stomach cramps on the run...
40
Member
818 days
Keebler71 posted 1 year ago.
What do you mean by "swallowing air"? Also, how would you assess your core strength?
34
Member
718 days
theTRIguy posted 1 year ago.
sorry i cant offer a true medical response but...
when u get those aches thats when you start running harder, because everyone else is hurting even harder. you run harder and the pains will go after 2 minutes.
well they do with me anyway
:cool: theTRIguy
if you're not living on the edge...
you're taking up too much space
2455
Member
1333 days
Triguy98 posted 1 year ago.
What exactly are you doing for your bricks? Swim, bike, run? If so, stop. your bricks really should focus on the order of events and two at a time. Otherwise, you are doing a mini race every training session.
Swim- Bike or Bike- Run will translate to race day results a lot moreso than a swim- run or swim-bike- run. The key to bricks is to do at least one of the sports twice. bike- swim- bike- swim or run - bike- run. Stack the bricks. Two sports.
I pretty much get at least a little gas after swimming hard. It just passes a lot easier on the bike ;)
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
7
Member
651 days
actorRunning posted 1 year ago.
Triguy98;64046 wrote:
What exactly are you doing for your bricks? Swim, bike, run? If so, stop. your bricks really should focus on the order of events and two at a time. Otherwise, you are doing a mini race every training session.
Triguy, thanks for the reply. I'm not actually doing a mini race every session, but I did do a mini race about three weeks ago, and it scared me. My primary distance this year is a half IM which I'll be doing in June, and as a marathoner, the sprint distance is relatively easy for me; I just wanted to put everything together once before I actually got to my first tri and see how it felt.
It felt pretty awful. Since I was completely incapacitated on the run - something I've not experienced before - and since I believe it to be because I end up swallowing a lot of air on the swim, I wanted to stack the swim-run together a few times just to see if I was improving / if I could train my body to deal with it better.
Keebler71;63999 wrote:
What do you mean by "swallowing air"? Also, how would you assess your core strength?
So, Keebler, I mean as I breath during the swim, I end up swallowing a portion of the air, somehow forcing down my esophagus rather than, well, breathing it. This happens moreso when I'm tired or trying really hard to be "fast", which always actually makes me slower. I'm improving steadily but still have a big ball of air in my stomach after the swim, which is quite uncomfortable. As for my core strength, I am relatively fit having been a runner and marathoner for years, but I am sure I would benefit from strengthening it a bit.
Anyhow, since my mini race about three weeks ago, I've tried two bricks where I go from swim straight to run. It's not part of my training, but I really have been scared ever since. I really don't want to walk this thing in, especially a sprint, and especially because my strength (actually, the only event I do well, at this point) is the run. They haven't been big bricks - I just tried to put two miles in after a 2000m swim last week, and I threw a 400m swim in before an easy run day yesterday. I walked at least a half mile of the 2mi after the 2000m, but was in pain most of the time. The easy run (5k) was not easy, but I was able to complete it without great difficulty this time, which made me feel a little better. I'm thinking now I just might put a short easy run in - a mile at most - after every swim.
theTRIguy;64043 wrote:
sorry i cant offer a true medical response but...when u get those aches thats when you start running harder, because everyone else is hurting even harder. you run harder and the pains will go after 2 minutes.
well they do with me anyway
God, I hope your right.
So, thanks all for your responses. Anyone have any insight? I'm probably on the right track as I recognize it's getting easier. Also, I know that my primary focus should be on my swim technique in order to get rid of the air-swallowing problem. Any pointers on to address that issue in my training? The issue for me though, is that I realize I won't completely make it go away in the two weeks before my sprint, and I may not make it go away before my half IM in June. So I'm trying to make myself accommodate. Isn't there a magic bullet? Ha.
558
Member
1397 days
vanjames posted 1 year ago.
Swallowing air while swimming will cause some bloating and gas leading to cramps. You can alleviate this with practice and by trying to blow all of your air out while under the water and only taking small breaths when you turn your head. Keep your pace relaxed and smooth so your breathing develops a rhythm.
257
Member
967 days
fittycent posted 1 year ago.
I second the idea of strengthening your core. I think that'll solve a lot of your problems. Even though you've run for years, your core is probably still not strong enough to handle both swimming and running...at least mine wasn't when I began swimming.
214
Member
1024 days
Iron Man posted 1 year ago.
i get similar stuff if i swallow too much water during the swim. are you eating or drinking straight out of the water? if so stick to water for the first 15-20 mins then you can go to a "mix drink" also if your on the bike suck the water out of the bottle dont squirt it this can also cause bloating and cramps
Speed Kills. Strength Punishes
169
Member
749 days
solidad posted 1 year ago.
Another suggestion might be to back off the swim a bit to save it for the run. Given your fast run splits, it would be better to swim slower and turn in a fast run than to swim hard and cramp up on the run. Think smooth steaedy gliding through the swim. Also, build speed, if you go out hard from the start, you'll never settle down and gulp air the whole time.... just my 2 cents...
290
Member
1065 days
ggalvao posted 1 year ago.
It is clear to me that this occurs because of the air swallowing... I've never seen that. You should learn how to breathe better while swimming.
Do drills focusing on breathing.
My Blog: http://ggalvao.trifuel.net/
834
Member
1373 days
JamieM posted 1 year ago.
How long are these workouts? Have you given some thought to the calories you take in before and perhaps during as being the cause?
1
Member
623 days
Gymgurl posted 1 year ago.
I am the same way....for the first 1/2 mile of every single race that I have run (and this is only when I race) I get cramps so bad I feel like I have to either go to the bathroom or barf....it only lasts about 1/2 mile....I have tried everything and it is still there...
alright. this is frustrating.
i'm a runner first, and am about to step into the multi-sport world at the end of the month with my first sprint tri. i'm excited, but having trouble.
i usually run a fast 5k - 6:00 - 6:20/mi pace. but during my bricks for training, i can't seem to eke out even a 9:00 pace comfortably, due to massive stomach cramps the reduce me to a walk within about 6 or 7 minutes.
a little more info: only happens when i swim in my brick - basically, if i swim before. i'm new to swimming, and it definitely is my weaker area, but i'm improving. i know i'm swallowing air during the swim - and i'm working to minimize that. a) any tips, ideas on how i might fix that? b) is this the cause of my cramping on the run? or could it be something else? if it is the cause, does anyone have any ideas as to how to get through it? or is it just a matter of time and conditioning?
has anyone else ever had this problem? or am i some sort of alien?
just curious. thanks so much for your help!