Pulled/Strained Hamstring???

[lissao1999]

I need some muscle advice. I had trained for a little over 3 weeks to do a 10K (6.2 miles) and a few days before the race my right hamstring started to hurt but not to the point that I couldn't run. It was just a little sore. So I went to the race on Saturday (2/28) and did really well compared to what I had started with, but WOW my right hamstring is in so much pain now. I know I over worked it but please give me some advice on what stretches or workouts or anything I can do to ease the pain. It hurts even when I am sitting and walking. I took Sunday off and I did arms and walked for 30 minutes yesterday so I have been taking it easy for the past 2 days. It wasn't hurting when I was walking yesterday becasue I was going so slow but the way it feels today I might have just made it worse. Any advice would be greatly appreciated....Thanks!!!

[redsquirrel]

What did you do to it those few days before the race that made it start hurting?? Were you training any more vigorously than normal, or doing ANYTHING different?

[lissao1999]

Nothing out of the ordinary. I am a runner at heart and I have been working out for quite some time but I did start training pretty hard from the very beginning. The only thing that I could think of would be increasing my speed, but I had been working on that this whole time. I would increase my speed at least once a week and I was running about 6 days a week. When I started the training I was doing a (I know this is so slow) 12.5 minute mile (very first day, outside, up and down hills). So I did have to tain hard to get my speed up. I was running both inside and outside (it has been pretty rainy in TX so mostly inside on the treadmill). It is feeling a lot better today though. I have always stretched before and after all of my runs, but maybe I am doing something wrong. Any suggestions?

[redsquirrel]

Stretching may not be enough to get your muscles warmed up. It may benefit you to warm up by walking for 5-10 minutes after you stretch. I don't think you pulled a muscle, you may have just overexerted it, or sprained/strained it. If it were pulled, it would be a lot more painful....meaning you would be heating it to relieve the pain, and/or something would have happened, like a "pop" or some weird noise.