Increased Running = Increased Frequency of Charley Horse????

Has anyone else started to notice that they've had more muscle cramps in their calves since they started to run?

I've been noticing that with myself lately. I'll be lying in bed, stretch a certain way and get the WORST charley horse ever. Some of them have been so bad that my eyes water and I'm atcually stiff the next morning.
Sometimes, I don't get the full charley horse, but I can feel the calf muscle twitching so I know if I stretch, I'll get one. I've also noticed that I tend to get them more when I point my toes downwards when I stretch (and I'm talking "first thing in the morning, hugh yawn, throw your hands up in the air" type stetch, as opposed to the stretching I do after my workouts).

Has anyone else had this same problem????

This can be caused by a mineral deficiency - I think it's potassium but I could be wrong. At any rate, eating a banana a day helps immensely - give it a shot!!! I have my banana every morning at breakfast, but you can also try eating a banana next time you have a charley horse and see if it doesn't stop it.

It is potassium. My dad is always on me to eat more bananas because my muscles are always twitching after I work out. His advice worked somewhat, but I think what also helps is stretching your muslces out nice and slowly to relax them, and also getting in better shape. I get fewer charlie horses now that I've been working out regularly for a while. I think before my muscles were just like "what? what is all this 'running'? It seems unnecessary. I think I'll complain now."

According to my doctor the muscle twitching (if you mean those annoying little flutters like around your eye or wherever) can be caused by weight loss itself. Something about how as you lose weight your body goes through shifts of fat vs water content, and this is what results in the twitching.

I thought it was interesting!!

Thanks for the tips - I thought it might be a potassium thing....problem is that I'm allergic to bananas, so I'll have to find some other snack food that is potassium-rich.

As for the stretching part - I always spend 10 to 15 minutes doing stretches after running. The charley horse phenomenon happens to me first thing in the morning just before I get out of bed.

I've been running for nearly a year now - and I started to notice this about 2 months ago.....I'm running anywhere from 20 to 25 miles a week, and my "long" run is 10 - 12 miles at a 9:30 min/mile pace - so I'm not sure that it's from being new to working out.

That is so weird that it could be from the weight loss itself - I've lost a total of about 20 lbs this year (not that much, but still....I really only have about 10 to 15 lbs left to go to be at my goal weight). I have noticed that my entire body shape has changed - and although I've only lost 20 lbs, I'm down 2 dress sizes and am way more toned than I was before....

One  list of potassium alternatives to bananas is:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/southbeachdiet/
power-of-potassium.aspx

Good luck!  Hope you're not allergice to any other foods on the list and that the charley horse issues soon subside.