For the past two months I have had a strange occurrence of cramps that begin around the 1500 meter mark during my swim workouts. The main culprit is in my toes, especially the one next to the big toe. This occurs in both feet at differing times. In addition, tonight these cramps also appeared in my right heal. Tonight it got so bad; I had to cut my swim session short. I have never had these during running and only once during a very intense speed session on the bike.
Has anyone else suffered from this issue? And if so, how have you fixed the problem?
I did in the first couple of
I did in the first couple of years and attributed it to pushing off the wall too fast. I drink accelerade during my swims and watch that I don't push off too much. I worked on stretching my ankles and feet outside of the pool so I had more flexibility there as well to help with the cramping. I also keep a pull buoy there so I can still finish my workout. I haven't had many this year (knock on wood). I haven't had any once I got in the open water and it was warm enough to take off my booties. Good luck!
That's a pretty normal set
That's a pretty normal set of cramps for a swimmer, typically tied to dehydration. I used to get them a lot back in the day. Mine were usually in my calves, but heels and especially toes were also common culprits.
Obviously, you want to monitor your fluid intake more, but for immediate relief, get out of the pool and pull upwards on your toes. Drink water or maybe something with some electrolytes while you do it. Gradually straighten out your leg and calf and stretch but don't push it.
When you can move again, get back in and finish your workout, but be smart. If you're cramping, you're at risk for other problems.
SueR wrote:. . . attributed
[quote=SueR]. . . attributed it to pushing off the wall too fast.[/quote]
+1 You can't generalize too much from a sample size of 2, but when I'm doing timed drills, if I push off really hard, toes cramp up. So wierd.
Your toes shouldn't cramp
Your toes shouldn't cramp from pushing off the wall, and certainly not anymore than they do when you do box-jumps or something similar. Honestly, I'd look at your hydration. If you're swimming in 80-degree water, that's probably causing you to sweat a lot more than you realize.
Of course, it's better to swim in water that's between 74- and 76-degrees, but most local pools won't go that low, and even some colleges refuse, especially out of season. So the only other answer is to keep your water bottle close by.
Didn't think about it but
Didn't think about it but this is probably about right for me as well. My hamstrings actually started cramping last week during a lunch time swim. That morning I had a run workout and then had to sit in meetings and didn't get my normal fluid intake.
Our pool is closer to 78-80 and that is super warm after you get swimming. Feels good when you first jump in but I am not at the beach here folks, even the lifeguards agree but the old folks complain so we are stuck with warm water aerobic water.
Thank you for the
Thank you for the feedback!
I spoke, briefly, with a nutrionist today and she mentioned that my salt intake may need to be increased. She has attributed the increase in milage/yardage to a more rapid depletion of salt vs what I am taking in.