I’m still feeling a little under the weather, my throat feeling a bit when swallowing, the discomfort starting Sunday evening when I got home from an event.

I programmed my current block 6 weeks ago and today I’m on the second day, which focuses on hamstrings and quadriceps.

I’m definitely pushing myself a bit with stretching because today, after the session, I feel sore up in the upper hamstring, right below my buttocks, predominately on my right leg. The increased soreness might also have to do with the fact now that the forward fold I’m practicing is not less of an anterior chain stretch, less of a stretch of the lower back and more emphasis shifting to the hamstrings.

Today I also wore knee pads while performing the lunge. Unsure what’s going on but on the target leg (i.e. back leg), when the is pressed against the hardwood floor, the hard surface — even with the Pilates mat — creates excessive discomfort, shifting focus away from the quadriceps.

This past weekend (which was full of dance due to a 3.5 hours of dancing at a party, 3 hours of intense workshops, followed by a competition), I started feeling pain when bending my right knee and what’s interesting is that the pain was located in a place that I’ve never experienced before. Historically, I would get “IT Band” pain when squatting, the sharp pain location BEHIND the knee cap, in the hamstring. However, for the first time in my life, the pain (a different sensation, more of a “too much volume” pain) is above the knee cap (picture below).

Although I was in pain (to the point of considering taking an Advil, which I rarely take, the last time a few years ago when I broke both my hands/wrists in a motorcycle crash), I was somewhat curious and excited; I wasn’t feeling pain the same chronic area. Although I could be wrong, I had the thought that because I am moving my body differently in my dance (partially due to freeing some restrictions via stretching), my body is compensating differently. It feels like a growth opportunity, actually.