I’m totally frustrated after several months of consistantly & only working on running form after a hamstring injury that began in July that really not a hamstring injury itself but due to its being pulled upon by the back psoas etc. I’ve been running since 1981 with 12 IM & have never had a hanstring issue or the problem described below before.
I have spent time walking initially working on alignment issues, shortening my stride, keeping my feet under me, using a cadence meter, doing drills, watching myself in windows, relaxing my shoulders, head in line etc. I’ve made some considerable improvements with no psoas pain that I used to also periodically get but something has changed regarding my body or flexibility or ?? and I can’t get back to running like I used to (~ HIM at 1:48). It’s a struggle with the tiny steps to get an average pace faster than 10:30+ with a Garmin 205. I used to do my normal 5-6x a week runs at a 9:20 pace as recent as last spring without a thought. I’ve been decicated to doing all my runs with small steps form 11 min pace etc during this time (Aug to Jan 1) to get it incorporated while off season. But Jan is is approaching where I get more structured & demanding about my training and it’s not happening.
And its easy to still feel the hamstring getting irritated if I try to pick up the pace so I know I am doing it to myself. When I run a really straight up & down body position with my arms way back & legs hardly traveling out (ie understriding) I can avoid the hamstring pull but its hard to maintain. Any pace I might have gets even slower. Running is not as fun as its always been which is a loss as well. And its really discouraging to be around any other runners in my tri group etc as they all run circles around me even the slow terrible ones who are just starting out. Now I’m wondering if I can even do an IM run again by next IMC.
I’m pretty sure the issues somehow changed this summer is due to my upper body leaning forward (which wasn’t that was in the past in race pictures) rather than my whole body with my weight under me as is desired. My shoulders tend to roll forward regardless of what I do. I think that I’ve lost all of a sudden this summer upper back and waist flexibility that just plain prevents me from getting the body tall to where it needs to be. So I can do all these drills but if the body doesn’t bend or have the movement & I’m fighting to try to make something move to a place it won’t go it its pretty fruitless. So I am totally discouraged. I also been doing yoga 1x a week since April 05.
Any suggestions as to stretches etc to specifically open muscles needed to move correctly.
I’ve struggled with tight hamstrings and psoas for years so I make it a practice to stretch before and after workouts (most of the time). For the psoas, try standing with your butt against the sink, lean back and hold, stretching the muscle. Do this about 6-10 times, then do the usual hamstring, quad, calf routine.
You could also check out www.julstro.com. There’s a forum where you can post your injury questions and Julie will respond with a suggested stretch routine. I bought her Pain Free Triathlete book and it has helped.
“hamstring injury that began in July that really not a hamstring injury itself but due to its being pulled upon by the back psoas etc.”
what about PT or massage?
Yea did PT from Aug thru Nov. Leraned lots that have practiced above but I am aware that biomechanically am doing it to myself as I started doing more post PT.
Barb
I don’t really have any answers, but here are my thoughts.
If you have been runnning since 1981, that’s a lot of wear and tear. It may not be a bad idea to take complete break from running while you do your rehab.
As you know, there are various low impact activities that can substitute for the aerobic benfits ( rowing, cross-country skiing, cycling, swimming, etc.)
If you are concerned about you hip flexors, you might want to try pilates and yoga, or Yogalates. Improving hip flexor strength and flexibility can certainly lead to improved running performance. I would make sure that you inform the instructors of you current injury status to make sure that they don’t make you do anything that could worsen your injury.
Once you develop better flexibility in you hip flexors, you may want to strenthen your primary hip extenderrs (gluteus maximus) If you can use your glutes more, there will be less strss on your hamstrings. The best exercise for isolating the glutes is the reverse hyperextension. http://www.dietsite.com/dt/exerciseplanner/ReverseHyperextension.asp
After you reprogram your hip strngth and flexibility, then you can start up again with the running. See how it feels and gradually increase your speed and miles.
I suggest picking up a copy of The Egoscue Method: Health Through Motion. You can get it from Amazon for about $13. For the most part it will tell you what you have already figured out, but there might be something in there that is the “key ingredient” you’ve been missing.
You can also log onto their website www.egoscue.com and tool around there. I highly recommend the free registration so that you can access all of their links.
I know Ken Mierke’s evolution running and maybe Chi Running (not sure) have cues to NOT use your hamstrings to lift your foot when running. Perhaps a quick glance at the evolution running dvd can help.