I ran a 10k race this morning as part of my training for the upcoming NYC marathon on 11/6. Somewhere on mile 4, my left hamstring started to tighten up. I made it through the race, but now I need to know where to go from here.
I have 2 more weeks before I start my taper for the marathon and it looks like I’m going to miss some of those key runs.
How do you folks deal with hamstring issues during training?
I tend to have tight hamstrings, too much time sat at a desk. I have found that using a hard foam roller to be a really good way of massaging the tightness out of the muscle. What used to take a few days to sort out and put me out for a couple of days or so, can now be managed and I am running the next day. Takes a little getting used to but 3 to 5 minutes of rolling back and forwards both pre and post running has worked wonders for me.
Deep massage on a regular basis and physical therapy for me… Also regular stretching with a foam roller.
Don’t forget also to work the opposing muscle groups. Focus on the quads-wall sits, slow squats. A little attention can work wonders. Key thing with a race coming up is to resist the urge to keep testing it. Cross train for a few days while you sort it out.
That is exactly what my PT worked on, opposing muscle stretching. left hamstring was caused by rights side, so the left hamstring overcompensated for my right side.
Be very, very careful. I’ve lost two to three weeks of running due to pushing too hard with hamstring issues. If you feel it twinge during your next run, stop immediately and take some days totally off…and don’t bike, either. I have been stupid in the past and tried to run through that initial “twinge” of pain and just made in far, far worse.
Spot
As a former runner, now cyclist, I would back off…especially anything hard. If you are also riding a bike, move your saddle forward and down a smudge to relieve stress.
Accunctrure has always worked for me. If you were in Tucson or SD, I would direct you to the right places. Just be careful as hammys can linger.
This is where a being a multi sport athlete really has value!!!