Easy Running

Great Midwest Early Fall Day

It was a long run today.  I was on the road for an hour and a half.  It was very relaxing.  I didn't have much on my mind and was very open minded.  I started out just praying for my family and then friends.  I had some time to pray for my office and church and many other people in my life.  Some days there is no plan or structure.  I just try to be open minded.  Sometimes just staying in connection with God can bring peace to my life.  I continue to pray each day that I will present myself as a living sacrifice to God each day.

*Running tip.  Increased sodium before runs may decrease cramps.

I have had some trouble with cramps and muscle strains in the last few years.  I wan't sure why this was happening but I may have found the answer.  During a long bicycle ride this summer one of the guys I was with had terrible muscle cramps.  I mean so bad he was off of the road laying in someones yard in the "happy baby" yoga pose.  He was given pickle juice and stretched.  He was able to ride in a few minutes and within about 20-30 minutes was completely back to normal.  He was able to ride the next 100 miles without any problems.  It made me think about my self, especially later in the ride when I had cramps for the last 30 miles.  As I have gotten older I have sweated more than I use to.  I often have salt on my cloths at the end of long runs or bike rides.  I drink a lot of Gatorade and thought that should do the trick.  I investigated the amount of sodium in Gatorade as compared to pickle juice and they are not even close.  Pickle juice has 10 times more sodium.  I don't like pickles so what could I do different?  I looked at many different foods and found that chicken noodle soup has a ton of sodium.  So today I had a can 1 hour before my run and it seemed to work great.

Talk to you later and keep Running with God.