Five weeks ago I was on an easy morning run when my right hamstring cramped up and I had to stop running. I limped home figuring that it would go away in a few days of rest. I tried to ‘run’ four days later and was unable to go a mile before the hamstring locked up totally. More rest. Two weeks later I was in more pain than the original cramping and headed to my sports medicine doctor. Grade 2 Hamstring Strain was the diagnosis, should be back in 4-6 weeks with heavy Voltaren and PT. That time period is about up and there is no way I can run yet, there are days it hurts just to sit. Not able to run, I started reading about running and came across “Anatomy for Runners” by Jay Dicharry.
I devoured the book in three days and have decided it is the best book for runners that I’ve ever read. The book starts out with a simple review of the physics of running and basic anatomy then dives into some running specifics dealing with soft tissue mobility, neuromuscular strength, footwear (yes, he’s a minimalist proponent) and gait. The last two chapters of the book cover assessment of one’s specific weaknesses and then finally corrective exercises for fixing up these weaknesses, these two chapters are heavily highlighted with notes.
Throughout the book Jay does a great job of explaining the how and why of everything. In PT I’ve spent a LOT of time balancing on one leg. Why the heck was I doing this? I had no idea and my PT never explained it to me. Jay does – “What does single-leg balance have to do with running? Running is just moving the body’s center of mass forward while doing a bunch of single-leg squats. Single-leg balance is pretty close to the single-leg stance phase of running.” The balance work helps develop neuromuscular control which is needed for all the micro-adjustments to keep one stable while charging down a trail when you don’t have time to think about what needs done. And it take a lot of balance work to get this down – research shows it takes 4,000-6,000 reps to change muscle memory.
He emphasizes right off the bat the running is a skill and that runners should work on their running the way golfers work on their swing (or fly fishers sometimes work on their cast in my case) and not just go out and run more. Find the weak link and do what it takes to repair it, then one can run injury free. Part way into the book the core message of fixing the weak links finally hit me. The day before I got into a running withdrawal funk and I was just wanting to get back out there, it had been five weeks damn it and I should be running again. I’m already signed up for a run in 6 weeks, I need to get training. Then the book sunk in – I have a choice to just jump back in and push through the issues and probably end up injured and out again in 4-6 months or I can spend some time now fixing these weak points and maybe be that 70 year old out on the trail still running halfs or ultras. Maybe this season, while not all the way over, is a time to re-build and focus on the long-term. Just that got me out of the funk and focusing again on what I can do, not what I can’t do at the moment.
If you run and have ever been injured – and you have given that 82% of runners get injured – then this book should be on your list as a must read. Even if you haven’t been dealing with an injury the book is worth it just to learn more about the mechanics of running and to do the self assessments to find weak areas and work on them before you become one of the 82%. Buy it, it is available on iBook and Kindle for instant download but could be a good book to have in paper so it is easier to page around in.
Now, what did I learn specific to my case? First off, I’m doing a lot right. Ditching my ‘real’ running shoes and changing my gait was huge in allowing me to go further and with little to no injury for a long time. I managed to go from barely able to run a half marathon without pain to being able to run many halfs, fulls and even a 50k without any real issues and I did this for several years. Why the heck this happened now is kind of a mystery to me but also an opportunity to deal with the weaknesses that I still have.
What are my weak points?
- I need more hip extensor flexibility – oh yes and limitations on one side of the body in hip extension mobility can lead to chronic hamstring issues on the other side. My problem may be my left hip more than my right hamstring.
- I need more hamstring flexibility – I can get to about 45 degrees when I should be able to get to 70 degrees on a leg lift and my right injured leg is way worse than my left.
- I have no ass – this lack of glute strength and overdeveloped quads and hamstrings from years of cycling is probably what is really killing me right now
- I need more hip stability – probably tied to lack of ass.
- I need a bit more work on my big toe. I know that sounds crazy but toe isolation is important in stability and push-off. My feet have gotten way stronger from running in sandals and minimal shoes but this is the one foot issue I still have, I need better yoga toes.
What this means is probably 10-12 weeks of mobility work to regain the mobility in the hamstrings and hips plus more stability work. This will need to be followed up by 6-8 weeks of strength work. At some point I should be able to begin running again with a reduced volume than I was doing prior to this injury. My goal of another 50k this year may be out the window but if I spend the rest of this year re-training and fixing these issues it could mean many more years of running without injury in the future.