Oh my aching hamstring!

The upside is that I was smiling through the ache!

I finally did it. I got cocky, I lost my focus and I got caught up in vacation fun and in so doing, I ran a sprint race on the beach, barefoot, without any stretching and strained my left hamstring muscle.

Damn.

I did this last week. It was last Wednesday. I haven’t run since.

Damn.

I’ve worked out since last week. The next day (last Thursday) I went to the gym (Planet Fitness in Tampa because that’s where we were vacationing). Walking fast and any movement that stretched the hamstring caused pain but not to the point where I was debilitated. So I did strength training for my back and biceps.

I need a good run in order to round out my workouts and not being able to run since last Wednesday has been hard. I didn’t work out on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. I did get back into the gym of Monday and did 1 hour on the stationary bike and 20 minutes on an elliptical machine but it wasn’t the same as running (it was even less satisfying because I held back on the intensity).

I skipped Tuesday and yesterday I did a strength training routine focused on chest, shoulders and triceps. I did try to run.

I took an ace bandage to the gym and tightly wrapped my left upper leg to keep the hamstring muscle snug. I got on the treadmill and started out with a walk. It felt a bit awkward having the ace bandage on but I couldn’t feel any aches or pain in my left hamstring.

After about 5 minutes I tried to increase the speed. My plan was to jog at 5.0 miles per hour. No dice. As I got to 4.0 miles per hour I could clearly feel my left hamstring straining (it wasn’t quite a “pain” but I know something’s wrong when I can feel a sensation in my hamstring that isn’t normally present).

I forced myself to stop. I want this injury to heal quickly. I don’t have the luxury of really “treating it” other than with rest and stretches (and even these aren’t extensive). Given that I can’t really rehab it actively, I need to err on the side of resting the muscle to hasten a full recovery (and hopefully a fast one).

I don’t remember the last time I hurt a hamstring muscle so I don’t know how long it will take to heal. I’d like to get back on the treadmill and on the road ASAP! I’ll keep testing it out everyday to assess the healing progress.

The silver lining in this little injury is that I’ve been reminded (by my body) that I need to be more mindful of my abilities, limitations and goals. I’d love to run around at will and without thinking but I don’t have that luxury. In part due to age and in larger part due to my unhealthy lifestyle over the past 13 to 16 years my body simply isn’t up to these exertions. Maybe, if I really get in shape, I’ll be able to do more, but for now, I need to be mindful of what my limits are so that I can keep improving and not get sidelined by dumb injuries.