Originally Posted by
JohnBerry
Thanks, guys: I had tried Gatorade, Nuun, Powerade, Magnesium supplements, etc., without any luck in controlling leg cramps. I get something at Whole Foods called "Electrolyte Stamina" (comes in a distinctive dark blue bottle), and that works pretty well, at a price. In France this summer, after my collapse, I found that keeping well hydrated with plain water helped a lot - rather than using Gatorade or anything else sweet. But French weather is not Texas weather! I'll take a serious run at the Tums - I had thought Potassium was what I lacked, but perhaps it's Magnesium.
No riding in Austin, TX, over the Thanksgiving Holiday - we're down around 36 degrees, windy and raining, and it's going to stay that way or get worse (ice storm?). We will run the Turkey Trot, though.
I'm a 67-year old cyclist who also USED TO suffer from leg cramps (and food, and chin, etc). The solution for me was to lap down a palm full of table salt - or take a couple of salt tablets if you can get them. Quick relief. You can also pop a pill or two of potassium gluconate with the table salt to maintain the necessary sodium/potassium balance. I'll be doing a 100K this Saturday and Angkor Wat (Cambodia) and will predictably need a jolt of table salt at about kilometer-90 to avoid laying on the roadside trying - unsuccessfully - to massage away the cramps.