Stomach cramps while running...

[Ethan.]

Well tonite I decided to go out and run some because I stepped on the scale and noticed I'm getting a bit pudgy. I figured it wouldn't hurt to go out and burn a few of them evil calories...

But boy was I wrong.

I had all these crazy painful cramps right under my ribcage. I'd run for 40-50 seconds and it would start to get so bad that I had to stop and breathe it out for a minute or two. And you see when I go out to run and keep my heart beat up, stopping to get rid of the cramp would bring it down a lot.

So uh... how do I fix it?

[Kayetan]

Run through them. They won't kill you and they usually go away.

[slack]

Get used to it.

[uhhyeah]

you're just out of shape. keep running and it'll go away.

[Otherside]

I torn three ligaments in my right ankle last summer, and now every time I run the mile my right calf cramps up somethin fierce. It sucks :(

[Cybergasm]

Cramps can usually result from dehydration. Make sure you are drinking lots of water. Generally, a smarter approach to cardio. would be to have a whole bottle of water beforehand then sprint for around 10-20 minutes. This will be better for your metabolism and endurance.

If you choose to continue doing things this way then just drink lots of water and watch your breathing. Cramps are caused by lactate build up... which is caused by deprivation of oxygen/water.

[simplephotographinthesun]

some fairly large breaths of air should help your situation. create a steady breathing pace, maybe a decent sized inhale and exhale every 4-5 steps

[TakeWarning]

Run slowly, and don't run too far at first.

Then work your way up to faster speeds and longer distances.

[joe_bass]

Warm up, I can't stress enough how important this is.

[Dinosawesome]

Drink between 750ml and 1Litre about 30mins beforehand
Warm up (just 2-5 minutes light jogging/walking)
Light stretches (don't hold for any more than 4 secs and don't pull to tightly)
Drink plenty of water while running (even when you aren't thirsty)
Cool down (similar to warm up but start at a higher intensity and lower it gradually)
Drink some more water afterwards.

Also, if you're cramping really badly you might not have enough salt in your system (though that is quite rare) so if you feel the need look into some salt tablets.

[Alive]

Cramps can usually result from dehydration. Make sure you are drinking lots of water. Generally, a smarter approach to cardio. would be to have a whole bottle of water beforehand then sprint for around 10-20 minutes. This will be better for your metabolism and endurance.


How in the name of God are you supposed to sprint for 10 - 20 minutes?

[Cybergasm]

How in the name of God are you supposed to sprint for 10 - 20 minutes?

I think sprinting implies short bursts across a span of the stated time.

[Ethan.]

:lol: I was wondering about that. Sprint for 20 minutes :confused:

Alright thanks for the help. I guess I just needed to drink more water... I thought about it and realized that I was/am very dehydrated so now I am drinking a lot more water. I'm gonna do that warming up stuff too. Seems like a good idea.

[TakeWarning]

Light stretches (don't hold for any more than 4 secs and don't pull to tightly)
.

Are you sure 4 seconds would even do anything?

Word on the street is that you have to hold them for more than 10 seconds for them to have any impact.

[ZaaR]

just strech properly before you run. do your sides and such alot. do he matrix stretch, that really helps. also don't think about the cramps when you're running, i.e. focus on a certain breathing pattern, or look at the cracks in the sidewalk and such.

those are pretty much all the tips my cross country coach gave me