I hurt my upper hamstring at the London City Race last year.
It's now ten months later and it remains very sore. After the MMM on Saturday night Kim had to drive as I couldn't. I was reduced to lying in the passenger seat with my bum in the air and even that was agony.
Yet I am 100% convinced there is absolutely nowt wrong with it.
There is no way it can't cope with the load I've been putting through it and that's born out by the fact that I've been able to continue running - long, short, road, terrain, maze etc.
If the amount of pain I've been in was an accurate reflection of tissue damage there is no way I'd have been able to do what I've been doing.
I'm about as fit now as I've been any time in the last ten years but it's constantly very sore - I stand up 80% of the time at work as it is too sore to sit down. I've just entered the OMM and have no doubt the hamstring won't be a problem other than it will be, as usual, very painful.
Resting doesn't make it any better. In fact it makes it worse. Cycling doesn't particularly help either.
Sample size of one may be misleading - I spoke to another Sheffield runner who had what I had for 18 months. In the end it went away after acupuncture. I've had acupuncture on mine and it didn't go away. He's since done some pretty amazing running stuff.
Did the acupuncture heal his tissue somehow (after 18 months)? Did it make it stronger overnight? Perhaps it freed something up? Or perhaps his body was just ready to re-adjust its pain system and the acupuncture provided the stimulus and belief to help that happen?
,,, although I am conveniently forgetting the few months after the City Race where the pain increased when I tried to run and I had to back off, do exercises and build up slowly.
Thank you for the response. My hamstring feels really weak and ready to snap. A bit like my calves have felt on and off for last four years. If I could get enough feeling in it so that I can run without limping or feeling that I am dragging my left leg behind me I will be able to convince myself to ignore it. Need to improve before Scottish 6 Days.
Yes - I think my initial response above was wrong. I hadn't really looked at your log. I'd guess a short bit of rest, some exercises, easy running, all aiming to keep pain free if possible. Or whatever Kim said. Hopefully running in terrain at the Scottish won't stress it as much as sprinting on tarmac.
Nearly a year on I think my right leg where the pain is is almost a strong as my left but I was effectively "limping" for about three months. By New Year things were starting to improve.
I think it affected my performance slightly in that period but it was only ever one factor, albeit a discouraging one. I lost a lot more time through mistakes. However I mostly stayed away from sprint and urban.
"Or whatever Kim said"
I'd listen to her rather than her husband if I was you ;-)
"I mostly stayed away from sprint and urban."
What did Kim say about this? I'm not sure sprinting around on hard ground is good at our age. As Ricky says, hopefully Deeside forests will be better for you.
She refuses to treat me. I have to go to Dave Sprot.