Does anybody else out there get cramps in their calves in the middle of the night? I hate it when that happens. A cramp does more to damage your muscles, in my opinion, than your longest long run. I had a doozie last night. Just what I needed before the last big run tomorrow.
Today, at the soccer fields, I'm walking across the field after my second game, and I felt something crawling on my left calf. Not the one that cramped. I look down and it is a yellow jacket. I try to gentle brush it off my leg, and the next thing I know it looks like it's stinger is caught in my leg. Fortunately for me, it was so cold (or my calf was so rock hard) that the yellow jacket either couldn't pump the poison in or my legs just couldn't feel it. About thirty minutes later, I began to feel that familiar "you've been stung" feeling, but nothing like the basketball sized swelling one can get from a good batch of poison.
Alrighty then... I'm all geared up for tomorrow. Four plus laps around Stone Mountain and all will be good with the world...
Wes
26 comments:
yes, i totally get those. flex, flex, flex and they go away. but still so not fun to wake up with.
sorry about the sting. I have only been stung once--in 9th grade, at a football game. I put my hand in my pants' pocket, and apparently a bee was inside. I still remember how bad it hurt though!
those cramps can be really bad. I used to get them.. specially when I was really cold.
forgot to mention.. good luck with your run at Stone Mountain. Have you done that course before? Some pretty decent hills there.
I went through a long phase where I was getting painful calf cramps every night. They are horrible! Thankfully it passed. I hope yours go away soon!
Jodi
I'm not a big fan of charley horses...they sure do hurt. Nothing like feeling your entire calf muscled bundled up into a little ball just below your knee to wake you out of a sound sleep...
It's been a while, thankfully.
i read somewhere the other day that the cure for night time leg cramps is gin & tonic. lol. Ok, it was leading into the fact that quinine in tonic water is good for leg cramps. I've never tried.
I hate yellow jackets. I got a pretty nasty sting this summer on SCT. I blame it on my UGA Alum status that all yellow jackets hate me. :)
Good luck on your run!
I get the cramps as well from time to time. Very painful.
I've found a banana helps...the potassium there, I think. It also tends to come when I'm really tired. Like the muscle is so "done" is spazzes out.
How's that for scientific??
I read somewhere that the cramps were a result of low potassium (and pregnancy, but I don't think you have that).
Sorry about the bee.
That cramping? Not so much fun. It's a sign of dehydration and lack of potassium. My sister gets them often, more so when she was in high school and playing soccer. I got them in both calves yesterday morning.. but that was after a night of "too-much-drinking".
Try downing a huge glass of water before bed each night
Good luck with your run! :)
A yellow jacket? All that means to me is my bright yellow reflective cycling jacket - but that doesn't tend to sting!
As for the cramps - could be a sign of dehydration and/or mineral deficiency.... Have you been getting in a sports massage at all - with all the running you've been doing you could possibly benefit and that may help out??
Hope you're run today went well :O)
Ouch on both counts! I get those calf cramps occasionally - used to get them a lot when I was pregnant, but that's obviously not why you're getting them :) And I got stung by a bee this summer for the first time ever, and I had no idea bee stings hurt so much! I was in some serious pain for quite a while - glad yours wasn't all that bad.
Sorry about the cramp and the sting.
I used to get them when preggo. The doc told me it's from lack of potassium.
I hope your long run went well!!
those dang yellow jackets ain't good for nothin.
go dawgs!
I get cramps sometimes, but it's mostly tight calves.
Eat a banana or an avocado -- they're high in potassium.
I was going to suggest water and potassium (bananas) too but everyone else has pipped me :)
Enjoy your long run - Stone Mountain sounds so hardcore!
I was going to say the same thing as Lisa! I used to get them a lot when I was pg. Bananas baby!!!!
I haven't really gotten the night leg cramps. I will get them when awake when I move my legs certain ways. Maybe I just sleep like a mummy, and therefore don't flex the muscles as would be required. Potassium need would be my guess, also. And I believe magnesium and calcuim help the potassium work best, but I would have to revisit an article to be sure.
Glad the jellow jacket didn't have it's way with you. That would suck to have a big fat blob on the old leg, especially if you are trying to run before it goes down.
Waiting. . . for long run report . . .
PS Like the other chicas my night calf cramps were from pregnancy. Though I did have one last week during my first post marathon run. It abated from some walking.
Also, fyi, potatoes and sweet potatoes are alternatives to bananas for potassium sources. You know, if like me you hate everything banana.
Sometimes I get them first thing in the morning, when I am waking up and stretching in bed. My calf will cramp really bad and it hurts. Thankfully, it only lasts about 2 seconds, but still, they can hurt.
Sorry about the cramp & the sting...Most definately, your calf was rock hard. :D I hate yellow jackets myself.
How was your long run?
It only happened to me when I was pregnant. But it happens to my husband. I am convinced that it is some sort of nutrituion issue. The others are saying potassium...
ROFLMAO Wes!!! Are you speaking from personal experience (with the PW)?
ahhhh bee sting....bees freak me out like you wouldn't believe...i go into spasms to get away from them...if one would have been crawling on my leg i would have panicked....way to stay calm and handle it better than i would have haha!
I only get them when I wake up. Some days it hurts so bad I have a hard time walking. But it helps remind you of how good it feels to not hurt.
I get them all the time. They drive me crazy. I also get them in my toes. Usually, it's if I haven't drank enough water before/after a run.
Post a Comment