Sunday Run Day… Monday Insights

I am currently tuned into a television broadcast of the Boston Marathon, and the elite women have just started… if I start to ramble and stop making sense, please forgive my distraction.  You know it’s worth it.

I had a rough night…  up a few times with cramps in the calf of my left leg and on the top of my left foot.  I ended up putting Tiger Balm on it, eating mustard, and then I slept sitting up on the sofa for about 3 hours, before returning to bed at 3 a.m. where I slept very soundly till the alarm went off at 6.  Yup, I was determined to watch some of this race on tv and I am on the West Coast so you know it’s 3 hours earlier on the clock than Boston.

And I am wearing some compression knee highs now, and will be throughout the day today.

So what happened yesterday to cause the leg cramps?

I had a good high protein breakfast yesterday, followed by half a pack of Drip Drop (my medical grade hydration powder) in a glass of water before heading out for a 7.3 km run.  It was a glorious morning… sunny and blue and calm so we ran an out and back route along the Strait.  Lovely, and I was thrilled that the minutes seemed to fly by.  Finished my run in 53 minutes.

When we came in I did a good long stretch and drank  more water before my cleanup and then later, lunch.  It was a huge salad with a whole can of solid white tuna.  Good recovery protein and carbs with a bit of olive oil.

We have been making a list of things that we don’t have to forget to pack for our upcoming vacation, and discussing the pros and cons of various items. I have decided that I don’t want to take a laptop computer along on this trip, but I do want to take my FitBit.  So, what am I going to use to charge the battery if I don’t have my laptop?  I decided I need  a wall-to-USB charger.  I do have wall chargers for the camera and the cell phones that I intend to take, but not for the FitBit.

This led to a walk downtown, looking for such a device in a few different stores.  I did find something that I think is suitable, and by the time we got home, I had been on my feet another hour and 40 minutes. Looking back, I realize I should have put on a pair of compression tights or socks at that point, but it was so warm that I just didn’t really think about it because my legs felt good.  I enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine with my dinner, and kept hydrating with water and tea throughout the evening and had my usual magnesium powder drink before bed.

I got a message from my FitBit telling me I earned a new badge… It is called the URBAN BOOT BADGE and is for chalking up 15,000 steps in one day.

Actually, my FitBit recorded many more than that… here is a screen shot of yesterday’s tally.

I fell asleep fairly quickly after turning in for the night, at about 11 p.m.  And the first wave of cramps hit at about 11:45. I woke with a start and stood up immediately.  I went to the kitchen, drank more water, and then applied some Tiger Balm. My legs were both tingly up and down the full length… from my ankles to my thighs, so I knew I was in for a rough night.  But I returned to bed, and fell back to sleep, only to be jolted awake again 45 minutes later.

So, I got up again, drank more water, and ate some mustard… which did knock the cramp down immediately, and set myself up on the couch. I thought that sitting up would keep the cramps at bay and it did work.  I slept off and on till 3 when I finally went back to bed.  I was hoping that the worst of it was over as I no longer felt any tingling in my legs.

So, in hindsight, it was probably a combination of the run, the long walk, and the wine that put things into play… and even though I drank my Drip Drop, and lots of water, and wore compression leggings during the run, and had my magnesium drink before bed, those things were not enough to prevent the over-tiredness in the muscles, and the cramps that followed.  I hope I have learned a lesson here.

Okay, time to go watch the elite men run Boston.

Are  you watching the marathon today, too?  Are you tracking any of your favorites runners?

Do you continue to learn things about your body and what it needs from various activities and foods that you consume?