Still sore

The photo show the black and blue located almost directly behind my knee, about 2" below where actual injury occured.

I can take light massage and stretching.  I can jog up stairs without pain.  I can still feel it so I think at least 3 more days before any running.  It feels fine, no lumpyness or physical sign of anything torn when I massage it.

It is the eccentric contraction that causes this, the sudden arrest of the extension and beginning of the flexion.   Right now, I can flex the hams (concentric contraction), even do leg curls with no pain (although I'm not yet)...  but the motion that hurts is the swinging back and forth of the leg.

So, it's not the concentric load on the flexors... it is the maximum speed turnover that causes this injury.   It has always got me in full stride, never at the start.

Eccentric exercises I'm really going to have to emphasize.   Romanian dead lifts, negative leg curls, and other resistance work that will emphasize the eccentric contraction.

I found a nice collection of eccentric ham exercises here.

When I do start running again, I will need to train like an 800m runner.  No fast eccentric movement that will put a stress on the hams.  Having to 'run long' at this point in the season is not real appealing to me, especially now that it's 90º everyday.  But it's the best way to get back.

I'm expecting to run the 800m at the TN State Games in 4 weeks, and maybe the 400m.  There will be serious competition - two guys that run 2:13 and 2:15.   If I am in shape, I hope to give them a run for their money.  I've never run an 800m fresh with competition.   I think I can run 2:15.

Have been doing lots of direct core and ab work lately - for the first time with no sign at all of the pubalgia issue.   That is good.   It's probably because I haven't been sprinting.