I swim regularly. I swim a lot. In general, I rarely get calf cramps. (Or any cramps.)
But this past weekend I did my first open water swim (2.4 miles) and well before the first mile I started getting cramps. First in one calf, then in the other. I did pretty well to concentrate on relaxing and keeping them from knotting up too bad, but it hampered my ability to swim as hard as I would have liked. (When I gave it a shot and tried picking up the pace, the cramps started getting worse, so I just kept the best pace I could and finished it out.)
The OW swim was less than the distance I swim daily, so I can't attribute it to the distance.
But the water was colder than I am used to. (I usually swim in a pool that has temps between 82-85.) Water temp was 72. My sister suggests that this was the cause.
My wife thinks it's because I am used to swimming in a pool, and every 25 yards I get to stretch my calves on every push off.
Another participant here in PM suggested I increase my potassium intake (bananas) but I am a regular (daily) banana consumer. (Maybe I need to eat even more?) I also take calcium supplements (and multivitamin and other things.)
Without question, I am a weak kicker. I suppose I could work on strengthening my legs with more kicking workouts... Someone has suggested that I do calf raises on the edge of a step to strengthen my calves.
I'm looking for ideas about what might have caused the cramps, and what I might do to prevent them in a future event like this.
(PS: Would this have been more appropriate to post on the Open Water board?)
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Former Member
Originally posted by Karen Duggan
Guvnah, were you kicking a lot and then not at all? Was it a long, rugged walk to the OW swim? Just curious.
I think I ended up kicking more than I normally do in a workout. Sighting (something I NEVER have had to do before) caused some extra head movement/lifting, and I can't imagine that that didn't cause me to do some extra sort of kick to compensate. Ditto "steering", because each time I saw that I was starting to drift off course I corrected my bearings and I am sure that caused some sort of extra kicking motion.
No particularly rugged walk before hand, but there was a 10 minute or so bus ride from the staging area to the swimming area. And that ride was quite a jostling, twisty-turny mini-mountain climb. And the buses were packed so I stood the whole way. I had previously considered if that was a factor, but I dismissed it. Still, now that you mention it, maybe all the effort in keeping my balance could have pre-fatigued my legs... But whether that was the case or not, I have alredy committed to myself that next year I'll get there earlier and get a seat so I don't have to stand.
Originally posted by Karen Duggan
Guvnah, were you kicking a lot and then not at all? Was it a long, rugged walk to the OW swim? Just curious.
I think I ended up kicking more than I normally do in a workout. Sighting (something I NEVER have had to do before) caused some extra head movement/lifting, and I can't imagine that that didn't cause me to do some extra sort of kick to compensate. Ditto "steering", because each time I saw that I was starting to drift off course I corrected my bearings and I am sure that caused some sort of extra kicking motion.
No particularly rugged walk before hand, but there was a 10 minute or so bus ride from the staging area to the swimming area. And that ride was quite a jostling, twisty-turny mini-mountain climb. And the buses were packed so I stood the whole way. I had previously considered if that was a factor, but I dismissed it. Still, now that you mention it, maybe all the effort in keeping my balance could have pre-fatigued my legs... But whether that was the case or not, I have alredy committed to myself that next year I'll get there earlier and get a seat so I don't have to stand.
