Cramps

So I got up on Saturday so excited to do a 5 mile run!  With the freezing weather and the fact that it gets dark before I leave work - I haven't ran outside much and let's just be honest - staring at a freaking white wall while running on the treadmill at home is just awful, so I haven't ran for a long distance in awhile ( yeah long distance to me is 5 miles!) - Anyway I mapped out my run on mapmyrun ( LOVE IT) and was all set to go.  Got my music ready and was so excited as I was listening to the music.  I got about 1 mile in and got this horrible cramp.  Let me backtrack a little and say I kind of enjoy getting cramps...is that weird.  I take my deep breathes and slow down and just focus on that instead of how far I am running. It gives me something to overcome and it usually goes away shortly after. Those are the side or under the ribs cramps. 

But Saturday I got this awful cramp right in my stomach...it was so bad.  I had to stop running...I walked for about a tenth of a mile and decided to try running again.  I think if I ever had apendicitis, this would be how it felt.  I was dying.  But I kept on running.  I was pushing on it, massaging it.  I finally found that if I ran like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, it didn't hurt as bad.  I finally made it about 3.5/4 miles before I gave in.  I quit running and called my husband to come get me (since I was still a mile from home!)  I felt like I had been defeated...I know running is mostly mental - but those cramps sometimes are not mental. 

I wonder why that cramp came about?  I wonder what I ate or drank?  I will need to do some experimenting to see if I can find the cause because if it happens on a race day, I am doomed!  Pace truck just take me from the start! 

So here are my tips for running through those cramps....but I'll have to figure out a way to prevent this kind. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!  Maybe I'll have to actually give up soda! :(

1. Breath Deep - whenever I get a cramp under my ribs...all it takes for it to go away, is some deep breathes....focus on breathing in really deep...works every time. Not instantly but eventually.
2. Slow down - once I get a cramp I decrease my pace...first of all, in order to focus on my breathing I need to slow down and working through the pain is easier at a slower pace. 
3.  Stretch - I stretch before I run a little bit, but if a cramp comes, I stretch while running or take a minute break to stretch.