Too much salt?

[Melalvai]

My experience is that if I wake up at night with leg cramps it's low magnesium

Really! I'm so happy to finally learn what might be causing the night leg cramps. I will definitely try Mg next time I have leg cramps. I'll also look at what foods provide it. I'm not keen on taking pills and I much prefer getting it from my food if I can.

[Boudicca]

Really! I'm so happy to finally learn what might be causing the night leg cramps. I will definitely try Mg next time I have leg cramps. I'll also look at what foods provide it. I'm not keen on taking pills and I much prefer getting it from my food if I can.

My doc suggested magnesium supplements for leg cramps. She says they sometimes help.

Of course I have not yet got around to buying them to test them out -- I get the cramps for 3-4 nights straight, and then not for months, so it doesn't seem like a priority supplement.

[BikeHN]

I'm a pretty salty sweater as well. I haven't experienced any adverse effects from this. Last night I rode an 'easy' 45 miles and felt great. At the end of the ride I literally had chunks of salt dried in my hair. For the guy who said, "You'll get there." I'm pretty fit, been putting in over 500 miles last few months and I'm still a salt lick at the end of my rides, so if I'm not there yet, I guess I never will be. I think some people are just salty sweaters. I will say though, any of my rides over 60 miles I come home and crave salty foods. In general, I prefer salty over sweet so I dunno if this has anything to do with my saltiness.

[OakLeaf]

I've been a little stressed since, worrying about next time. Obviously, I have to hydrate, fuel, etc better than last time, so my usual should suffice, but I'm wondering if I need a little more, like maybe salt tabs beforehand as it's hot and the ride starts at 11.

Not sure what to do.

Pre-cooling gets a lot of ink. Normally I avoid AC like the plague, but sitting in a cold environment for an hour or so immediately before your ride can help. So can drinking crushed ice immediately before you go out. Are you already freezing your water bottles overnight? The more you can cool yourself internally, the less you have to rely on evaporative cooling and the less you will need to sweat.

[Melalvai]

I think you can use the Mg to prevent the cramps, not sure if it works after-the-fact.

Sorry, that's what I meant, I said it confusingly. I'll get leg cramps for several nights, typically coinciding with an increase in training (intentional or otherwise). It might last a couple weeks. I haven't been having them lately, so I'll wait until I'm having them and then try Mg and see if they go away-- of course they go away on their own anyway so it's not much of a test, but if I feel they went away faster than they would have otherwise, that's something.

[lgibster]

I constantly look like a salt lick after a ride. I eat a balanced low-sodium diet on a regular basis. The only think I have learned from working towards longer rides is when it is hot I drink plain water, use my Gu gels about every 30-45 minutes, and recently added pickle juice at about mile 30 or so. I know sounds gross, but a fellow that used to work at my LBS suggested I try it since normally eat a low sodium diet. Since then I learned several people not only eat a pickle spear or two at the later rest stops they swear to keep up the Gu and plain water but they will drink a glass of pickle juice or two as the miles add up. Luckily I love pickles and their juice. I asked my doctor about do that on hotter days and she says there is a good combination of things in the juice and that is wasn't a bad idea.

I don't think how you look after a ride matters, it is how you are feeling while you ride. I know for me the pickle juice at mile 30 of my 60 mile training ride did help me later in the ride. I would usually start to cramp up and feel funny. With the pickles and juice added I didn't. As someone else said you can take it with a grain of ........