12 Jul 2013
Posted by mattwright
Thanks for your great articles. I recently paddled the SUP Race of the lake to the Sky is South lake Tahoe. I did the 14.5 mile race. At about 12 miles my left hand, forearm and lats cramped up and I had to really slow down. I drank about 70oz. of water/electolytes, Hammer Heed, during the race. I was reading your book, Riding Bumps , and read that it may be a sodium deficiency. Any suggestions? I have another SUP race in Tahoe, 10 miles in August.
Bill, Tahoe (?) USA
Answer
: there are loads of causes for cramping during an stand up paddle or prone paddle race. Some you need to manage days before your race, some are nutrition based, and some are training based. It is always hard to track down the exact cause but here are some things to consider.
First and foremost, we do not always know why athletes cramp during racing. As a general rule, however, cramping in unfit athletes is caused by going too hard while cramping in extremely fit athletes is caused by something else (such as nutrition, muscle glycogen depletion etc.). First we will address the non-electrolyte related causes then attack the sodium issue.
- SUP Racing while you are fatigued can cause cramping : Be sure that you are well rested and your muscles are loaded up with glycogen prior to your race. Although this is anecdotal, in our experienced, athletes who race while they are fatigued and glycogen depleted are prone to cramping. If it is an important race, be sure to taper and rest accordingly. Conversely, don’t rest too much the day before the race. You want to get out the day before the race and get your arms moving. Again this is anecdotal but we have seen many athletes sit in a car traveling the day before a race and they are prone to cramping.
- A lack of calories can cause cramping I am unfamiliar with Hammer Heed but numbers are numbers. If this product works for you – great. Just be sure you are getting enough calories before you race and during your race. Calorie requirements are found in the nutrition chapter of Riding Bumps.
- Pacing is everything: Going too hard in a long SUP or prone paddle race can lead to cramping. Be sure you are pacing yourself and not overcooking things too early in the race. It is possible that you are reverse pacing things (e.g. going out too hard), you are red lining too many times too early, and the fatigue is leading to cramps.
- Remember you are racing at altitude: Tahoe is at about 6000 feet. It is not everest but that altitude will affect performance. You will lose 1 beat for 1000 feet of elevation. What that means is that if you are used to going a certain speed at a certain heart rate and you try to go the same speed in Tahoe you might be 5-6 beats over where you are normally. That means you will be “going harder” for the same speed. That could lead to cramping. The effects of altitude will be different for different people so depending on how sensitive you are to the effects of altitude this could be significant or insignificant. Here is some more information about training for altitude races
- Altitude will also lead to dehydration : Relative to paddling at sea level you will become dehydrated faster at altitude. As your body tries to compensate for the lower oxygen level you will breathe faster and exhale more water vapor which will lead to dehydration. This can cause cramps so you need to factor this in and focus on your hydration during the race
Sodium Supplementation in your bottle*
If all of those items are in order, it is time to consider cramping associated with an electrolyte imbalance. Sodium is the big one. Although there are studies that question the need for sodium supplementation during endurance sports, most of the research shows that electrolyte supplementation is beneficial. In our experience, sodium supplementation is warranted by endurance athletes. Moreover, our experience, albeit anecdotal, is that older athletes require supplementation more than younger athletes.
As a general rule, most athletes will lose 300-1000mg/hour while racing. There are, however, athletes who lose up to 3-4g (yes grams) of sodium at the high end. We were even involved with a research project at the Gatorade Institute where one of our athletes lost 5-6g (yes grams) of sodium per hour. This unfortunate athlete became so dehydrated during one of his races, he had to have a subtotal colectomy to correct the damage associated with his electrolyte imbalance and dehydration. The rate of sodium loss does not seem related to how much you sweat. Rather it is related to the concentration of sodium in your sweat. Everyone is different.
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Sodium Supplementation for every paddler:
The best way to supplement electrolytes is in your sports drink. Get our your calculator and do the math. As an example using commonly used products:
- Gatorade Perform has 110mg/8oz
- A Gu gel has 50mg/packet
If you drink a 20oz bottle of gatorade and 2 gels/hour you are ingesting 375 mg of sodium per hour. For many athletes that is sufficient.
Sodium Supplementation for athletes predisposd to cramping
If you are still having issues you might be and individual that loses more than average sodium in their sweat. Look for a sports drink with a higher sodium content such as Gatorade Endurance which has 200mg of sodium/8oz.
Another option is to build your sports drink by using a maltodextrin base such as Carbo Pro and add electrolytes and/or table salt. For reference,
1/4 tsp of table salt has 600mg of sodium. One of the fomulas we use is
- 1/8tsp salt
- 1 tbsp gatorade powder
- 1/2 cup maltodextrin powder
- mix with 20 oz water
With this potion you will get 400 mg/bottle. If you drink one bottle an hour and eat 2 Gu packets you will have a total of 600 mg/hour. The only issue is that this formulation has a slightly salty taste so be sure you try it before race day.
Sodium Supplementation for those really big races where you might crack yourself
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It is highly recommended to keep around some salt tabs in a waterproof container if you are going to be going for it in a major distance race such as a major channel crossing (e.g. Molokai or Catalina, etc.). The effects of hyponatremia (
nausea, muscle cramps, disorientation) can come on extremely quickly during a race. Conversely, when addressed appropriately, they can be reversed within 10-15 minutes. If you are feeling the effects of hyponatremia grab a few salt tablets and back off your effort. If hyponatremia is the cause of your symptoms should see improvement in 10-15 minutes when you can resume your paddle. NOTE: if you are feeling any of these symptoms be sure to seek medical advice. These symptoms are also common in other medical disorders so be sure you seek professional help.
Sodium supplementation before your race?
One of the nutritionists we trust and have worked with for years has a pet theory that many endurance athletes are borderline hyponatremic before they even start their race. In the days leading up to your race, rather than prehydrating before your race with water, you should consider using something like Nuun or Emergen-c for some of your hydration which will hydrate you and get your electrolyte house in order. Remember, you always want pre-hydrate and ”pee clear” the night before your race.
Can you screw this up and overdo it?
You can overdo everything if you try. As a general rule, if you are otherwise healthy* when it comes to sodum supplementation you will vomit before you suffer any adverse effects to your kidneys or other organ*. Have we seen people mess up their supplementation to the point of vomiting? Absolutely. In one case, we had someone use salt tablets from their child’s chemistry set rather than recommended buffered salt tablets designed to be ingested during competition. Well, those chemistry set tabs have 1000mg/tablet. Popping a few of them is not the same as popping a few Thermalytes. We also know of an athlete who confused their Motivator tablets with their salt tablets and found themselves confused and disoriented in their hotel room with a heart rate that stayed elevated for hours. The bottom line on all of this is that although it is unlikely that you will injure yourself with sodium supplementation use your brain and please contact your physician for additional information prior to your race.
*Please discuss these and all nutrition recommendations with your physician prior to implementation in your race training program.
Roch
