Forums >Health and Nutrition>Hamstring "Knot"
I have been training for a 5K on 8/16, and last Sunday (8/3) when doing Intervals, during my last rep, my hamstring developed a knot. It was not a pull, not a pop, but this section of muscle that felt solid and I didn't have full speed. I did finish the interval and my slower recovery to end the workout, but the next day it was sore, so I went onto standard recovery procedures (ibuprofen, ice, additional stretching, massage with the Stick). It has felt well enough that I have been able to continue training the rest of this week with nothing fast. Today it feels pretty good, not 100%, but pretty good. The knot is still there, but not as intense as it was.
I'm slated to do one last interval workout tomorrow in advance of the race, I typically do something a little faster than race pace the weekend before a race. Is this a mistake? Should I avoid the intervals, or even (gasp!) the race until after this clears up completely? Or maybe do the intervals but scale back the speed/duration/reps? Not sure what I should do.
The 5K is a PR type course, I wanted to bring my A game, so that is a factor. I'd really like not to screw it up by getting hurt, but I don't want to get too conservative going into my last week of training.
Thanks to the experts out there,
-STS
Sounds like it was just a cramp, but with the race in just 7 days, not sure one more set of intervals is going to add much anyway (maybe confidence, but you probably wouldn't get the training benefit yet). So, I would back off, unless it felt 100% tomorrow, and you feel like you really want to get a confidence building run in. But really, the hay is probably in the barn at this point.
Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and roguesWe're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes
Member Since 2008
There is a roller you can get that looks like large beads on a stick. It works wonders for what you described.
Go Pre - gotta link?
I did attempt some fast 400s this morning, had to bail in the middle of the second one as I felt like I was going to injure it if I kept going. I took five minutes to stretch and hydrate, and got a nice progressive tempo run in. I probably should have done that to start with. I hope the hammy holds up next weekend.
www.thestick.com.
When you run, the fibers of your muscles tear and sometimes form small knots. This works wonders for me.
I have the Stick and I am using it faithfully, though there does not seem to be consensus on the best way to use it. I'm favoring short quick passes right on sore spots, but I've seen plenty of videos where they take long slow passes over the length of the muscle.