cramping

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Kelly2188
Kelly2188 Posts: 31
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been out of the gym for quite some time and would like to get into running. After about 2-3 minutes I start getting bad cramping and it doesn't go away. Any ideas on how to help this?

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  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    Are you drinking enough water so you are well hydrated before you run? Also, if you've been away from exercise, particularly running, for awhile, you may be trying to do too much too soon. I'm a big believer in the c25k program - it starts you out slow with a combination of walking & running, three days a week for about 9 weeks. As you move through the program, the walking decreases as the running times increase - I went from a non-runner to being able to run the 5k (3.1 miles) with this program!

    Search for it online to view the program, and there are also a lot of apps for smart phones & ipods that you can download that coach you through the whole process.

    Hope that helps - cramping is no fun!
  • zoom2
    zoom2 Posts: 934 Member
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    Cramping...legs or uterine? In HS I ran track and would get HORRIBLE uterine cramps during even moderate effort. It wasn't until I had my tubes tied and thermal ablation in my early 30s that endometriosis and adenomyosis were found to be the cause. I had long suspected endo. I had all the symptoms since I was 12, but it required laparoscopic surgery to confirm my suspicions. Endo can cause uterine cramping with exercise.
  • TylerB1089
    TylerB1089 Posts: 10
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    This article may help

    http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/how-to-stop-runners-cramps
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    I have been out of the gym for quite some time and would like to get into running. After about 2-3 minutes I start getting bad cramping and it doesn't go away. Any ideas on how to help this?

    Do you sweat a lot during running? If so, you might be short on salt and dehydration is also another possibility.

    Take a sports drink with you on your runs, the proper sports drinks have stuff in them to rebalance your electrolytes.
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
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    I have been out of the gym for quite some time and would like to get into running. After about 2-3 minutes I start getting bad cramping and it doesn't go away. Any ideas on how to help this?
    If your cramping minutes after you start running I can safely guess that your not doing any stretching beforehand.
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
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    This article may help

    http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/how-to-stop-runners-cramps
    I automatically assumed muscle cramp, thanks for the link there's some good information here on other types of cramps
  • utvolsfan74
    utvolsfan74 Posts: 105
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    Stretching, Water and potasium. You need plenty of all 3 to avoid cramps.
  • zoom2
    zoom2 Posts: 934 Member
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    If your cramping minutes after you start running I can safely guess that your not doing any stretching beforehand.

    I don't stretch before running...haven't in years. Not even before running marathons. AFTER, yes. I suspect the OP is running too hard/fast for her current fitness. Perhaps it's not true cramps and is really tight calves, which are fairly common in new runners who are biting off more than they can chew.

    There are a lot of experts who believe that hydration/electrolytes have little to do with cramping and that it's a mechanism of a muscle that is simply pushed beyond its current fitness.

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