Posted by lyle coleman on January 05, 2005 at 15:47:20:
This year's first light marathon was my seventh marathon. Until this year, I have been unable to complete a marathon without having severe leg cramping in my thighs and calves. I had come to the conclusion that i was losing to much salt from sweating and cramping was the result. I remembered from my highschool days that the coaches gave us salt tablets for cramping during the hots months.
Well during this years marathon, I met my wife, for the first time, at the half way point. She gave me gatorade and orange slices. I told her that the cramping was settling in early b/c I could already feel them coming. (this was my 4th Mobile marathon and the cramps didn't normally start until mile 18-19). I told her at that point that i needed some salt since we had talked about this the night before that this might be an option. She went to the gas station at the bottom of the firehouse hill and bought prefilled salt and paper shakers and handed me the salt one. i carried the salt shaker in my hand the remainder of the race and took an few "shakes" every time I felt my thighs or calves tighten.
I really didn't cramp bad the rest of the race and i felt it had to be b/c of the salt. I was a little nervous about taking the salt during the race and thought I might dehydrate myself, but I didn't.
Has anyone ever done this before? I am running the Mardi Gras marathon in New Orleans in a few weeks and I am thinking of trying the salt concept again, but maybe this time in tablet form. Does anyone think that this is not a good idea? or has tried something else for cramping during a marathon.
Lyle