Pickle Juice

[KingLlama]

For those of you who use(or have used) it....

-Why did you start?
-Did it help?
-How often do you drink it?
-How did you experiment with it before using it during actual races?

I've tried salt tablets and all kinds of other stuff to help with cramping. Thinking of turning to pickle juice to see if that does the trick. But wanted some insight first.

 

[Kerry1957]

Good question. I saw it at the water/snack stops during my first and only marathon, but I was afraid to try it for the first time during a big race. I would also enjoy hearing other people's experiences.

 

[ZellyB]

I've used it a couple of times during VERY hot and sweaty runs. I don't usually cramp up, but on a hot training run I tried some that somebody had and I really liked it. Mostly the salty flavor just tasted really good to me when I was that hot and sweaty. I then used it a couple of times during a very hot marathon. Again, not sure I needed it to avoid cramping, but it tasted really good. That's really the only race I've used it on so far.

 

[FFigawi]

What else have you tried? I find BASE salt to work the best, and Salt Stick tabs are a pretty good option too. For liquids, I know a lot of people swear by Hot Shots.

http://www.teamhotshot.com/

 

[John VN]

Pickle Juice is pretty much a given at SAG stops during organized longer distance-- 110K, 100-200-300+ mile bicycle events. I take some with me when I ride 100+ miles and will even include a nice pickle in a baggie. I don't need PJ for Marathons unless it's after 2.4 miles of swimming then 112 miles of biking.

IMPORTANT --- experiment first and often. It can really upset one's gastro system.

 

[camaker]

For those of you who use(or have used) it....

-Why did you start?
-Did it help?
-How often do you drink it?
-How did you experiment with it before using it during actual races?

I've tried salt tablets and all kinds of other stuff to help with cramping. Thinking of turning to pickle juice to see if that does the trick. But wanted some insight first.

What other solutions have you tried and what makes you sure it’s an electrolyte imbalance causing the issue?

There are a number of different causes for calf cramps. If previous electrolyte based solutions haven’t fixed the problem, that may not be the root cause, and pickle juice won’t be of any help.

Are you sure there’s nothing in your running form that could be causing the issue? Over reliance on calves for propulsion, for instance. Or could there be a weakness in your physio chain (weak glutes, hamstrings, quads, general lack of flexibility) that could be causing issues in the calf portion of your power train?

Those are just a couple of alternative ideas to check out, too.

 

[Bree]

I’m with @camaker. If salt tablets aren’t solving the cramping it’s probably something else. Pickle juice is just an alternative form of getting salt into you.

 

[KingLlama]

What other solutions have you tried and what makes you sure it’s an electrolyte imbalance causing the issue?

There are a number of different causes for calf cramps. If previous electrolyte based solutions haven’t fixed the problem, that may not be the root cause, and pickle juice won’t be of any help.

Are you sure there’s nothing in your running form that could be causing the issue? Over reliance on calves for propulsion, for instance. Or could there be a weakness in your physio chain (weak glutes, hamstrings, quads, general lack of flexibility) that could be causing issues in the calf portion of your power train?

Those are just a couple of alternative ideas to check out, too.

Are you calling me a bad runner?

I'm totally kidding.

I honestly don't know. I always assumed it was electrolyte-related because it only happens after a certain point in any race/training run...typically around mile 8 or so. Example, at last year's Dark Side, they started up on the overpass. But it absolutely could be something in how I'm running. I just figured that if it was something form-related, they would kick in sooner rather than later. But I could be wrong.

 

[camaker]

Are you calling me a bad runner?

I'm totally kidding.

I honestly don't know. I always assumed it was electrolyte-related because it only happens after a certain point in any race/training run...typically around mile 8 or so. Example, at last year's Dark Side, they started up on the overpass. But it absolutely could be something in how I'm running. I just figured that if it was something form-related, they would kick in sooner rather than later. But I could be wrong.

Hey, we can pretty much all work on our form, so certainly no insult implied!

I threw these possibilities out there since previous electrolyte solutions didn’t work and I think we have a tendency to over-associate electrolytes with cramping.

Last summer I went to a PT to work on preventing recurrence of a shin injury and she put me on a treadmill to look at my form. One of the first things she noted was that I tended to run through my calves and made some suggestions to get me to run more through my glutes, hamstrings and quads. The theory was that the calf has a small muscle belly relative to the other muscle set and by using it preferentially while running, it was much easier to exhaust the energy stores in it, leading to premature fatigue and potentially cramping. That could also explain the late run onset of your cramping, as well. If you have a weakness in your kinetic chain causing a similar over reliance/additional stress on your calves, the same thing could happen.

I’m just proposing another lever you could pull in your effort to resolve the cramping issue. Good luck!

 

[Disney at Heart]

I ran a half marathon in early June in central FLA a couple of years where frozen "pickle pops" were given out somewhere around miles 9-10? Yes, I said pickle pops. I ate a couple of bites and had to toss the rest because it began to turn my mouth inside out! In all fairness, I had no cramping or dehydration issues in the 90+ heat. (At the now defunct Echo half marathon from Debary to Osteen)

 

[lilmc]

On one of my Pikes Peak races they had cups of pickle juice at one of the aid stations and as I was “running” by I saw them and it all of a sudden looked really, really good to me. As I drank that glass so fast and it was so delicious, I figured my body really wanted it in that moment. I started carrying small 1-2 ounce bottles of pickle juice in my run pack on long races (marathon/50k) and don’t drink them on a schedule or even all the time, but I know they’re there in case I’m craving them.

 

[dis_or_dat]

I used to get a lot of calf cramps whenever I did one of those full body “I’m tired” stretches (like a cat?) and read somewhere about pickle juice and I looooove pickles, so would eat one daily and they stopped. How’s that for anecdotal evidence?

I usually eat whatever I’m craving and during my last training cycle, I needed pickles! I’d eat 2-3 a day, and never cramped. This training cycle I haven’t craved pickles, but I love salt, to the point I have a salt shaker next to me during meals. I’ve started to have the calf cramps on the full body stretches again so maybe I need to return to pickles?

I don’t usually run longer than 15 miles, so haven’t cramped on a run. But got perilously close on my sole 20 miler.

 

[regul8ter18]

we have been using pickle juice before half marathons for a few years now. It seems to help with cramping for us. we do 1/4 cup for about 3 or 4 days before the race. If I cant find pickles then I use salt tabs but pickle juice is easier to drink since I love pickles.

 

[SheHulk]

Are you calling me a bad runner?

I'm totally kidding.

I honestly don't know. I always assumed it was electrolyte-related because it only happens after a certain point in any race/training run...typically around mile 8 or so. Example, at last year's Dark Side, they started up on the overpass. But it absolutely could be something in how I'm running. I just figured that if it was something form-related, they would kick in sooner rather than later. But I could be wrong.

I used to get SCREAMING calves after maybe mile 16 of a run. I tried every electrolyte solution but that wasn’t the issue. It seems to have just been plain old muscle fatigue. It doesn’t happen anymore and I’m not sure why but I had made 3 changes: First, I lost like 30+ lbs. Not a quick fix I know, not saying you’re overweight, but for me it was part of it. Second I changed from heel strike to mid foot strike which led to relying on my calves less for shock absorption with each step. Third I upped my weekly mileage. Then when I did attempt a longer distance my legs seemed more ready for it. Any one of those things might have been the solution, or maybe all three changes were necessary, but my understanding is that cramping later in a run is way more often due to fatigue than anything else.
Again, not saying you have any of those issues but that’s what helped me.