Let’s review a little personal history for why stronger core muscles and, in particular, stronger glutes are a good thing. To begin, I must confess that, at that time, due to my ignorance (I thought that Runners just went outside and ran!), my training plan (or lack thereof) was to increase, as quickly as might feel comfortable (and sometimes uncomfortable), both the intensity (faster pace) and the volume (more miles) of my weekly training.
November 2010
Several weeks after beginning recreational sport running and after my first ever race in which I was a participant, I developed a pulled hamstring muscle (hammy) in my left leg. I wisely chose to refrain from running for a few days and to return to easy pace workouts for a few days before resuming “training.” I had already registered to run a 6k race on Thanksgiving day (25 November); so, I was anxious to resume training for that event.
Resuming training too soon after an injury was a BAD DECISION! My body, without my conscientiously comprehending, was compensating for the injury, which caused me to run with an altered gait; then, just days prior to the race, I pulled the hammy in my right leg. I was determined to participate in the race and decided that I would walk, rather than run, the 6k race. Another BAD DECISION! At the start of the race, I walked about 150 ft, before I began to jog (in some pain); then, before I realized, I was running (still in pain). I finished the race and hobbled back to my automobile and drove home, where I applied ice and sat with my foot elevated. [Apparently, I thought that elevating my foot would, somehow, be a benefit to my injured hammy.]
The following Monday, as I sat drinking my second cup of coffee before work, I put my feet up, when suddenly, without warning, my right hammy contracted with a sharp pain before I could get my feet to the floor. As I massaged my hurting hamstring, I noticed a huge bruise at the top of my right calf–What the heck caused that? As it turns out, that is one telltale sign that the hamstring muscle has torn.
I contacted a PT (physical therapist) within a couple of days and started rehab. The PT is a runner himself. In addition to his advice to continue using ice on the injury and elevating the injury (not just my feet), he also suggested that I wait several weeks before running again and that I should run at a very slow, easy pace for, at least, a month before any training workouts. Furthermore, he suggested that I add a 1 mile (or a 15 minute) Warm Up (WU) before any training runs.
Although I was still anxious to resume running, I followed and have heeded his advice ever since, suffering no other hamstring injuries. That’s not to say that I haven’t had hammy cramping during runs; but, slowing my pace (a few times to a walking pace) has prevented additional pulled hamstrings.
November 2012
After successfully completing the 2011 MCM (Marine Corps Marathon) in Washington, D.C., [4:34:51] and a few weeks later successfully running the 2011 Outback Distance Classic Half Marathon in Jacksonville, Florida [2:01:38], I cut back on my running for several months (about four or five), until I decided to register for the 2012 Jacksonville Bank Marathon (December 2012); surprisingly (to me at that time), I had lost a lot of endurance but, after about six weeks, was back to running 10+ mile Long Runs.
I, now, know that both cutting my weekly training frequency from four days per week to two days per week (for most weeks: less frequently), after the 2011 Marathon and Half Marathon and increasing my training intensity and volume too quickly, when I resumed training for the 2012 marathon in June 2012, were poor decisions which resulted in a groin injury (Osteitis Pubis). That injury took me out of training and the 2012 marathon and sent me to the orthopedist and into physical therapy for several months.
September 2013
After the PT and the orthopedist released me to start running again (in late February 2013), my very first run felt so good that, instead of running my goal four miles at an easy pace [~10:30/mile], I ran for seven miles at ~9:30/mi pace and returned home with a pain in my left heel—plantar fasciitis! Back to the orthopedist, who advised that I could continue to run, that it might be a little discomfortable, and that I would not require physical therapy. So, I continued to run; it was painful; and, I was limited to short, easy pace runs (due to foot pain), which did nothing to maintain or to build my endurance. However, after about six weeks, the pain in my left heel become more of a discomfort and applying ice and elevating my foot after each run seemed to be working well.
So, by May 2013, I thought, with more than 30 weeks before the 2013 Jacksonville Bank Marathon, I can easily prepare for that marathon! I spent about 6-8 weeks to ramp up my weekly training volume and slightly increasing my weekly training intensity before starting a serious, 24-week, online, marathon training plan. Well, about ten weeks into the plan, my weekly mileage was up to 40+ miles/week, weekly frequency was five or six days/week, and weekly runs included easy pace (or recovery) runs, tempo runs, interval runs, and, of course, long runs (which included easy pace miles and tempo miles or interval miles) and my left heel was, again, experiencing pain, especially during and after long runs; however, applying ice and elevating my foot after running seemed to reduce the pain, which usually would disappear by the following day, if I weren’t running the following day! And, then, during one tempo training run–ending with six 30 sec Strides (with 30 sec recovery)–I heard a loud snap sound accompanying a sharp, intense pain in my left foot at the second stride–it was a partially ruptured plantar fascia! [Verified by MRI] I hobbled the two miles (plus) back home; and, even after I had applied ice and elevated my foot for 1/2 hour, I could hardly walk.
During the time that I was in rehab with the physical therapist (who had me performing exercises to strengthen my right gluteus medius muscles, as well as, to strengthen my calf muscles), I stumbled over several online articles which suggested that weak hips may be the underlying cause for various running injuries, like hamstring tears, plantar fasciitis, etc. e.g., Runners Connect – Hip Strength vs Running Injuries In fact, one of the articles Runners Connect – Hip Strength and Running Form>, indicated that weak hip flexor muscles on one side of the body can result in running injuries on the opposite side! Furthermore, the research indicated that a weak gluteus medius will cause instability in a runner’s hips, which can cause the hip on the opposite side to droop; the thinking is that the body is marvelously made to compensate for weaknesses such as that, but the body’s compensation can result in injuries in athletes (even recreational athletes). I suffer from that issue: weak hip flexor muscles (at least, weak gluteus medius) on my right side, my left hip droops, and my left foot has had plantar fasciitis. Even in 2015, I continue (sporadically; i.e., very lax) to use body weight exercises to strengthen my calf muscles and my gluteus medius–however, I really need to get serious with my core strengthening exercises and perform them regularly (at least, 3 days/week).