EP4. Hamstring Injury Recovery: My First Marathon Lesson

I Finished My First Marathon, but My Hamstring Paid the Price

Keeping a Promise to Myself

Finishing a full marathon.

It was something I never would have imagined myself doing in the past.

But I really wanted to experience it. More than simply running a marathon, I wanted to keep a promise I had made to myself two years earlier.

I wasn't in perfect condition, and looking back, my training probably wasn't enough. Still, I believed I could do it.

I had completed a half marathon six months earlier, so I thought maybe I was ready for the full distance, too.

On race morning, standing at the starting line, I found myself crying again.

Just two years earlier, even walking had been difficult. And now, here I was, standing at the starting line of a full marathon.

That thought alone was overwhelming.

Then I started running.

The first 5K and 10K went better than I expected. My body seemed to be holding up just fine.

But after 15K, I started noticing something unusual in my legs. They felt heavy, and I began feeling a pulling sensation in the back of my right thigh.

It was around the halfway point when I felt a much stronger warning from my right hamstring.

And then, in that moment—

Pop.

It was brief, but I immediately knew something was wrong.

Something just happened.

After that, I couldn't run properly anymore.

But I didn't want to give up.

I'm stubborn, and more than anything, I wanted to keep the promise I had made to myself.

For nearly the remaining 20 kilometers, I alternated between walking, jogging a little, limping, and walking again.

After seven hours, I finally crossed the finish line.

People laughed and asked:

"Why run a marathon if it's going to take seven hours?"

Maybe they had a point.

But that finish meant something different to me. It wasn't about my time or my performance.

What mattered more was that I hadn't given up.

And strangely enough, I felt proud.

The Real Problem Started After the Finish Line

But the real trouble began afterward.

Two days later, even walking became difficult. The pain in my right leg had become much worse.

That evening, I tried everything I could think of on my own. I used heat, stretched, and massaged the area.

At first, I wanted to believe it was just ordinary muscle soreness.

But after two weeks without improvement, I finally went to the hospital.

The diagnosis was a tear in my right hamstring.

My mind went blank when I heard it.

And when I received the injection, I began to realize just how different my body had become.

After a steroid injection, I was finally able to walk more comfortably.

Looking back, I wonder whether my body had been sending me warning signs for quite some time.

I remembered slightly straining my leg during sprint training on my own. I suspect that the injury may not have fully recovered before I pushed ahead with the long-distance marathon.

I can't know for certain whether that earlier incident caused the tear, but I do wonder if I had underestimated how much recovery my body needed.

I had also been thinking about something I had heard from movement and mobility experts like Kelly Starrett: paying attention to pain, movement restrictions, and recovery matters when we keep challenging our bodies.

I also used to believe that muscle recovery naturally became much slower with age. But the research is more complicated than that. Studies comparing younger and older adults have not consistently shown that older people experience greater exercise-related muscle damage or slower recovery.

Hearing that helped me look at things a little differently.

Maybe I'm not young anymore.

Honestly, that thought made me a little sad.

In the past, I felt that a few days of rest were usually enough to get me back on my feet. This time, one injury disrupted much more than just my running.

I also felt as though I was losing muscle more easily than before.

But strangely, that sadness didn't completely bring me down.

Instead, it felt as though a small spark had been lit somewhere inside me.

This time, I don't plan to run recklessly like I did before.

I want to recover more patiently and build a body that can keep moving for many more years.

And someday, I want to run again.

This time, more slowly.

For longer.

And a little more wisely.

Evidence-Based Health Information

• Hamstring tears: A sudden pulling or popping sensation in the back of the thigh, followed by difficulty walking, can indicate a significant hamstring injury. Persistent pain or difficulty bearing weight deserves medical evaluation. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

• Recovery and rehabilitation: Hamstring injury recovery depends on the location and severity of the tear. Rehabilitation commonly involves gradually restoring flexibility, strength, and function before returning to sport. Mayo Clinic: Hamstring Injury.

  Mayo Clinic

• Age and muscle recovery: Research does not support the simple assumption that everyone recovers more slowly or experiences greater exercise-related muscle damage as they age. Findings vary, so recovery should be considered individually. 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis.
  

Medical Disclaimer

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.