Even before I started running, I’ve always had issues with cramps, particularly in my calves, hamstrings, and quads. I have very muscular legs and it has just always been an issue. There have been many nights where I wake up screaming in pain because of a leg cramp, scaring the crap out of my wife and obviously disturbing our rest.
When I was preparing for my first half marathon, a friend that I work with who is also a runner and has a lot more experience then I do, offered me some advice on preventing cramps. He knew that I was suffering later in my long runs and he also had similar issues. His advice was to start taking a magnesium supplement. A running friend of his offered him the same advice, and he told me that for all intents and purposes, his cramping issues had been resolved.
If you have cramp issues like I do, then you know you’re willing to try anything. I consulted the pharmacist and they started me out with 200 mg’s of magnesium a day and it made a world of difference! I was amazed. Almost immediately my cramping issues improved. Since I am always increasing my distance, I needed to keep tweaking the dosage until I found the right amount that basically stopped my cramping issues altogether. For me, that is 375 mg’s every day. Basically up to marathon distance, I no longer have cramping issues! Past 26 miles, I am still experimenting with doses, but give it a try.
If I am having a big week of training, I might supplement the 375 mg’s with another 50 to 100 mg’s or try increasing my food intake with magnesium rich foods. Foods that have worked well for me are dark green leafy vegetables, dates, figs, nuts and seeds, and bananas; if you google magnesium rich foods, there are a ton of suggestions.
Other fundamental nutritional aspects that you need to make sure you are taking care of in order for the magnesium to help are hydration and sleep. If you stay properly hydrated by drinking plenty of water and make sure that you are getting plenty of sleep, I suggest at least 7 hours per night if you can get it, then the magnesium can do its job. A thumb rule in regards to how much water to drink is that the color of your urine should be like pale wheat. Darker then that and you are dehydrated and lighter then that and you are drinking too much water.
A couple of other things that have helped me are foam rolling and compression socks. I try and get two sessions a week on the foam roller for my legs and I wear compression socks during my runs and for 30 minutes to an hour after. I am no doctor, so what I’ll say about the compression socks is that I feel supported and I feel like they make a difference. And like so many things in our sport, sometimes it really comes down to if you think it helps; then it helps.
If you increase your magnesium and it solves your cramping issues, I would love to hear about it! Post it in the comments section below!
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