Further Insight Into Leg Cramps?

So, I've just finished Again To Carthage, the follow up to Once A Runner. No book review today, just this:

In both books you can find some pretty solid training advice and useful day-to-day info.

In Carthage, there's an interesting tidbit about getting leg cramps in a marathon, but not during training. I have often been baffled by this, as I've never once gotten a leg cramp in a training run, but I have experienced them in the race. What's up with that? To date, the best answer I've gotten is from the Sports Scientists, who relate it to misfiring of the golgi tendon, among other things. Here's another view, from Again To Carthage:

He remembered Denton's lecture: "In the marathon, you can get cramps at almost any time. They're not like the ones we used to get towards the end of hot-weather workouts, not based on electrolyte depletion. I got them halfway through my 2:15 when I picked up the pace suddenly. They're usually in the hamstrings, sometimes the calves or quads. You're just over your anaerobic threshhold, but just barely. You start generating ketones from burning fat without enough oxygen, the ketones start
circulating , confusing your synapses, causing them to misfire. You cramp. Joe Vigil laid it out for me. The thing is not to panic. They feel pretty bad for a while, and you may think you're done for, but they'll go away if you back off for a bit and run them out."

The science nerd in me loves knowing...why. However, given the information above is from a fictional novel about running, not sure how solid it is:)

[ORN: Obligatory Running Note] 6 miles in 58:40. Little faster than my base pace runs usually are. But I felt really good today. It seemed like I was experiencing the unexplained fitness boost I always feel after a race. Perhaps I should have reined it in with a key workout tomorrow, but I'm still flying high from the race experience...

Things That Make You Say, Awwww

Let's just take a moment and reflect on how adorable the Teacup Pig is, shall we?

Awww... *

This week seems to be full of awwww moments and other assorted warm fuzzies. Which is to say, it's been a pretty good week so far.

First, this is the week of my birth and, coincidentally, I am celebrating it by attempting a PR at the Half Marathon. Whether I PR or not, I just love that these two events coincide this year. I also love that I feel prepared to run a decent HM right now. This race is also in Charlotte, covering many of the streets my last marathon was run on, so there's always the hope of wrapping up some unfinished business.

Yesterday, I spoke with someone on the Race Committee at CMLC (Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy). I was pleased to tell them that BOTR had chosen the Run For The Hills 5K as our focus race, which means we would be bringing about $2,000 in registyration fees to CLMC. This is their first annual race/ fund raiser, and they were so overjoyed about the news, it made me feel good all day. Warm Fuzzy? Absolutely.

Today I'm looking forward to the UPS arrival of John L. Parker's follow up to "Once A Runner", Again to Carthage. Also arriving- a new foam roller. I am strangely excited by the arrival of my very own, at home, torture device. I can stop feeling like a perv at the Y when I go to town on their foam roller. OK, now I just feel dirty.

This morning, I read a very inspiration set of posts by Scott Dunlap over at A Trail Runner's Blog. In the first post he captures what I think is true about balance and the second one captures what I feel when I run longer and longer. I love my time on the road for working through life's issues.


Here's to a great day and a great week. I leave you with a birthday quote of sorts:

Use your health, even to the point of wearing it out. That is what it is for. Spend all you have before you die; do not outlive yourself.

- Bernard Shaw

[ORN: Obligatory Running Note] Set out for an easy 7 miler after work yesterday. I'd been at my desk all day, so I was way over-dressed for 45 degree weather. I ended up cutting the run down to 4 miles. It just felt like something I should do. I felt sort of depleted, and so I thought I'd save up some energy for Wednesday's MP intervals. "3 x 2 miles @ MP w/ a steady 1/2 mile in between" sounds super easy on paper, but I'm finding it to be a dang good workout. With a 3 mile warm up and 2 mile cool down, that's 12 miles of goodness.

* This moment was brought to you by last night's episode of HIMYM