Anyone suffered severe cramps, and pushed through to complete a race? How long did it take for your legs to recover?

Normally I’m a bit sore the next day and can go for a gentle ride to loosen them off.

I raced on Sunday and my legs are still super painful. Feel like I’ve pulled muscles in the hamstrings and either side of the back of the knee. Can cramp pull muscles?

Any tips for recovery?

Load up on bananas and potassium tabs before?

I think that it does pull muscles yes. I don’t get it much but have you heard of the vinegar thing?

Anyone suffered severe cramps, and pushed through to complete a race? How long did it take for your legs to recover?

I finished the Gorrick Enduro some years back with really bad cramp, took at least 10 days to get back to normal. Calves were particularly sore, but quads too.

Can still feel slight aches in my quads from Sunday and I didn’t really even get cramp, just a slight twinge.

a hefty cramp-attack leaves me sore and limping for a few days – i could probably ‘do’ a race, but i’d be even more useless than usual…

Definitely still hobbling – walked to work to try and ease it off, nearly feLl over as I’d seized up after being sat down for a couple of hours.

I’ve had cramp several times before, but normally I’m fine soon after, not like this.

I’ve booked a session with the osteo on thurs for some massage.

What’s the vinegar thing?

(re avoiding cramp in the first place, I was taking on salt tabs and drank 3 litres in 4.5hrs, probably not enough but it is hard to drink more when it is so cold)

Elete Water for me to stave off cramp. Works well.

I’ve read recently in a runners world article that pickle juice i.e. vinegar can stave off cramps.
It also said that bananas and salt tabs don’t work.

serial sweater and cramper here, painful to the point of making a grown man cry and scream like a baby :-/

a bad episode would take over a week to recover the muscle damage

until I started using Nuun, no had any cramp since

I try to drink at least two bottles every ride, a lot more when its hot, and sometimes drink a pint if water with a tablet in if I’m thirsty at night

When you get cramp, you are getting an involuntary maximal contraction of a muscle.

when you stretch the muscle out, you are using the opposing agonist muscle to tear the cramped muscle to full length again.

hence it is as sore as you can make a muscle. I always try to drink 500-750ml of isotonic electrolyte drink on the way to the trail, though if ive got myself unfit and unconditioned to that level and duration of exercise, i end up suffering anyway.

due to the muscle damage in tearing it straight again, i always take a protein supplement post ride and maybe the next morning to ensure my body has the components to repair me…..

When you get cramp, you are getting an involuntary maximal contraction of a muscle.

when you stretch the muscle out, you are using the opposing agonist muscle to tear the cramped muscle to full length again.

You sure about that? I just ask because the opposite muscle would be the antagonist and you don’t really want to be tearing muscles is you can really help it. 😉

Oops, antagonist!

Ive had Merlot!

Had dreadful cramp on Sunday at Gorrick, stretched it out and was fine for the rest of the race and afterwards.

As alanf says vinegar is a possible fix for cramp eg http://blog.trainerroad.com/pickle-juice-stop-cramps/

Whether you can just include a bit more of it in your diet (easy) or carry a cheese and pickle sandwich in your jersey pocket (also easy I suppose) I don’t know. I only mention it as it is possibly not widely known.

My legs are a real mess, never been this bad before in all my years of riding. Whilst painful during the race a bit of stretching and carrying on slowly was fine. I’m currently having trouble standing up Calfs, hamstrings, quads and sides of knees!

I know to take on protein, as soon as I finished I had a protein cookie.

I’ve done nothing different race wise to ever other 4hr where I’ve been fine. Must be old age.

I also suffer from bad leg cramps from anything over 3 hours when I’m pushing hard. Tried a few things and recently started trying salt tabs seemed to work for me on the last big event. But I am interested in the pickle juice. I notice it is for sale as shots in the USA like this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12-PACK-Pickle-Juice-Shots-Stops-Muscle-Cramps-Immediately-2-5-FL-OZ-/321612051263?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ae192733f

does anybody know if there is a UK supplier?
Cheers

Has anybody tried the pickle juice? I take it normal vinegar will work just fine as cant find much on net always refers to pickle juice?
cheers

ive recently had some major issues with cramp. the last two reduced me to tears at the side of the road after i tried to ride it out. The people i was with didnt know whether to laugh, cry or call an ambulance.

not good. I take high five zero tabs at 50% dose. maybe i should up it?

I take high 5. But am now looking at other alternatives as don’t think they are that good?