Fartleking around

Well this has been an interesting and frustrating last week and a half. Lets start where I left off last time....I was a day out from a workout with the sprint team, to work on my "git down" speed. The practice went well, I worked on my form when running fast - we did some starts (Sprinters 1: Matt 0), then we ran a 350m which I approached rather tentatively and only ran a 44.9 (Sprinters 2: Matt 0) and then we finished with 3 x 200m about 25-26sec (Sprinters 2: Matt 3)...I just needed to tire them out a little bit first! My hamstring were good...at the time, for the next day I woke up with a localized pain in my left hamstring - a sure sign of a strain. Foolishly, I jogged 6 miles on it thinking I could run through it. Didn't help.
I took the next day off and then hit the bike and the pool for the next 3 days. In that time I tried to figure out what the cause of these recurring hamstring strains is and sought help to correct them. It seems to be a combination of overstriding when going fast and mis-firing glute muscles which causes added strain on the hamstring.
So, following a visit to a trainer for some strengthening exercises, some research by myself and Kev, and a trip to a masseur, I am now back running. I have just been fartleking and steady running this past week in order to reintroduce my legs to running with a little speed work thrown is as I feel. (Fartlek is a swedish term for "speedplay"). I was supposed to run York last weekend, and then Boston this weekend, but pulled out of both in order to let the h-strings recover as best as possible.
As we look ahead, I will ease into more strenuous, faster workouts and will race the 1000m at McGill next weekend. I just need to get a race in so I can run the 1000m at OUAs as the beginning of my championship push on the following weekend. In a scenario reminiscent of cross-country CIS last fall, I hope to build up from injury to peak at just the right time. I won't be pleased with a 13th place finish this time though!

Be champions.