I've been a total slug in the exercise dept. for quite awhile now, so take this with a really big grain of salt, but the first thing I thought of when I read that you're dealing with cramps is that maybe you might want to take a cal-mag-potassium supplement. Also, don't forget that sodium is also an essential nutrient/mineral.
I eat a lot of fresh, whole foods and I don't get much sodium in my diet overall - and in the past, when I've amped up the exercise, sometimes it turns out that some natural sodium is just the ticket, even though everyone's always worried about taking in too much sodium in general.
Do you like V-8 juice at all? It has a fair amount of both sodium and potassium, and these might help out a wee bit. I'm not saying load up on salt or sodium, just saying that if you're exercising a bit more than usual, then sometimes you actually need a bit more of this essential mineral/nutrient.
Boost your cal-mag-potassium intake - take a supplement that has these. Bump up your intake of greens, and don't be shy about sodium either - you might need it. I'm not saying you'd want to eat a bunch of high-sodium, processed foods - just that a tiny bit of salt might help a wee bit.
If you're working particularly hard lately, sweating more and so on - you might need a bit of a boost in the electrolytes dept.
I'm not always good at taking all my vitamins, but when I need them - taking a cal-mag-potassium supplement helps. A 1:1 ratio of calcium to magnesium seems to be better than the 'usual' recommended 2:1 of cal to mag. The little bit of potassium in the supplement isn't much, just 99mg, but it does help. You want to get most of your potassium from leafy greens and things like avocado (guacamole works beautifully for this).
I recommend:
Country Life brand Cal-Mag-Potassium:
http://www.amazon.com/Country-.....B000WSGBLW
(local stores might have this as well)
Electro-Mix Electrolyte Replacement Mix:
http://www.amazon.com/ElectroM.....B000KHIYNI
Sometimes you can find these in local health food stores. It's a lemon-lime tasting sachet that you add to some water - non-sugar, and does not have fake sweetener added either. Note: it does not have sodium, and call me crazy, but it might be ok to add a pinch of actual salt to the mix.
V8 Juice - the tiny cans - lots of sodium *and* potassium. A teensy mini-sized can will do you good. I don't suggest this all the time, just when you need the extra minerals.
A salad a day (even just a small side salad) - this will go far in helping alleviate these cramps. Add one serving (just 1/4 cup) of your favourite nuts (magnesium) or 1-2 tbsp. nut butter per day as well.
Guacamole (potassium):
http://eatwholly.com/products/.....-pack.html
The cramping might (?) be related to the main electrolytes: calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium. These all work together, so consider boosting your intake of all four of these essential minerals, especially if you're working harder than usual.
Meanwhile, I'm sure that experienced YLF runners will have more useful and specific suggestions. I just thought I'd throw in that bit about electrolytes - because sometimes when you do more, you might need more in the nutrition dept.
Good luck, and I hope you can solve the cramps.
