recurring hammy cramp/spasm (Read 459 times)

In late March I posted about a sharp pain in my left hammy that hit me during a 5-mile training run. At the time I was only a week away from a 10-mile race I had been training for and was worried that I would not be able to run the race. I received advice about resting and gentle stretching and within a few days it felt fine and I was able to run the race without any remaining pain or cramping in the hammy. After the race I ran a few weeks with no hammy problems but all of the sudden last Saturday it hit me again in the same spot and this time it doesn't seem to be going away so easily. I rested Sunday and tried to run Monday and I got about a mile and a half into the run then it started to spasm again so I walked home. I rode my bike last night and the hammy felt good (except for one time when I tried to push off with my left leg hard from a dead stop). I always stretch the hammys pretty well after running and generally have pretty good flexibility in them. I'm wondering if there is some nutrient or some diet issue that may be causing this....any ideas? Thanks, Tim

well, I am firmly in the stretching camp so I probably won't stop but I will be extra careful about overstretching which I think I sometimes do with my hammys. Hill work is just a normal part of most of my runs due to the area I live in so I've got that covered. Now...strength work....I could definitely use some of that! What exercise do you recommend for the hammys? I don't belong to a gym but do have some free weights and one of those giant balls....forget what they are called...