Foot cramps after running

[5210Runner]

I've noticed recently that at the end of a run, when I'm doing my cool down stretches, that I keep getting cramps in both feet. I go to a dancing class once a week and I've also had foot cramps while dancing. I am drinking enough before running and dancing. I also warm up and cool down properly. Could it be my footwear? The shoes I wear for dancing are quite old and my trainers that I run in are not actually running shoes. I've been running in them since last April, and they are showing a little wear on the soles. I've included a photo of one of the soles, excuse the muddy bits! You can see the wear on the outside of the sole, suggesting pronation issues. Sorry that's a separate issue! Any advice gratefully received.

[JaoJao Graduate10]

Hi there, when I had foot cramps during c25k it turned out to be that my feet were swelling and my trainers were tied too tight therefore restricting blood supply. The other one is being hydrated which you’ve already picked up yourself. Make sure you are doing warm up stretches and cool downs with every single run to reduce injury.

If you feel it’s your shoes maybe try a gait analysis at a running shop and see what they suggest.

[roseabi]

I get foot cramps when I'm feeling tired and I put my feet into an unusual position (often happens during yoga poses for example), or when I'm swimming. The reasons why we cramp are not fully understood, but muscle tiredness is a suggested cause which chimes with my experience. Tiredness itself has more than one root of course, lack of sleep, too long between meals, etc.

If it's your toes that are cramping it could be because your shoes are pinching them together. You can invest in running shoes with wider toe boxes, but I'm not sure what you'd do about your dancing shoes!

The wear on your runner's tread does not look excessive to me, btw.