With many of us in the nitty-gritty, high mileage weeks of our fall race training cycles, it is common to have a complaining body part or two…or six.
For me those parts are my left hamstring and piriformis, or as I like to call it, buttular region. These particular afflictions are not new to me, they first flared up during some overzealous speedwork in last year’s Boston training cycle. I aggravated them once again a few weeks ago when I tripped on a root (or did I?) on that trail during my 20 miler.
When the piriformis muscle gets aggravated and inflamed it presses on the sciatic nerve and causes pain in the butt and maybe into the lower back and down the leg as well.
Piriformis syndrome is frequently caused by:
Exercising on hard surfaces like concrete
Exercising on uneven ground
Increasing intensity and/or duration too quickly
Ill-fitting or worn out shoes
Sitting for long periods of time
Some of you have asked for tips on how I keep my ornery hammy/piriformis content.
Here’s how I deal:
Foam Roll
Before and after every run. It was hellish at first but it gets better.
Extend Warmup
Especially if I’m doing speedwork, instead of 10 minutes, I take at least 15 and even 20 minutes to be thoroughly warmed up.
Maintain proper form and foot turnover
I make sure I don’t overstride as my hammy will surely complain.
Pigeon Pose is My Friend
I swear these two stretches are my secret weapons against IT and piriformis revolt. I do them both after every workout and will sit in double pigeon for as long as I can stand it.
Pigeon Pose
