Sport Today

Hello I have two qs:
1) Since last Monday's run i have developed a pain in my right hamstring. I
have been gently stretching it but the pain doesnt seem to go away. I am a
serious runner and participate in a lot of road races, so I am worried...Can
anyone give any suggestions as to what to do?

2) Are there any running clubs around South San Jose/Los Gatos in CA? I am
looking for a running partner at least 2-3 times a week for track workouts or
distance running or fartlek....I am 29 and work full time, so evenings would be
the only available times.  thanks.

Hmm...there are a few running clubs in the south bay. I don't remember the
names of most of them. There is the Palo Alto Run Club: www.paraunclub.com.
There's also a *** friendly running group called something like South Bay
front runners (or maybe I'm not remembering correctly). Or, if you don't
mind driving south a little bit, there is the Santa Cruz Track Club and we
have a homepage at www.sctc.runners.net. We do track workouts Wednesday
nights (6pm) and Saturday mornings (8:30am), long runs on Sunday mornings
(8:30am), and there's currently a group training for the National Masters
competition in fall and they train on Monday nights.

Suggestions on your problem: ever heard of the Stanford Myo*** Institute
at 260 Sheridan Avenue, Suite B40, Palo Alto. Their phone is 650-322-2809. I
actually haven't used them before, but a club member I know has. They charge
according to what you can pay (i.e., your income; and if you're a full time
student or a regional/national/international championship runner, they also
have different prices). Check them out. I'll be checking them out myself
too.

C

<snip>

Yes.  West Valley Joggers and Striders meets every Wednesday evening for a
track workout at 5:15 PM on the West Valley College track in Saratoga and
every Saturday morning at 7:30 for an additional workout.  To learn more
about WVJS, go to our web page at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~jtwhalen/wvjs.html

Or reply to me.  I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have.  As
for a running partner, you'll have a lot of competitive runners to choose
from.  :-)

Todd

For clubs, check out the recent Runner's World travel article on San Jose. Click
on http://www.runnersworld.com/onthroad/home.html
(that's not a typo, they did leave the e out of "ontheroad," I copied and pasted
the link) and then on San Jose in the alphabetical list of US cities. They cover
clubs, stores that organize fun runs, etc., toward the end of the article.

Hopefully someone else can help with your hamstring.

Efrem Mallach

------------------

I can't say enough good things about the Stanford Myofascial Institute. I
had persistent hamstring and gluteal pain that kept me from running for
over a year, and I went to massage therapists, physical therapists,
physiatrists, sports docs, etc., etc., with no relief. I started working
with the folks at SMI, and over eight months I was able to gradually
reintroduce running and to begin training seriously again. What was
especially helpful was not only that the therapists know their anatomy and
trigger point therapy, but that most are elite athletes who give solid
advice about what kind of training is or is not beneficial at a
particular stage of injury and recovery. Nathan

<snip>

: Suggestions on your problem: ever heard of the Stanford Myo*** Institute
: at 260 Sheridan Avenue, Suite B40, Palo Alto. Their phone is 650-322-2809. I
: actually haven't used them before, but a club member I know has. They charge
: according to what you can pay (i.e., your income; and if you're a full time
: student or a regional/national/international championship runner, they also
: have different prices). Check them out. I'll be checking them out myself
: too.