How to Avoid Cramping During a Marathon

Drinking liquids hydrates you and helps prevent cramps.

Cramps during a marathon can be so debilitating that you have to stop running for them to go away. Cramps often occur in the sides of your waist and in your legs and can be triggered a number of things, including an electrolyte imbalance, insufficient warm up, dehydration and improper breathing. To avoid cramps, proper marathon training, proper technique and adequate nutrition, are required both before and during the marathon.

Instructions

1. Avoid consuming too much food during the marathon because this can cause side-stitch cramps. Stick to endurance drinks and energy gels to replenish electrolytes and provide sustained energy. Consume a banana approximately two hours into the race to make up for lost potassium. Potassium helps prevent cramps.

2. Keep your body hydrated while you run to avoid cramps. Switch between drinking beverages with electrolytes and water during the marathon.

3. Stick to what you've learned during training. Avoid changing to a faster running pace than you are used to because this can result in cramps. Run at the same pace that you've trained at. Eat and drink the same food and beverages during the race as you did during training. Changing the amounts and the types of food and beverages can trigger stomach cramps. Aim to consume nutrients every 20 minutes while running.

4. Breathe deeply while running so you provide your muscles with the oxygen they need to function properly. Breathing deeply also helps prevent side-stitch cramping.

Tips & Warnings

• Monitor your hydration level the week before the marathon. Look at the color of your urine. If it is light-yellow to clear, you are well hydrated. If it is a dark yellow color, increase your water intake.

• Eat potassium-rich food the entire week before your marathon to arm yourself against cramps. Include foods such as yogurt, milk, carrots, spinach and apricots.

• Warm up by jogging up to 10 minutes before the marathon. Stretch your body and focus on the large leg muscles including the hamstrings, quadriceps and calves. Hold your stretches for at least 30 seconds and avoid bouncing while stretching.

References

• Running Times: Owner's Manual: What the Elites Eat
• The Fitness Motivator: Running Cramps
• Active: How to Deal With Cramping During Your Marathon
• Colorado State University; Potassium and Health; J. Anderson, et al; Aug. 2008
• 26.2 The Marathon Website: Avoiding Cramps During the Marathon
• Marathon Training: Marathon Training Program