Hi everyone, I’m looking for a little advice dealing with an issue that keeps cropping up on my run. It ONLY happens on bike-run bricks, either in training or races. The issue is a complete tightening of one of the quadriceps muscles in each leg, specifically I think it’s the vastus medialis; big quad muscle on the inside. I found this old thread about the issue but it’s over 5 years old, and the results I find online are all from body builders and building a “tear drop” shape. I’d just like to be able to run to my ability.
A few things I’ve noticed over the last ~2 years of troubleshooting this issue:
Issue only presents itself after riding outdoors. No problems when doing a trainer ride to run brick.Issue only presents itself when running off my TT bike. Does not show up when running off my road bike; this is the biggest reason I believe it’s related to fit.Issue presents itself regardless of bike power or distance. Has cropped up in a 70.3, cropped up in a sprint tri this past weekend, and has cropped up in training at distances in between.Issue consistently starts within a mile of starting the run, and gets progressively worse. Depending on the day, I will be forced to stop.Issue is not cramping in the traditional sense. I have lots of experience with calf and hamstring cramps, this is not the same thing. It’s more like the muscle becomes so tight or fatigued that it can’t handle going through the motion of a full leg stride.Effects both legs equally.Has never been an issue on normal (non-brick) runs. Ever.
My best guess is that the issue is related to bike fit or muscle strength, and I give the edge to fit based on the fact that my road bike doesn’t create the same problem. Does anyone have any experience working through this issue or any suggestions on troubleshooting?