So, I guess any Ironman training would not be complete without an 'issue'. I am calling it an 'issue' because I am not ready to call it an injury.
Thursday night I went for a 30 minute interval run on the company treadmill at the end of my day. I was running late so I quickly toweled off, jumped in my car, drove home, wolfed down a protein shake, showered and then went off to a PAC meeting at my son's school. The meeting ended around 8pm and I was home and in bed by 9:30pm setting my alarm for 5:20am the next morning for swim practice.
When I woke up the next morning, I immediately noticed that my left hamstring was tight. Although this was odd, it was not painful. I arrived at the pool and stretched it out before doing my 2500m swim workout. Again, my hamstring was tight but not painful and I hardly noticed it during the swim.
Here is where the story changes. After showering and changing, I joined my swim group at Starbucks for our regular Friday morning coffee. When I was finished coffee and went to get up and drive to work, I really started to notice the tightness in my hamstring becoming more like pain.
By the time I arrived at work (I drive a manual transmission and clutching was starting to become a problem) I could barely sit down. When I did sit down, the pain would radiate down the back of my leg and into the back of my knee.
Good news is that a friend of mine and training partner Dr. Colin McKay is certified in Active Release Techniques. He offered me a same day appointment and determined that the top of my hamstring was inflamed (just in the crease of the butt). He also referred me to a physiotherapist in the area who specializes in Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS). I have an appointment there on Monday evening. I have been warned that this treatment it is painful but it works. I am pretty tough so pain is not a concern for me.
After my ART session last night, my hamstring did feel better but was tight again today. It was suggested that I not run for a couple of days. I did do a 45 minute spin on my bike and it felt OK.
I am hoping that taking care of this early will be beneficial and I will be back running by next weekend. Fingers crossed with treatment, stretching and rest, my hamstring 'issue' will become a distant memory.
Happy training.
Thursday night I went for a 30 minute interval run on the company treadmill at the end of my day. I was running late so I quickly toweled off, jumped in my car, drove home, wolfed down a protein shake, showered and then went off to a PAC meeting at my son's school. The meeting ended around 8pm and I was home and in bed by 9:30pm setting my alarm for 5:20am the next morning for swim practice.
When I woke up the next morning, I immediately noticed that my left hamstring was tight. Although this was odd, it was not painful. I arrived at the pool and stretched it out before doing my 2500m swim workout. Again, my hamstring was tight but not painful and I hardly noticed it during the swim.
Here is where the story changes. After showering and changing, I joined my swim group at Starbucks for our regular Friday morning coffee. When I was finished coffee and went to get up and drive to work, I really started to notice the tightness in my hamstring becoming more like pain.
By the time I arrived at work (I drive a manual transmission and clutching was starting to become a problem) I could barely sit down. When I did sit down, the pain would radiate down the back of my leg and into the back of my knee.
Good news is that a friend of mine and training partner Dr. Colin McKay is certified in Active Release Techniques. He offered me a same day appointment and determined that the top of my hamstring was inflamed (just in the crease of the butt). He also referred me to a physiotherapist in the area who specializes in Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS). I have an appointment there on Monday evening. I have been warned that this treatment it is painful but it works. I am pretty tough so pain is not a concern for me.
After my ART session last night, my hamstring did feel better but was tight again today. It was suggested that I not run for a couple of days. I did do a 45 minute spin on my bike and it felt OK.
I am hoping that taking care of this early will be beneficial and I will be back running by next weekend. Fingers crossed with treatment, stretching and rest, my hamstring 'issue' will become a distant memory.
Happy training.
Comments
I look forward to hearing more about training for and racing IM Canada '09.
Stay tuned...