The slow run

I was at kilometer 15 of a 24 km trail race with a significant altitude gain. It was my second trail run and my third race ever. I was a total novice. Back then, I had this voice at kilometer two or three that was telling me: “Why did you join this race?! It’s terrible; it’s hard; it’s painful; we’re suffering; let’s drop out; it’s not worth it; come on!”. That was a funny voice. Thankfully I never listened to it, and it went away after a few years of running and a couple more races.

But back to km 15: it was a great race until then, the scenery was amazing, I met some great people along the way, and I was running with them in a pack. I was getting pretty tired and started walking from time to time. In a split second, both my hamstrings and quadriceps got locked. There were a few signs beforehand, but I chose to push forward. Full stop. This is not a joke; my legs don’t want to move anymore. They’re like big blocks of cement, really stiff. What now? 

“Hey, what’s up?” a person I was running with asked.

“My legs are stuck, they’re jammed”

“Ok, take this.” she opens her little running bag and gives me this round tablet containing magnesium. I took it, and we started slowly walking, one foot in front of another – it was the best I could muster. Miraculously we reach a checkpoint, and I get water to wash down the tablet. Slowly I start feeling the tension in my legs fading away. It did not take too much; only 5 min had passed since I first put the pill in my mouth.

“This is freaking amazing!” I tell her. 

“My legs seem to work again”

“Yep, magnesium helps with the cramps, it relaxes your muscles. I always have magnesium with me at races”.

Thank God she had those pills and that she was kind enough to share them with me. If not, I would have probably either dropped out or painfully dragged my legs, literally, for the last kilometers. That wouldn’t have been pleasant, and I’m not sure if, at the time, I had developed that running toughness to go over the finish line despite the immense pain.

Since that experience, I always have had magnesium with me at races. I even bought the same tablets, doubting that anything else works. 

“Those tablets have some magic in them” – I told myself. 

I never saw this kind of effect on the muscles. It’s amazing to go from dragging your legs to running again in just 5 minutes, after taking one dose of magnesium. I’ve experienced this several times since then. At my first marathon, I got a nasty stiffness in my quadriceps, and I had to take two tablets to get my legs to finish the last 8k.

Fast forward a few years later, and my tactics matured. I found a better source of magnesium. Instead of those tablets that took some time to consume and needed water to wash down, I started taking small flasks(25 ml) of liquid magnesium. They’re tasty, and you can drink them in 3 seconds. Also, I started taking magnesium before the cramps even started. I’m now taking them preemptively and not treating the cramp when it happens. I usually take one after 12 – 15km and then after each new 10 km.

Magnesium is by far the best supplement that helps me in the long runs. The second best is the caffeine gel. It gives you a well-needed boost when you most need it, like at km 23 of a marathon when you start losing that freshness. The combo of highly processed carbs that your body can immediately use as fuel plus the caffeine gives you a kick. And that kick lasts for a bit. In my case, around 5 km. In the case of a marathon, I take another gel at the 30 km mark. 

TL;DR(Too long, did not read):

Amature runner tip: Have at least two doses of magnesium(in whatever form) with you at any competition and take them when or before your muscles get stuck. If you need a boost of energy, get a gel containing caffeine. Enjoy!