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November 10, 2005
Hamstring Exercises, Anyone?
One of the reasons I love having a blog about my running is that it keeps me honest. As promised in my last entry, I did my long run the very next day (Tuesday). I went out and ran 10 miles in Newton, which means that I finally ran all of the hills in Heartbreak Hill in one run. I was really happy because the run felt really good. There was a strong headwind coming from the west, which meant that I had it in my face for the first 4-5 miles. But I actually think that that was a good thing, because it made me wary of starting at too fast a pace. One of the things about doing these Newton loops is that I'm always nervous that one of these days I'm going to get injured or feel like crap and be unable to keep running just when I'm at the point when I'm farthest from home. That's one of the reasons I like eastbound loops toward downtown Boston--if something goes wrong, then I can always jump on an outbound Green Line train for free and get home. But the Newton loops are definitely nicer and I can get off pavement for miles, which is always preferable.
Since Tuesday was Election Day, I decided to incorporate a visit to the polls into the end of my run. Fortunately for me (but not for the city), the polling place was not crowded when I got there (about 12:30 PM), so I was able to zip in, vote, and zip out before my sweat could dry and I could get chilled. I did feel a little bad for sweating all over my ballot, though. The cop at the polling place was quite amused by me--not only was I breathless and sweaty, I think that I might have been the youngest person by 40-50 years to vote there in hours!
Yesterday, I spent the day in my hometown of Hingham, hanging out with my mom. We had plans to check out a local yoga studio, shop, and have lunch. Since I was supposed to meet her at the house at 10:45 AM, I woke up at 6:00 AM to drive A. to work so that he could work out at his company's gym and so that I could have the car all day. Then I drove directly to the grocery store--which is so much easier to deal with at 7:30 AM! I drove the groceries home, unpacked them and put them away, scarfed down a bowl of cereal, fruit, and a vitamin, before running out the door again to do a few more errands before heading down to Hingham. I was wearing running clothes since I was hoping that I would get to Hingham well before 10:45 and I could then squeeze in my run plus a shower. Since I wanted to do about 6 miles, this meant that I had to get to Hingham by 9:15, especially if I wanted to be able to stretch. Which I did. Very much. I was definitely feeling my 10-miler from the day before.
Unfortunately, I underestimated my errand-running as well as the traffic (even though it really wasn't that bad) and didn't make it there until 9:40. My mom took one look at me and asked, "Did you run already?" To which I explained that I hadn't, but I hoped to--if we didn't have to leave the house by 10:45, I could do it right then or it could wait until after we got back from shopping, etc. "But," I warned her, "if I put it off, then I'm not changing out of my running clothes and I'm going shopping like this. Because if I change, then I might let myself be lazy and not run." Now my mom generally views the car as a gift sent by God so that we humans wouldn't have to do crazy things like run, but she also understands that my running is very important to me. Plus, I think she preferred that I not hang out with her all day in running tights and a big Patriots sweatshirt! So off I went.
I ran 6 mi. in 47:08--it was about 53 degrees and breezy, but the sun was still out then, so it was pretty nice. My legs were fairly stiff and sore from my first 10-miler in well over a year, but they hung in there. My hamstrings were, and are, particularly achy. Does anyone out there in blogger-land have any suggestions for hamstring exercises? I want to be sure that I'm definitely targeting them and strengthening them. The exercises I do now focus on other muscle groups (hip flexors, glutes, etc.) and strengthening the hamstrings is sort of a secondary effect. So I'd love any suggestions from anyone who knows any specifically hamstring strengthening exercises.
Today was my alternative training day at the gym: 30 minutes on the elliptical with stretching and core strengthening. I definitely didn't work as hard on the elliptical this week as I did last week; I read this past Sunday's Boston Globe magazine and just went nice and easy. I'm getting a little bored with the elliptical--I might try aquajogging next week. The gym's recreational pool actually has a section with a "lazy river," a kind of kidney-shaped track about 3-ft. deep with a current that you can run against. I think I might try doing my old drill workout in the water, too. I'm just a little afraid to get back in there--the last time I used the lazy river, my calves were screaming for a week since running in the shallow water makes me bounce up and down on my toes. As an inveterate "heel striker" when running on dry land, I have pretty wimpy calf muscles compared to the "toe runners" I know and those wimpy muscles are certainly tested in the lazy river!
Tomorrow I'm planning just an easy 4-miler and then I'm trying to decide what to do with my weekend. I can't decide how I want to get my fast running in on Saturday. Plain old tempo run? Hills? Fresh Pond race? Fartlek run? Intervals on a track? Hmmm...so many choices.
Posted by Megan at November 10, 2005 09:33 PM
Comments
What about this exercise - http://www.shapefit.com/hamstrings-exercises-exercise-ball-curls.html - which you can do at home if you have an exercise ball. I think the woman in the diagram needs to be pushing her hips to the ceiling more the whole time, though. You can also do it with one leg.
It sounds like your running progress is moving right along!
Posted by: Alison at November 11, 2005 08:46 AM
If you have a partner, lay on your stomach and have he/she resist your legs as you try to pull them to 90-degree angle. You and workout buddy both get the benefits of a good negatives exercise - hammies and biceps.
Posted by: Leilani at November 15, 2005 12:27 PM