Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Foam (Rockin' &) Rollin'

Every foam rolling session begins painfully - especially my calves and my IT band area - but it always gets more tolerable. I have begun foam rolling on days I don't run or almost immediately after a run. Ouch! The pain! The good pain!

My current roller is called "The Stick" which is from the gurus at Valley Running Co., but I've used a monster roller before that was some thing that you find in the middle of carpet rolls. Yep, you read right.

How hard to roll is always an issue with me. I begin gingerly and gradually increase the pressure. As I begin, I can feel the "knots", but by the end of the session, it's almost as if they've disappeared. I guess they get "knotted out".

A good buddy of mine (running cyborg that he is), Ross, recently said something that just made sense. I was admiring his ability to effortlessly put in 90+ miles a week when he mentioned that he does a lot of maintenance on his body. My body starts balking at my running whenever my mileage gets in the mid 40s range. Until recently, maintenance was not a concern of mine. It became a concern as I got older and the aches became more noticeable.

He is 100% correct: gotta maintain the body/

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Pampering My Body

Yesterday, on a whim, I decided to pamper my body and feet by getting a sports massage. I've done this once before, but since I'd been a little achy lately, I decided to do it ASAP again.

As I blogged before, I've recently incorporated stretching and rolling into my running routine, so it made sense to get a massage.

I made an appointment for 9pm. I was a little nervous since I was scheduled to run a 20 miler the next morning. What if I was too sore? What if I'd be unable to run? Luckily, the soreness wouldn't end up settling in 'til about 24 hours later.

My massage began with a foot rub/massage. Despite having sensitive feet, it felt great. I won't lie, it was...kinda painful but not in a pain pain kinda way (if that makes sense).

What followed, was the most intense massage ever. There was quite a bit of moaning and grunting coming from that room. Several times I wondered if the room was sound-proof or what others in the building might think was going on. Yes, it was that loud.

Finally, the stretching began.  I've been stretching for a while, but prior to that, stretching (before or after a run) was a foreign concept. The massage therapist said I lacked flexibility...as if I didn't already know this.

This morning I ran 20 miles, and I felt really good. As a matter of fact, I hadn't had as good of a run as I did this morning in a looooong time. In addition to tweeking my hydration/diet during my run, I am sure the stretch the night before had quite a bit to do with it.

As I write this, the soreness is slowly creeping in.

As I've aged, I've re-discovered stretching and taking better care of my body thru diet and stretching mainly. Besides, I ask a lot of my body...it's only right I pamper it.