Day 2 of Week 3 completed but getting cramps?!?

[bongo_bongo]

Completed day 2 of week 3 today but I have been getting cramps on the outside of my calves. I got cramps on day 1 of week 3 as well, presumably because I am running for longer. Is it normal? Has anybody experienced that?

[gary_bart]

I'm guessing that the cramps are a sign that you're pushing yourself quite hard. Very hard, actually. I've also always been prone to cramping, and I never had cramps during c25k, despite sometimes probably pushing a bit too hard.

So tactic number one against the cramps would be to slow down as much as you can. If that doesn't work, try extra rest days. If that doesn't work, you might even be better off repeating the early runs until you're comfortable.

The trouble with the cramps is going to be the knock on effects. If you push through it, you put heavier strain on your joints, tendons and connective tissues in general, and might damage them. That would slow your progress much more than just slowing down/ stretching things out/ repeating ever could.

So if you want to get there as fast as possible ? ...

... Go Slow.

In "Phase 1" of your running career, the most important tissues to develop are the ones that hold you together. The muscles are easy to develop (relatively speaking), so put them on a lower priority, and make work of developing strong joints etc. Maybe do strength workouts in your off days from running? (Most would agree that's a good idea).

[bongo_bongo Graduate in reply to gary_bart]

I honestly don't think I am pushing myself that hard; maybe I should have said this before but I am overweight, I was 115 kgs (for 1m72) but lost 2 kgs since I started the program. I am following the 1400 cal a day diet and I do go slow, as advised in the C25K program and also because I simply *can't* go faster because of the extra weight. I will take your advice and take it extra slowly, like extending the period of rest and work on getting the joints stronger. I think it would be a shame to abandon the C25K altogether as it seems to really work, as far as losing weight is concerned.

[gary_bart in reply to bongo_bongo]

No need to abandon c25k (quite the opposite). Just change your priorities, that's all. Probably the most difficult challenge is to get your weight down. That extra weight is probably also hard on all your connective tissues, so you really do need to be careful not to put the muscle development first.

Good, yes, extra slow is the way to go. And yes, extended rest, especially when you feel sore. The one thing you can probably push a little bit at the moment is the strength work.

Every other day I do weight training at a gym, and what I'm finding is starting to work well there is to do a first set of "manageable" weights (where I can do 15 or more reps), then on the next round, push that up to "quite challenging" (the sweet spot being roughly 10 reps before it's too much), and then finally "impossible" weights (actually something I struggle to move 5 times). The heaviest weights inform the tendons, etc that there's more work on its way than they're settling into doing right now, but because I keep the reps down, and do all that warming up beforehand, the injury risk is reasonably low. (After a while you spend a lot of your planning effort on managing injury risk - you have to push a bit, but if you push the wrong way, you wipe out).

Enough of the cautions and things that might sound negative, though. If you follow c25k (gently) you Will end up being able to run non-stop for 30 minutes in much less time than you may have imagined. And it's good if that run is nice and slow, and sensible all the way through this "C25K Phase" of your running career. It's probably really hard to believe that right now, but you're among people who have done exactly that, starting at a place similar to the one you're in. If we can do it, you can.

After c25k you'll probably have a pretty good idea of how to proceed further. Cross that bridge when you get to it. Meanwhile, Well Done on taking that difficult first step, and on sticking it out like you've been doing. You'll still need some of that grittiness you've shown to get through.

[bongo_bongo Graduate in reply to gary_bart]

Thank you for the advice. The last thing I want is damaging myself trying to get fitter and ultimately, I may have to consult a physician. But I wanted to hear first from other people who did the program.

[Rignold]

Make sure you are well hydrated when you run, and sodium levels are okay. this means adequate water etc the nightbefore the run.

Cramp is an odd one. no one knows for sure why it happens. the bet way of alleviating it, weird as it may sound, is to sip a little pickle juice. Just the liquid from a bottle of pickled gherkins or whatever. Oly atiny amonut, but it fools the brain into thinking sodium levels are replenished and stops cramps in their tracks. Yes I did say it sounds weird, but I have tried it and it works. I have a monster race tomorrow in which cramp is going to be an issue and I have a tiny bottle of pickle juice to take nips from.

[misswobble Graduate]

It's weird but nice! You can put it in your homemade bread!

I got cramps early on but they disappeared as I started to get a bit fitter

Go nice and slow, Easy does it