Quad LOCKUP during the RUN!
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KitKat posted 6 weeks ago.
Muscle cramps are usually due to killing it on the bike or low sodium/electrolytes. Do you attack hills on the bike climbing out of the saddle?
Pain is weakness leaving the body
http://krazykitkat.blogspot.com/
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216 days
ccabrales posted 6 weeks ago.
No, I only really jump out of my saddle if I run out of 'oomph' in sitting down. This last tri i did not jump out of my saddle but the course was basically ALL uphill -- Even during the run!
I did a 50 minute intense ride on my trainer.. And some of my intervals were in the jump position.
Pretty odd, are these symptoms of 'muscle cramps'? I've had cramps low sodium/electrolyte cramps before and it didnt' feel like this. Hrmm..
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621 days
TriOnLife posted 6 weeks ago.
My calf muscles on one leg or the other will contract hard in the water sometimes. I'm taking a Ca++/Mg++ supplement and eating bananas and staying hydrated but it doesn't matter. I stretch. It only happens sometimes and usually I can feel it coming on and just relax but sometimes it wins. It's very painful and I have stop and grab my toes and flex my foot toward my head and then it goes away.
I have no idea - I just hope it stops one of these days because it's most annoying.
- A 21st Century Mom who is tri-ing to get better instead of just getting older
www.breakingthetape.com/21stcenturymom
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ccabrales posted 6 weeks ago.
Good thing is, today's brick went fine. I think my legs just need conditioning.. and I need to up my cadence a bit more..
As for the your calf problem? I have that in the pool when i kick off the wall. Are you tensing up your foot when you swim?
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TriOnLife posted 6 weeks ago.
ccabrales wrote:
As for the your calf problem? I have that in the pool when i kick off the wall. Are you tensing up your foot when you swim?
probably. And going off the wall is often where it happens but sometimes it happens in open water which is never a good thing. I do try to really relax my feet and legs when it happens and consciously work to let the muscles go slack. It's just that they lock up so hard when they go. Very painful.
- A 21st Century Mom who is tri-ing to get better instead of just getting older
www.breakingthetape.com/21stcenturymom
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134 days
chris91180 posted 6 weeks ago.
Hmm.. just a guess but maybe it could be your saddle position? Check to make sure your seatpost hasn't moved, although I'm not sure if that would cause those symptoms. Since you got your bike fitted at an LBS I would go in and see what they have to say about it and see if it needs some tweaking. Maybe need more power from the gluts?? Or if you are pretty new to the aero position it might just take some more training. I highly doubt its anything to do with your racing strategy on the run or run training unless you are not tapering and doing some killer workouts during race week. The only other run-related thing I would suspect is if you are wearing shoes that you aren't used to, especially flats or other thin-soled shoes that can change the way you impact the ground and use parts of the leg muscles you don't use as much in training.
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1134 days
JMA posted 6 weeks ago.
There are a couple of different types of cramps: fatigue cramps and electrolyte depletion cramps. If it's from fatigue you might be mashing it too hard on the bike. If it's from electrolyte depletion, add some electrolyte tablets or powder to your nutritional plan...good luck with it.
Cramps
One of the worst cramps I ever had was during the run portion of an Olympic distance event a few years ago. It was a cool morning, but heated up considerably during the bike. I drank alot of water while biking and had to pee shortly after T2. I ducked into a wooded area and had to step over some vegetation. When I did, I felt my hamstring contract into a massive ball of cramp. So I'm hopping around, screaming in pain, still trying to pee, and getting some pretty odd looks from the run course. I made sure to get some Gatorade at the next water stop.
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ccabrales posted 6 weeks ago.
JMA wrote:
If it's from fatigue you might be mashing it too hard on the bike.
I'm beginning to think that this is my problem. I know this is a little off topic... But when i bike.. I do focus on a pushing DOWN on the pedals.. or "mashing"..
Should i be using an upstroke? Do people actually do upstrokes? I only really do those to attack hills if I want to pass someone
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trigirltina2 posted 6 weeks ago.
Down and up.. It does get you up the hill.
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1054 days
Ultrarunner posted 6 weeks ago.
I bet you are in too high a gear on the climbs and your RPMs are dropping too low and it's killing your quads. The same thing has happened to me. As a matter of fact I used to despise the lower chain ring on my double and thought it was there for wimps. I have to come embrace the lower chain ring and found that my overall speed has improved. I would try changing my position while you're riding regularly to use different muscles. Moving slightly forward in the saddle emphasizes your quads more and scooting back allows you to use your glutes more. As far as the push and pull pedal stroke...your pedal stroke should actually be in a circle and not just up and down. Spend some time on the trainer to work on that. Also try to keep your cadence between 75 to 95 RPM all the time. One more piece here, after climbing a long hill instead of just coasting on the down side shift up all the way and just keep moving your legs. You don't have to really exert any force but the contraction of the muscles will help move the lactic acid out of the legs faster.
This is my second Tri season, first with a Tri bike. I got my bike fitted at the LBS.
The last 2 tris i've done, my quads locked up on me. Has anyone had this experience before?
I can descibe this feeling as, (during running) everytime i plant my foot on the ground, I can feel my quad contract and after awhile it gets so bad that I have to stop. My quads then LOCK UP and I have to keep shaking them off to loosen them up. I always do a thorough stretch before each bike ride.
Could it be i'm pedaling too hard (i try to keep a high cadence)? Poor bike positioning? Am I running too fast? Am I not conditioned enough? Should I keep gutting it out on my brick training, in hopes that my muscles will get 'tuned' for it?