I have an upper hamstring strain.
There is a terribly painful knot under the right side of my butt. Last week, after a treadmill workout I went to stretch. I felt kind of an odd sensation in the back of my upper leg as I stretched. It was kind of painful, but I wrote it off. Nothing more than a quick "ouch" that I continued to run through over the next few days. In fact, I didn't really notice any pain.
After my 13 mile run on Sunday, I knew something wasn't right. Something hurt. My husband helped me find the source of the pain and it hurt like you wouldn't believe. I had him massage some Topricin into the back of my leg that evening. On Monday I decided to do my easy 35 minute stationary bike ride. The muscle spasm and knot got bigger.
I called my doctor today to see if I could get an appointment to verify my suspicions. He confirmed my diagnosis over the phone and told me to take Extra Strength Tylenol with two Aleve, twice daily. He also advised that I do not overstretch, but stretch my hamstring lightly as I recover. That was all fine and good... but... the running?
I told him I'd been training for a marathon for months... and that it was in 8 weeks. Holding tears back along with my breath, he told me to take 3 days off from running and to return slowly. Okay, I could handle that...
It was 46 degrees and sunny when I got home from work. I though to myself, "my doctor didn't even examine me", "what if he is wrong?", and "What if I take 3 days off and don't improve?" Oh, and my personal favorite, "You shouldn't ever stretch without at least a nice warm-up."
I am a fool. You can't tell a runner not to run unless it becomes physically impossible. I am a foolish runner. I am a fool who did my entire scheduled 6-mile run. My husband was disappointed in me... and a little angry after I sheepishly told him, "I was bad..."
This run could have hurt me terribly - am such an idiot! An idiot who is sitting on an ice pack because my ass hurts!
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