Cramps

Getting leg cramps in the pool is no fun. I've had minor cramps before, but nothing like this.

I went to our usual coached workout this morning. They split us into two groups: half went biking first, half went swimming first. I was in the biking group. We rode at a brisk pace (17 mph on the flats) from Burgess Pool in Menlo Park, up Sand Hill Road, and turned around at the base of Old La Honda. It was a great ride and took us about an hour.

We headed to the pool when we got back from the ride. We did a little bit of stretching before jumping in, and the coaches warned us about getting cramps when swimming after biking. Note that in a triathlon, the order of events is swim, bike, run-- it hadn't occurred to me that cramps would be so common if you do them in reverse order.

My calves started cramping soon after I got in the pool. Each time I pushed off a wall, one or both would spasm. I stretched against the wall, and the cramps went away for most of the workout. At the end of the workout, our coach told us to swim a 200 yard cool down (8 laps). I swam the first lap, pushed off the far wall, and both calves and one hamstring cramped simultaneously. I turned around and got out of the pool. I didn't feel like drowning today.

One of my teammates suggested using a foam roller when I got home. I don't have one, so I had Tina use a rolling pin on my calves and hamstrings. Tina said, "This isn't pizza dough, but maybe one day it will be!" It felt pretty good, but my legs have still been tight for the rest of the day. I need to start bringing my water bottle to the pool with me.