CRAMPS!
 

What are cramps (stomach cramps) in the body, and how the hell do I stop them? Everytime I start running, I'll get about 3/4 of the way into the first mile and start to feel really strong stomach/abdomen cramps that make it painful to keep running. I've tried eating about 4 hours prior to working out, not eating for about 6 hours before I work out, and eating about an hour before I work out. None seem to lessen the pain at all.

I'm a mouth-breather, cause I can never seem to get enough air through my nose, especially when I'm sprinting. Can this make it worse?

Generally speaking, most of my rib/ab cramps were a direct result of dehydration. Eating shouldn't play much of a role in your problem since the body basically shuts down digestion during exercise. Make sure you drink plenty of water in the couple of hours leading up to your run and see if that helps.

I'm not quite sure about stomach cramps, but my legs used to cramp up quite bad when I would run a good distance. I found that if I eat a banana or take some sort of potassium and stay hydrated that I don't run into that problem.

Warming up at a lower pace for 5-10 minutes is important. You need to get your body into things. If you're sprinting in the first 10 minutes your body isn't ready, even if your mind is. And it takes a lot of self-discipline to warm up all the way.

The second important thing is breathing right - which is enhanced by a good warm-up. They kind of go hand-in-hand. If you can't breathe in through your nose - especially in the warm up phase - your are working out too hard. Unless you are sprinting - which should only be 10-20% of the toughest workouts - you should be able to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, which helps you maintain a lower heart beat.

Part of your cramping is coming from spams relates to your diahpragm as the result of poor breathing. I know, again with the breathing!! But it all starts there.

I've posted several times around here about heart rate training. Let me know if you need some links to that. There is one out there now something like "So you wanna lose weight." It all relates - heart, breathing, warming up, levels to work out at for overall well being.

Oh, the hydration comments posted previously here are also very, very important. I just take that as a given but some don't!!

I'm no expert, but I'd say it was the mouth breathing. I rarely get stomach cramps when I run, but it only happens when I stop paying attention to my breathing and start inhaling through my mouth. Exhales are fine, but the inhales seem to push everything out of order down there when I do it through my mouth.

I typically walk the first 2 or 3 minutes, jog for a minute or so, sprint for 2, walk for 2, etc..

Do you think this is too fast to "warm up" correctly?

It sounds to me like dehydration, but it could also be breathing. I also breathe through my mouth, but I have never had any cramps that weren't a result of dehydration. When I breathe, I make sharp, quick breaths and I don't inhale very deeply. If I need more air, I inhale a little deeper. I really don't think it is that though, since I have run several miles where I was doing nothing but sucking wind as hard as I could, and still didn't get cramps.

Hydration is key. Most people are in a constant state of dehydration and they don't even know it. When you piss, you want your urine to be as close to clear as possible. If you're pissing apple juice, you can be sure that if you go run right away you're going to get cramps. You need to be drinking lots of water the day before you run and especially before bed (if you plan on running in the morning). You don't want to drink a gallon of water right before you go run, so you want to make sure you have been drinking enough water in the hours before.

Warming up is good too, and your warming up routine sounds fine to me.. I don't know a whole lot about warming up though since I usually just stretch, walk for a minute or two and then run.

I personally think sprinting should be done after at least 10 minutes but really 15 or more. Sprinting is all out; there are several levels to get through and warm up before this one. To exagerate things a bit, a bike rider on the major tour rides will warm up on their stationary bike for 30 minutes or more before beginning a race.

Walking for 4-5 with a jog for another 5 minutes is pretty good...then pick up the pace for another 5 minutes but don't sprint until after all that. It will at laeast save you from pullled muscles. By the time you are warmed up for sprints you really won't feel the need to walk after until you are finished.

Cramps are usually caused by one of two things, dehydration and/or overexertion. I don't know of any study that links breathing technique with anything other than comfort, although a trainer or coach would definitely tell you to change to in through the nose out through the mouth. I would say monitor your pace and pulse rate, drink approx. 1 quart of water an hour for at least 2-3 hours prior to running, and avoid eating anything other than fruit within that 2-3 hour period.

Here's what I said previously regarding cramping. It has to do with stomach cramps (the typical kind described as a stich in the side), which was the original question. And it does relate to the diahpragm which is upset by poor breathing. It is a phsyiological thing and didn't require a study.

Three quarts of water each hour for three hours before running is quite a bit...nearly a gallon. You'll pee your eyes out (and a lot of electrolytes) before you start running. 24-32 ounces an hour before is pretty good and you should drink 24 ounces/hour while doing cardio...two ounces every five minutes if possible, although that is tougher when running than other things.

Found this...

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/...-0-246,00.html

Here's the text...

Sideaches

The best way to cure a sideache while running--is to try something else for awhile

Many beginners suffer sideaches, or stomach cramps, when they run. This can be because of a number of reasons.

DIET: One cause of sideaches is eating too soon, or too much, before you run. It takes three to four hours to digest a large meal. If you have undigested food--or too much fluid--in your stomach, your stomach muscles may cramp. Some people may be allergic to certain foods, which may cause problems. Adjusting your diet may help.

MUSCLE WEAKNESS: When you begin running, you quickly discover the weakest part of your body. That body part begins to hurt. It may be your legs, your arms or your stomach muscles--causing a sideache. Your body is telling you to slow down. Pay attention, gradually strengthen your stomach muscles, and the sideaches eventually should go away.

MEDICAL CONDITION: A sideache could signal appendicitis, a kidney infection, even a heart problem. We're not trying to be alarmist, but if you continually experience sideaches while running, you may want to get a medical evaluation.

Once you experience a sideache, regardless of its cause, how do you alleviate it? The best way to cure a sideache, while running, is to do something different. Here are some common remedies:

BREATHING: Changing breathing pattern is often the best strategy for curing a sideache. Shift from 2/2 to 3/3 or some other pattern. Try belly breathing: using your stomach muscles instead of your lung muscles. (Pregnant women learn belly breathing by lying on the ground and moving a book placed on their bellies up and down.)

CHANGE OF PACE: Slow down. Speed up. Slowing down may work best, since one of the reasons for the sideache may be that you are pushing too hard. The sideache is a message from the body telling you to slow down. Any change in your rhythm may help relieve the problem.

MASSAGE: Act as your own massage therapist. While continuing to run, massage the aching area. Pinching may help. Swing your arms forward, backwards and in circles. If runners around you think you're crazy, that's all right. Tell them you have a sideache. Everybody gets sideaches.