2 weeks ago I did an 8x 800 @ 7:00 pace and felt great. The day after, my hip was tight and very sore. I ended up taking the rest of the week off (minus some stationary bike)- because I have no desire to repeat what happened during my Chicago marathon training. (I ran the soldier field 10 in may, my calf cramped up/ shin hurt and I continued running hard on it for a week or 2. Then I was in so much pain I couldn't run for a few months.)
This is the third time in about 6 weeks my right hip has been sore. 1st time was a few weeks before the Chicago marathon. I just thought CB pulled me and I tweaked it. 2nd time was during/after the marathon. Thought it was because of the blisters on my feet altering my stride. 3rd time was the past weeks speed session. After some brief research, it turns out as runners, our hips (muscles) are one of the most important for our running and most neglected muscle groups. If you have weak hip muscles it can cause knee problems and hip problems, and bad running form.
To remedy this situation I bought some resistance bands. Target had some "professional" quality ones- for about $10. There were 3 in the box- light, medium, and a much stronger band. The light one was too weak for me so I use the medium for all of my exercises.
I do 10 repeats on each leg before moving to the next exercise.
- leg out to the side
-leg to the front
-lift leg/ knee to the chest.
This week I'm happy to report no hip pain!
This week I did:
Monday- 7.33 cycle miles 30:00, 1 tabata
Tuesday-6 miles 59:00, hills. 800's @3.5 incline
Wednesday-
Lazy arse day :(
Thursday-
Am 7.2 cycle miles- 30:00, 1 tabata
Pm- 9 miles 1:10:50
Friday-
6 miles with 6x 800 @ 7:00 pace
Saturday-
8 miles
Sunday-
13 miles 1:50
Not quite the 50ish I had planned, but I'm happy to be running faster miles without any pain.
10 days until I race my first 5k in over a year.
76 days until #5, ing miami marathon.
Have you had hip pain? What did you do to help strengthen your hips?
-Xaar
