After taking over a week off from any form of workouts I finally got back into running and it felt great. The stomach/body bug just keeps morphing into something else which is frustrating. I just want to feel healthy again. Last week’s runch was so great that I ran a negative split at lunch last Thursday – not sure if it can get any better then that!
However, Friday I woke up with lots of pain in…….my hamstring. Seriously! I thought I was over this injury but clearly I’m not. WTF {sorry Mom}. It hurt a lot. It hurt more then my other tired and sore muscles that were screaming at me every time I walked down the steps at work or home. It hurt more then I thought it should.
Saturday was all about swim lessons, craft fairs with the girls and some time with Grammy. I even managed to do some shopping on my own. Sunday was a busy day with both girls at soccer {no tantrums for Hilary – WIN}, Christmas pictures {tantrums for Hilary and I} and lots of frustration. I was mentally and physically needing to run Sunday night to shake off the frustrations. Since my husband is away for work (5 days, 6 nights on a rotating schedule), I usually find running helps curb the stress, ya know!
Once I knew the girls were asleep I jumped on the treadmill and was hoping to run 4-5k but stopped at 3k. My heart just wasn’t into it however the sweat dripping from my body could tell you otherwise! I should have just kept going but I wanted to stretch out my leg and soak in some epsom salts. The stretching alone helped and the pain had decrease significantly. I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming the pain went away or if stretching actually made the pain go away. The epsom salt bath made my leg feel a lot better as well.
Today I woke up and would normally cringe when bending over with my sore hamstring but it wasn’t sore. In fact, it feels pretty darn good today. So is it the fact that I’m not stretching enough after my last run outside while at work or is my hamstring just messed up? I’m really hoping it’s the fact that I didn’t stretch as much as I normally would – similar to my half marathon in October.
So what now? I have no friggin’ clue. Do I go back to physio which will take 3-4 weeks potentially to get back “in”. Or do I just keep plugging along and focusing more on stretching post runs? Don’t get me wrong, I can sometimes spend 15-20 minutes stretching post run but that’s not always the case when I run at lunch. Or there is something seriously wrong with my hamstring. It’s been almost a year.
All I know is that I’m taking it one day at a time. Run when I can, do better at stretching, strength train, do yoga once a week which I am LOVING and rest.
How was your weekend?
Anyone race?
What’s your number one hamstring stretch?
Piper's Run 
Sorry you’re feeling sick… and that your hamstring is giving you issues. To stretch mine, I lay on my back and either throw a towel around my foot, or (if I’m feeling flexible), grab my heel. Slow and steady… feels so good.
Both the sickness and hamstring are getting better. My hamstring is really good today which I find weird, so I’m hoping it’s all in the stretching. Thanks for the stretching tip – forgot about that one.
I’m sorry the hammy is bothering you again. I’d suggest taking it easy and really focusing on your post-run recovery efforts before you freak out and go to the doc again. It was a long, difficult injury, and may take a while to be 100% normal again, so I’d baby it for a while longer.
It’s a little frustrating as I thought I was doing everything right. So far today it’s actually good so I’m hoping stretching made the difference. I’m going to get back to ALL my PT exercises instead of doing the few that were suggested to “maintain”.
BOO
Not being a physio, but having had some hamstring issues (that you know about), I would suggest wrapping it (to give it some support), maybe some tape, and a few days of extra rest, then sun B sequence (see my yoga clinic and it will take you through) and then working on glute activation extra hard before your runs.
Not that I’m telling you what to do, but that is what has worked for me in the past!
Funny that you mention the sun B sequence…as yoga is the plan tonight! Great minds think a like. And thanks for the tips/suggestions – much appreciated Suz!
Sorry you’re feeling a bit unwell! But sounds like recovery is going well all being said. Just curious, do you really think epsom salt baths work? I’ve never actually had one but could be persuaded!