Fruit of the Loom

Welcome shoppers. You will find frozen blueberries in the lower limb section positioned under the left hamstring, while frozen peaches are across the aisle under the right hamstring.

And oh they feel so good. Well I don't think I have a groin strain or any serious muscular damage. However, my hamstrings have never been so sore since I have started running. The dreaded Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) would appear to be the main culprit. Why after over one year of running various workouts, including speedwork, and various races, including distances from 5k to marathon, would I have my worst case of hamstring soreness ever?

Is it

(a) I violated the 10% rule by kicking up from 18 mile weeks to 23 miles last week and did two speedwork, one hill and one seven miler in eight days?

(b) After consistently doing 3 to 4 hours of yoga stretching weekly from April 2005 until March 2006, I have done no more than 4 hours total in the last six weeks?

(c) The speedwork I did on Tuesday included too many sprint distances with 9 x 200 with inadequate recovery time in between for me, while previously the speedwork I did included almost all 400 meter distances and above.

(d) All of the above.

I vote for (d) all of the above. While (c) is likely the main culprit, I am now convinced that yoga stretching is a great deterrent of DOMS. I have hardly ever had any delayed onset muscle soreness before. I need to find time to both run when I want and make yoga class.

OK, iced my hams long enough, back to the freezer for the fruit.

Naturally, I had to run today, terribly sore hamstrings or not. However, after doing one 2 mile loop of the Kemah bridge at a sensible 10min/mi pace, I peeled off the Bay Area Running Club group and retreated home to the pool for 12 minutes of aquarunnning. I can't imagine I will race on Saturday, maybe trot.