I did get cramps on my calf and toes. I eat a banana every morning before I swim, and I would slowly increase the time spent on my fins each practice. The cramps eventually stopped. I broke my foot and haven't been in the water for 6 weeks. When I did try on the fins, my calf cramped. I am most probably going to do what I did before and slowly increase the time spent with the fins. Maybe I need to get used to it again.
Also, I did notice that in the masters team, the ones with the short fins tend to be younger, whereas the older folks prefer longer fins.
Maybe try some softer foam fins?
www.michaelphelps.com/.../equipment-alpha-pro-fins
OK, I ordered these. It's worth a try since I otherwise just drag my legs like a sea anchor. I'll let you know in a few weeks how they work for me.
Sumorunner,
There is something else you may consider - a little added stretching of your feet, toes, and ankles.
Background - until a couple of years ago (I am 65), I never had cramps in my feet, calves, thighs, etc.. Starting 3 years ago though, if I rode a bike regularly, I got foot cramps quite a bit.
I started doing a short stretch routine before swimming. I would flex the top of my toes for 15-20 secs - like a ballerina toe point - followed by a stretch as if I walking on tip toes - for 15/20 secs. Foot cramps disappeared.
Based on your history as a runner with ankles that are pretty tight, I suggest you try some extra toe stretching (both directions like I describe above) and see if that helps.
Doing this will make it easier for your feet to fit into the position any kind of fin pouts your foot in.
Good Luck.
Windrath
Yeah, I've got to do it Windrath's way. The MP fins arrived and it almost took a crowbar to get them on even though I got a size larger than my shoes. They felt horrible. Within seconds I could tell these would cause me more pain than I could tolerate, so they went right back in the box. I drove over to UPS the next morning and returned to sender.
