Our articles are not designed to replace medical advice. If you have an injury we recommend seeing a qualified health professional. To book an appointment with Tom Goom (AKA ‘The Running Physio’) visit our clinic page. We offer both in-person assessments and online consultations.
The last time I raced a 10km I was tight for about 2 weeks! My hamstrings were not happy. They felt achy and solid and would threaten to cramp if I tried to strengthen them.
Of course, it was all my fault. Doing a charity race with my friends without enough prep was always going to be a bit risky! I got through it ok but paid a price afterwards.
When runners experience something similar and a muscle feels tight they usually opt for stretching. Superficially it makes sense – it feels tight so stretch it – but actually often that tightness is due to fatigue from excess training. By all means, stretch if it helps symptoms but the effects might be quite short-term.
A better solution is first to focus on recovery. Cut back the mileage and intensity, allow time to rest and make quality sleep a priority. A week or two can make a huge difference.
As a clinician, if we test a runner in a fatigued state we will probably find muscle weakness but this can just be the result of fatigue. Re-test after a recovery period to get a better idea of strength deficits that need to be addressed. Weak muscles can fatigue more rapidly and strength work can help address this. Just bear in mind it will add to the fatigue, so plan it into the schedule carefully and allow sufficient recovery afterwards.
Here are 4 solutions to help runners who feel tight (my hamstrings are fine now by the way ):
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