#hamstringstrain

What Is a Hamstring Strain?

Three muscles run down the back of the leg, from thigh to knee, and help to bend the knee and extend the hip. As a group, they are known as the hamstring. A hamstring strain, sometimes called a pulled hamstring, happens when one or more of these muscles gets stretched too far and start to tear.

As mentioned in previous posts, I was supposed to run the Empire Marathon in Syracuse N.Y., on October 8th.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to.  I have a metatarsal (for foot) stress fracture which had caused a strain in my hamstring. Therefore, it’s difficult to walk and sit.  The good thing is both injuries are not severe, so I will run again.  The bad thing is, I can’t run for 6 weeks!  What to do with myself?  That’s the big question.  I’ve had to adjust my exercise which is difficult because I’m so used to getting up and running out the door first thing in the morning.  The adjustment is more of a mental game than physical.  I have orders from my Sport’s Medicine Doctor to swim, bike, strength train and use the elliptical for as long and often as possible.  So that’s what I’m doing.  I feel everything happens for a reason.  Now is my time to get used to swimming lap’s.  I’ve been putting it off for too long, because I don’t like swimming in pools. I’m not a big fan of chlorine.  I swam at the YMCA this week and I actually liked it. I’d only swam in the evenings, outdoors over the summer.  I should have known I’d like swimming laps at 5:00 am. I love morning workouts in general.  Now I have no excuse not to participate in triathlon’s this coming summer.  I started with 1/4 mile, my goal is to be swimming 1 mile in 6 weeks.  Weight training has been difficult too.  I can’t go to the boot camp or HIIT classes that I love, because I can’t jump or do lunges.  Doing free weights and using the weight machines are boring to me, but I’m getting a pattern down and I have friends joining me, so it’s a little easier to get a good workout in for 1 hour 2 morning per week.  Eventually I’ll add yoga to the mix, but right now the only stretching I can do is what my physical therapists advises.  Luckily, my PT, is one of my running friends, who also does weight training and swimming with me.  She also has been rehabilitating a strained hamstring for close to 1 year now.  I will follow in her foot steps.  She’s getting ready to run an upcoming 15k race in November.  She’s ready!  

In every aspect of our lives, change is reality.  Even in exercise routines, nothing stays the same forever.  You’ve got to be able to change it up a bit.  The bottom line is to never stop moving.  Injuries happen, schedules change, etc…. simply, life gets in the way.  It’s really important to keep moving.  Eventually, everything falls in to place.  Don’t give up, don’t think of change as a regression.  Keep moving forward.  You may try something new and end up loving it.  

Have you had to adjust your exercise routine due to injury, new job, schedule change etc….  How did you handle it?  Did you try something new?  Let me know.  I need some suggestions….