Muscle cramps

The arch of either foot cramps about 25-35 minutes into a pool workout.  Phoebe said to do toe pointing exercises.  Jeff Ernst at Kaiser Permanente said take OJ, Tonic water and magnesium at night.  He also said NUUN might work.  I have been trying the triple threat.

With a slight modification:  I took the juice, tonic water and Mg during the workout.  If the depletion of electrolytes was occurring during the workout, taking the remedy at the dime of workout would be the most effective, assuming effective absorption from the gut.  Taking the dose the night before would allow the body too much time to get rid of the extra electrolyte load.  Result:  I had a hint of a cramp today.  One last week.  Overall, significant improvement. 

The National Center for Biotechnology Information NCBI (a unit of the National Institutes of Health) did a study on bananas and potassium levels in people with and without Exercise Associated Muscle Cramps. 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3499889/ 
The conclusion included some discussion about whether the efficacy of bananas to prevent the occurrence or recurrence of muscle cramping with exercise came from their effect on potassium levels (negligible) or on glucose levels. 

For me the jury is out.  I will continue to suck down my mix of juice, tonic water and magnesium while swimming.  If the cramps only happen once a week, I might call it a win.

Next, getting the timing right for taking the remedy after starting the workout.  15 minutes?  20?  We hope to know soon.

Swim Lather Rinse Repeat

I'm obsessed with the butterfly stroke in swimming.  The challenge:  figure out why some trips to the other end of the pool feel good and others feel like I'm swimming through cold honey:  suffocating, slow and sticky.  Maybe I feel good on the 25 yards out, but on the 25 coming back I fall apart

Sometimes, I suspect a failure to take breathing seriously.  Other times, I just blame bad technique. 

Maybe I had a breakthrough this evening.  For 20 minutes, during my butterfly drills I focused on keeping the amplitude of my up and down excursions to a minimum.  I had to remind myself to really work on blowing out and sucking in my breath.  The stroke has so many parts.  Timing plays a greater role with butterfly than the other three strokes.  I swam some full stroke lengths with my arms skimming the water during the recovery phase.  I wanted to know what I looked like performing drills and full stroke--I hadn't brought a camera and no one told me how I looked.  I asked myself:  Did my hips sink following hand entry?  Do I kick with or after hand entry?  Was my chest too shallow?  Did any of that matter? 

With 15 minutes to go before pool closure, I swam some full stroke 25's, mindfully keeping the amplitude low.  I tried not to climb too much when getting a breath, nor sink following hand entry.

It felt good, but I forgot to breathe well.  Swimming butterfly is like trying to do a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle nine times in 25 yards. 

So far, repeat performances elude me.  It is a work in progress.  No quitting.

Lather. Rinse, repeat.  Breathe, stay small, breathe.