A: Severe leg cramping sounds to us like an electrolyte issue. Your body needs electrolytes (primarily sodium and potassium) to function properly. When you sweat you lose water and electrolytes. A common problem from insufficient electrolytes is cramping. The good news - it is very easy to fix this problem. Try to drink an electrolyte drink during your workouts - about 20 oz per hour. You can drop Nuun tablets in your water for electrolytes or use a electrolyte drink mix like PowerBar Endurance, Gu Brew or Hammer HEED. The other option for getting electrolytes is S-caps or Thermalytes – which are essentially salt pills, etc.

You might try Carb BOOM products for the taking in your calories. They are made from natural fruits and might be easier on the stomach.

I hope this helps.

A: Hi Mo:

When we run, we hit the ground with a force 2 - 3 times our body weight. As a Clydedale athlete, this force is going to be greater and it becomes even more important to use excellent running form and to be sure you are in the right shoe/insert combination.

We suggest several things:

Consider participating in a Running Form clinic. You will learn some important tips about posture, foot fall, arm swing, etc. Good running form can can be extremely helpful in avoiding injury. We recommend "Proper Running Form" Clinic hosted by Elite Spinal & Sports Care at www.elitespinalcare.com. We are sure there are others, but this is the one we are most familiar with.

Consider being re-fit for shoes and inserts. I can see that your shoes are relatively new in that they don't have a lot of mileage on them. It is critical, that in addition to being sure not to run in old shoes, that you have properly fitted shoes for your body type, running gait, etc. Also, the combination of shoe and insert is very important. So - take your shoes back to where you got them and ask to be fitted again - with consideration given to the pain you are starting to feel. If you were originally fitted at Fleet Feet Sports, by all means bring them back. We want to get you in the right shoe for you!

We hope this is helpful.

A: Hi Cindy:

We agree with your frustration. At Fleet Feet Sports, we believe that anyone who is willing to make an effort - and does make an effort, regardless of their speed, is an athlete and a success. Children and adults alike should be applauded for "moving" their bodies in an effort to be healthy - whether they are the fastest or the slowest.

In this day and age, with childhood obesity at an all time high, all schools should be encouraging kids to be active everyday. This is best done in a supportive and encouraging environment where all levels of fitness are rewarded as long as the child is giving their best effort.

Now, we don't know the background to this grading system or the overall P.E. curriculum in your district, but based on what you have told us, your frustration seems valid and you should make sure your voice is heard within your school district.

A: How exciting! Did you know that in the past Sacramento has been listed as one of the top 10 best running communities? You will love it here. We have over 40 miles of bike trail along the American River. You can google American River Trail and see maps, information, etc. This trail goes from downtown Sacramento to Folsom (Beals Point). It is a well used trail - with bikers, runners, walkers and others welcome. There is also tremendous trail running up in the Auburn area, as well as El Dorado Hills.

Truly, any neighborhood along the American River Trail would be excellent for a runner. Around downtown, I might suggest Land Park, East Sacramento and River Park neighborhoods. There are also areas around Sac State University. I am less familiar with neighborhoods further east of Sacramento, but I think if you use the American River Trail as a starting point, you can look in neighborhoods around it.

Finally, we hope once you arrive in Sacramento, you will visit Fleet Feet Sports J Street. We like to think of ourselves as "the place for runners and walkers - shoes, training, races, etc." in Sacramento.

Best of luck with your move.

A: Are you new to running? Often people experience side cramps when their body is not conditioned for the activity of running. Give it some time. You might find that the more your body gets used to running, the less often you will have a side cramp. Also, pay attention to when you are eating and drinking (and how much) prior to working out. Sometimes modifying what you eat or drink will help to eliminate side cramps. Finally, there are a lot of suggestions of ways to get rid of side cramps: 1) even, deep breaths from the belly (not the chest) while running 2) raise your arms above your head and walk; 3) slow down, breath deeply and squeeze the cramp; 4) slow down and walk until the cramp goes away. There are some other crazy ideas out there for eliminating side cramps, but I will leave you to discover those on your own! Best of luck!

A: Dear Alex:

The simplest way to answer this is to say weight loss is a function of calories "in" vs calories "out". To lose weight, you need to be burning more calories (calories "out") than the number of calories you are putting in your body. Exercise of any kind helps to burn calories. Running is a terrific exercise for burning calories. It is free, requires very little equipment and most everyone can do it. (If you can't run, you can walk.) So - what does all of this mean? Running can be an effective part of a weight loss program, as long as it is combined with a healthy nutrition program.

