Disclosure: not a doctor...just have had a lot of PRP for the same type of issues..

This sounds like high hamstring tendonopathy...deep in the glute it feels paiful...while pressing on it feels a little relief--there is often much more care involved. Not sure of your age, but this is common in older athletes and can even depend on the type of shoes you may have recently moved to--or use...which, could have an effect on helping to cause it or even fix /relieve some of it. It's a pain in the *** either way.

Suggestion moving forward, research "High Hamstring Tendonopathy" to see if this describes the issue and care for it. Good luck.

I agree with someone else that it could be HHT and that is NOT something you want to mess with. Do you have pain sitting?
If it is HHT, stop stretching it - will make it worse.

I had pain in about the same area starting in late Dec. Mine was specifically right on the pointy bone in my tush and deep glute. I thought it was HHT; it was diagnosed last week as ischifemoral impingement and they put cortisone in it just shy of 48 hours ago. I made it much worse in Dec by trying to run through it.

Something interfering with form is an absolute sign to stop running until it goes away. I know how much it sucks to have trained for a race and not be able to do it, but don't do anything that's going to keep you out for awhile just to get a race in. Or, at least consider the risks and see if you're okay with the consequences of doing more damage.

Keep us updated, hopefully it is something that will go away quickly for you.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Had a similar issue for the last two years, and to a certain extent still present. It was diagnosed as a wide range of things from piriformis syndrome to HHT. The symptoms were much like what others were saying, but also almost felt like my hamstring was in a knot or VERY tight. It wasn't until late last year that we finally peeled back the proverbial onion an uncovered that it was directly related to L5/S1 issues. The thing I learned in my n=1 is that where the pain presents itself is not necessarily where it originates.

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IG: NCGregory8778

Agreeing with others, sciatica, HHT, I had similar symptoms, all related to lower back issues. Make sure lower back is nice and loose, press ups, avoid sitting if it makes it worse, get some PT, dont ignore it or try to run through it. It will just prolong your recovery.

Thank you all for the valuable feedback!
So today it felt pretty good, almost normal. At its worst I would put the “pain” level on maybe a 2 of 10, more of an aggravation than anything else. Last night I continued to stretch, ice and hyperice (heat+vib). To answer the questions above I am 55 in a few weeks, it doesn’t hurt when I sit and interestingly I am in new training shoes. I bought new pairs of Brooks Glycerin GTS for training and my go to Vaporfly Next% for races. Until now I always ran in the Next % as I buy them on Ebay and save buy not getting the latest model. The Next %s feel like marshmallows compared to the Glycerin GTS and I can feel the difference in each foot strike (feels harder even on the treadmill). Im wondering if the change in shoe is a contributing factor now. Either way I do have a long spin tomorrow and the ½ marathon this weekend. If it feels anything other than completely normal I wont run. My A race is Ironman 70.3 Couer D’ Alene this summer so don’t want to jeopardize the for sure. Again I greatly appreciate the knowledgeable feedback from everyone, will read up on the suggestions above and thanks all !

I have something similar but it’s L3/L4 or L4/L5. What I determined through PT is that the hamstring pain is the canary in the coal mine for my back. What helps me is glute activation and side lying. Sometime I just need to lay on my side for 3-5 minutes to decompress my back and the hamstring pain goes away. It’s crazy.

I second an earlier comment not to stretch. That was the guidance I got from PT.

I love the canary in the coal mine analogy - that nails it.

Super interesting about lying on your side. I haven't tried it, but will. A lot of years of impact sports have left me with some persistent lower back issues/mobility so will take any 'hacks' I can.

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IG: NCGregory8778

Re: where you feel pain may not be its origin- I learned recently this can be due to how nerves work. Rotator cuff tendinitis, for instance, is often felt in the upper arm muscles.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Laying on the my side with the pain side up is the best way I found to decompress the nerve. It took a bit to figure out. I tried lying on my back with knees up. I tried using a big band to traction my back, basically pull my lower body away from upper body, but that kind of made it worse. So you have to figure out what your best position is for decompressing. Sometimes my back aches after skiing or tennis. I lay down on my side for a bit afterward and it gets better. In those cases it's my back that hurts and not my hamstring.

Do you lay just flat on the ground or use a pillow under your head or hips?

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IG: NCGregory8778

I lay on my side with knees bent, almost like I'm going to do a clamshell exercise. I use my right arm under my head as a pillow. The PT recommended a pillow under my side, above the hip, for more relief. But I just lay on my side without anything underneath. Play around with it. When you find the most relief, that's your best decompression position.

How are you?

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Hello there and thank you for asking! I am fine, I ran my half Sunday and it was a great day. My glute gave me very gentle reminders I had overused or maybe slightly strained it but overall it was not an issue running. I ran intervals on the treadmill today and it did fine, even in the stiffer Brooks trainers. If it comes back with a fury ill post again but for now I’m grateful it was what it seemingly was. Stretching, ice and hyperice helped a lot. Also used the sauna jets at the gym as well. Thanks everyone for weighing in on this post!

I'm glad to hear the race went well and the glute bugged you only minimally.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Great to hear about your face, and the fact you were able to recover quickly and do an interval run already! Great work!

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IG: NCGregory8778