Monday, April 20, 2015

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.


shake

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.


lunch

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.


Urban Boot Badge


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


FitBit

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?

25 comments:

  1. I can't seem to watch Boston live right now, what a bummer! What is the reasoning for mustard? I've love to know :) sounds like you had a pretty busy day yesterday!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's interesting about the cramps. I don't get those-just a million other things ha ha. Hope you are feeling better. I hear people drink pickle juice?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I watched the elite coverage this morning. Got out of bed at 5:30AM! Partially because I didn't want to accidentally fall back asleep and miss anything. So proud of the USA runners. I'm constantly learning about my body if I stop to pay attention to it anyway. Haha. I've been making too many concessions in the food department for the 'sake of my soul'. I know it'll have to stop once my marathon training load increases.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have a hard time watching running because I am not a runner. But yes--I am still learning what it is my body does (and doesn't) need. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I watched part of the marathon today! It was pretty inspiring! As for leg cramps, I hear pickle juice works wonders. I hope you are feeling better.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I was glued to the Boston feed and wish they'd have kept showing the non-elites finish. I've been bib-tracking like crazy. So much fun! I am definitely learning about my body still. Especially with swimming.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I don't get leg cramps, but I do get restless legs. Ugh.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Today's marathon was so inspiring! I love this day every year!

    ReplyDelete
  9. i loved watching the marathon this morning - so amazing! i've had some leg cramps before and they are awful!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am glad you are better! As I age - I continually learn new things about the bod! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. WHAT A DAY!!!! Such a priceless, memorable day for sooooo many people!! I was almost there to watch in person -- definitely an event for the books! Anyway -- I'm sooo sorry to hear about your leg cramps and tingles! I actually whipped up what I call "pain cream" for after those hard workouts, or when sore muscles come up out of no where. I feel relief almost immediately and love it. I'll have to send you some! :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I missed running the marathon this year but loved tracking friends and bloggers today as they ran. Such and inspiring day!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh my I hope you are feeling better tonight and no more tingling legs!! I have had a hard few days sleeping as well, but figured it was just allergies being annoying!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have been there! I was dealing with horrible leg cramps last week. After a run last week, I went grocery shopping right after on my way home and was on my feet for another 2-3 hours and my legs were not happy and I dealt with really bad cramps the whole night.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Nice Article & Post... I Like Your Post…

    ReplyDelete
  16. I need to try my Fitbit again. Wearables. Love the idea but rarely use them consistently.

    Have a wonderful day Elle!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I watched some of the marathon, but my kids thought it was boring... so we did other things :) I was really rooting for Shalane and Desi though!
    I hear pickle juice can be helpful. I keep some in the fridge and sometimes drink some after a long or a hard run. Leg cramps at night are so not fun! I used to get them when I was pregnant.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Ugh cramps are no fun! Boston on the other hand was fun to watch! Hope you are doing better now!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Sorry about the cramps, no fun:( I watched the full broadcast of the elite runners but was upset that I couldn't watch the "regular" runners too. The elites were so awesome!! I can't believe how fast they run 26.2. Crazy!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I tried to tune into Boston but with 3 kids, preschool drop off etc, I had to settle for twitter and FB updates this year. Thankfully, there will be oodles of blog posts to read that will fill me in.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Ugh, I hate nighttime cramps. I only get them in one calf, but when I do, oh boy, I shoot out of bed like someone yelled fire. Hope you are having better nights now.

    I watched the end of the Boston marathon while my husband was eating lunch. I kept giving him play by plays and he was like "Umm, I really don't care" LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I watched the marathon yesterday and it was so great to watch! I'm amazed at the pace the elite's are able to maintain!

    ReplyDelete
  23. 19K steps wow!! when I was using an app to track myself I barely got 5K steps each day. DEfinitely something I need to work on.

    I am feeling so inspired by watching Boston...I really REALLY want to run one day but just feel like I won't be able to any time soon. I need a 3:35 to qualify :-O

    ReplyDelete
  24. I absolutely love the Boston Marathon. I'm from the Boston area and grew up watching from the sidelines...someday I WILL qualify, but it's going to take a LOT of work.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I used to get cramps all the time when I swam often. They're the worst!

    ReplyDelete

Love it when you leave me a comment!