A: Hi Ron:

Gosh - this is a difficult question to answer without more information. Generally speaking, a heart rate of 182 is high for a 62 year old person. Of course, it is key that you are getting an accurate heart rate reading. How are you getting this heart rate information? Is it with a heart rate monitor strapped to your chest or by holding the handles on the treadmill? Bottom line, if you are concerned about your heart rate, we would recommend that you see your doctor.

A: Thanks a lot Greg. We have a lot of people in the Sacramento area running the California International Marathon this weekend, as well. We wish everyone luck in their races this weekend and throughout December.

Remember to keep moving. A little bit of exercise goes a long way in the food-laden days of this holiday season. Keep moving and good luck!

A: Well this question really should be answered by a physical therapists or doctor. However, in general I would suggest some treatments to the muscle in the form of massage, Active Release Treatment, etc. along with strengthening the hamstring and other leg muscles. At this point avoid the things that aggravate the muscle. Interval sessions will aggravate the muscle due to the large range of motion and the required hamstring use in such workouts. Hill work, same thing. Long fast runs, same thing. The only thing that probably won't aggravate the hamstring is easy running that allows you to avoid a huge heel lift and large extended strides.

I would seek some treatment and strengthening advice soon.

A: This is a great question. I have no science behind this answer so let me start with that. The only factor that I can think of that would allow goatheads to effect the life of a shoe is moisture. If the goatheads leave holes in the mid-sole of the shoe and allow moisture into that mid-sole I could see that moisture somehow softening the shoe or have some negative effect on the shoe. Again, this is a wild non-scientific guess.

A: This is a question that comes up a lot at this time of the year. To think that in the next 10 to 12 days the injury is going to subside to the point that it doesn't pop up at CIM is doubtful. If you are looking at running your best marathon ever, you need to enter that marathon in the best condition ever. Injured, even if slightly, is not your best condition.

Two answers:
1. Have you gotten treatment for the injury from a medical professional. Someone who specializes in this sort of injury? If not, do so if you have any intention of running CIM. With treatment and guidance from a professional you will have better luck with your goals.
2. Can you mentally handle bagging 17 to 20 weeks of training and focusing on another marathon. Again, assuming that your "best marathon" is the goal you may want to consider this.

Simply - if you are feeling this in a 12 to 13 mile run there is no reason to think it will be magically better for 26.2.

Sorry you are in a cloud of doubt but I will leave you with this. I have had a lot of athletes who push through something like this because they have committed so much time to the training. They typically end up injured and don't run again for a few months. I have had a few that, drop back..rest up and then in 6 months shatter their personal records at a future marathon.

A: The real factor here is being sure that the two workouts serve different purposes if you are going to have them in the same week. Of course this assumes you are ready to take on two speed workouts in a week. My suggestion would be that you have two days of easy running or rest in between them and then at least another one day rest day between one of these and your longest run of the week.

Hill Suggestions:
Keep them shorter and quicker (not sprinting). Roughly 150 to 250 yards long. Complete 6 to 10 of these with an easy jog recovery between them.

Speed Suggestions:
Avoid shorter and quicker and go longer and slower. Repeats that are 3 to 6 minutes in length at a pace that you could hold for a 10 mile hard effort. Utilize a easy jog of about 60 to 90 seconds for recovery between each and complete about 3 to 5 of these.

Good luck.

A: Hi Brittany,
Footwear changes can be tricky however this sounds like something other than footwear since you changed shoes and still experienced it. You should have the fit of your shoe checked and analyzed to ensure that is not the problem. From there if you have a Physical Therapist you go to you should have it checked out. Hope this helps.

A: This happens more often than you think. Marathon training is long and things get in the way. My suggestion at this point would be to get one more medium long run in this weekend. Probably in the 14 to 16 range and then back off to the 8 to 10 range. This assumes you are 100% injury free and there is not any reason that you can't handle the 14 to 16. Hope this helps.

A:
There is nothing wrong with catching some shut-eye whenever possible. Most people don’t get enough sleep as it is. Throw in a long workout, the cozy couch and the drone of the tv – and it is no surprise that you fall asleep.

That said, you want to examine the possible reasons you are so tired. The reason we say this is that most people run too fast and too hard on their long runs. A long workout is hard by virtue of it being long. Don’t make it harder by running too fast. This does not benefit you at all, and could hurt you. So, be sure you are not so wiped out because you are running too hard. If this is the case, then slow down on your long workout.

Finally, while we do believe that rest is a critical component of smart training, we also believe that it can be helpful to keep moving after a longer workout. We don’t mean go to the gym and workout again. But we do mean running errands, cooking dinner, walking your dog. Staying mobile after a long workout will help your muscles stay warm and pliable, prevent some of the tightening that happens after a long workout and help to remove the lactic acid in your system. Overall, you need to find a happy medium between staying mobile and helping your body recover and getting the rest you need to recover.