Legs cramping during HIM swim

I cramped up during the HITS Marble Falls 70.3 about 1500 meters into the swim and had to roll over on my back for a minute.  The embaracing thing was when i started going again I some how and turned my self around and was swimming the wrong direction for a while.  I had to stop kicking for a while them changed to dying a cycle motion with my legs like riding a bike to make it to the end of the swim.  I still made my goal of 35 minutes so I was happy.  I checked around on cramps and determined that my problem was most likely from pointing my toes while swimming.  Cramping is the result of fatigue or dehydration.  I was NOT dehydrates so that means that my cramps were from fatigue.  I had never done any continuous training swims over about 1200-1400 meters so I may not have been swim fit.  I also didn't focus on pointing very much during training until the last 2-3 weeks before the race so I was I was using a muscle group in a way it wasn't used to anyways.  In the pool the wall lets me rest every 25 meters at my turn around.  With no stops or turn around in the OWS I was flexing that calf muscle with out any rest period ( I will have to try the periodic leg flex like you do).  Most the people I talked to said that cramps were common for a couple years into their swimming but they kept at it and over time they stopped getting cramps.  I too will have to be working on strategies to avoid the leg cramps on the swim. 

Congrats on the race and good luck at future events. 

Its' something I've had to deal with over the years.  More frequently when I've done a lot of kick or sprint sets at master swimming workouts.  

The most effective thing I've done to minimize them is to is to stretch my calves on a regular basis.    

Mark

I like this theory.  I only swam in my wet suit 2-3 times before my 70.3 race.  It is a really tight fit and I know that it changed some of what I was doing vs. no wet suit. I was considering swimming at my local pool in the wet suit to get a better feel for it.  I am sure that I would get a lot of second looks at the pool swimming in a wet suit.  Of course at My pool all you need is googles and a swim cap to get 2nd looks.  Most people there are not swimming laps. :-)

I still think the pointing toe thing was my biggest problem though.  In practice I was usually working on my body position and arm stoke.  Kicking wasn't something I worked on until I after I had already started my bike and run taper.

I once convinced a buddy to drink an entire jar of pickle juice to help him with his cramps.  Of course it doesn't work, but it was pretty funny.