Mysterious Leg Pain

At about 26.5 miles into a 28 mile run, I experienced a mysterious pain in the back of my left leg -- a very sharp shooting pain just below the back of my knee that immediately brought me to a walk. After walking for a minute or so, I was able to continue running, though at a much slower pace and then only for about thirty seconds at a shot, at which point the pain returned. I continued to walk/run like this to mile 28. No pain while walking. No pain immediately after the run. No pain today -- the day after the run. This was the longest distance I've ever run . . . could it just be fatigue? Something else I am not aware of? Any input would be appreciated.

It's hard to say - could be a lot of things. I'm no sports doctor or therapist ... but a sudden sharp pain definitely isn't just fatigue. It was likely brought on (caused) by fatigue though. That is, when you push your muscles and body hard, your muscles get fatigued and weaker and you are more prone to injury. You may have pulled or torn a small muscle. Both my wife and I had something very similar happen. I said "small" because it doesn't have to be a big, season-ending injury - it can be less severe, but it still slows or stops running for awhile and may require time off. It can take something like 6 weeks for a muscle to fully repair. You'll probably want to rest for several days, and then give it an easy test run to see what happens. If it was just a one-off event like a twisted knee or something (who knows) then you'll know when you try to run again. Ultimately though, if it continues to give you trouble you should go to a sports medicine doctor (not a regular or family physician).

Thanks for the response BCR . . . I saw it about 20 mins after an 8 mile "test" run without any pain. I was still a little sore in spots from Sunday, but overall, better than I expected. I think I will try to stretch a little more this week before another long run this Sunday. Thanks again!

Trailsloth25, I was dealing with the same problem as your and I used to get a terrible pain in my legs after 15 miles. I went to a doctor and he told me to do hot water massage on my legs which helped me a lot. I will advice you the same.

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