So here I am. 10 days from my target marathon and got hit with piriformis syndrome pretty much out of the blue (couldn’t feel any build-up to it in previous runs).
Now it’s my second rodeo with this issue (first time was 4 years ago). After the first time, I included some exercises in my strength ruoutine more specific to the small muscles in my glutes (sumo walks, leg clams) but then kind of forgot about them.
For this training cycle I’ve been using the strength training for runners plan (levels 4 and 5) and also the yoga plans with 4 sessions a week. I think the plan has worked as I’ve run pretty much without any issues until now on very high mileage (>80 miles/week) + 3-4 hrs/week on the bike (mostly recovery, z2 and some on location rides) + strength training + yoga. However, I can’t help thinking that some specific piriformis exercises may have been missing. In the strength training routines, what specific exercises would target the piriformis? Now that I know this is a recurring problem for me, I can try to do more of these exercises or add other exercises not included in the strength training videos.