Massages for runners

Knowing that I was planning on pushing it at the race on Sunday, I had already scheduled a 2-hour massage at Massage Envy later in the week. I’m glad I did, because immediately after the 5k, my left hip started aching — even when I walked (the leg is my good leg, so it was probably compensating for my right).

Two days later, I walked in for my massage, still with an achy hip. I had a masseuse I’ve never tried before, but by the time he pushed, pulled, stretched and kneaded, my hip was pain-free. My gluts, sacrum and IT Band were apparently the problem spots.

I was supposed to have a run that day, but I skipped as not to jack myself up again so soon after being realigned. I’m glad I did… because by that night, I was super sore from all the kneading (especially when sitting down on my gluts!).

Today, that soreness is gone, and I feel really good. But, all of this led me to look up what other runners think about massage and how they use it in their training programs.

This article from Competitor outlines the four best massages for runners: Active Release Technique, Swedish massage, Trigger Point, and Deep Tissue massage (I am pretty sure he used at least 3 of these 4 techniques with me on Tuesday). In the article, Coach Jeff gives great advice on when to schedule massages and how often:

If you’re able to afford it, getting a monthly or weekly massage can help prevent injuries by catching tight areas before they become problematic. If it isn’t possible to fit a recurring massage into your schedule (or budget), consider getting one or two during your hardest training block or if you’re doing a lot of speed work, which tends to elicit injuries that can be treated by massage, like tight hamstrings or hips.

QUESTION — Do YOU incorporate massage into your training regimen? And if so, when do you schedule them, and how often?

Florida day 3: Reflection, motivation & new shoelaces

Since today was a non-running day, I spent time with the kiddo (a few pics from the Museum of Discovery and Science below), and then the Godkiddos after they got out of school. It gave me time to reflect on what I’ve been doing well so far, and what I could potentially do better with this post-injury half marathon training.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Things I Need to Work on:

Motivation

I’m hitting the point where I am progressing (and it IS getting easier), but not as fast as I would like. And it’s playing tricks with my mind. I caught myself having thoughts like, “If I’m winded at 1.5 miles, how on earth will I ever get up to 13.1?”

I know I need to get the Negative Nancy voice out of my head, but post-injury, and with the extra weight I’m carrying around, training this go round has been quite humbling.

A friend suggested that listening to audiobooks may be my problem. She suggested I “put on some gangsta rap and handle it!” OK — got it. So, during yesterday’s run, I put my “Get Money” playlist on shuffle, and I think it did do a better job at distracting me from the aches than the audiobook (I ran the longest I have since beginning training!).

Years back, I would forget I was running while listening to “The Help” and “Eat, Pray, Love,” so I may try audiobooks again when training gets a bit easier. Right now, I guess I need a little “gangsta rap” and ‘get money” in my runs. 🙂

Foot numbness

I had some foot numbness again yesterday, after not having any for the past two runs. Yesterday it wasn’t numb in the usual areas, but over my big toe and inner foot this time.

At our last session, my massage therapist suggested that I try different shoelace patterns if the injection didn’t resolve the matter. So, I found this site which does a great job at displaying ways to lace shoes based on different running (foot) ailments.

I went with the “wide feet in general” option which skips a few holes. We’ll see if tomorrow morning’s run is any better.

Aches (ugh!)

Between the 65 squats last night and yesterday’s 2-miler, mixed with the fact that I couldn’t do my normal post-run soak, I was pretty achy today — in my “bad foot” and the anterior muscles in my “good leg.”

As a result, in between each outing today, I did some major massage — both with my hand and the massage roller — using the Elemis Musclease Active Body Oil. I am thinking I should have massaged this much yesterday immediately post-run as a means of preventing today’s discomfort. Let’s hope tomorrow feels better.

Things I think I’m Doing Well:

Diet

I have done a great job keeping to low-carb in the face of traveling, temptation and being surrounded by junk food. Tonight, I wanted the Bananas Foster so badly at Dave & Buster’s but I thought about how sad I would be if I got on the scale next week and didn’t see any loss, and decided the pie wasn’t worth it.

Going Slowly/Rehabbing

I think I am doing a good job at going really slowly in training to avoid injuries. I am working hard at strengthening my foot/ankle, and listening to my body along the way. Going slowly is also helping me not feel like a failure — if I really went out there and tried to run 6 miles right now like I used to, I would be disappointed and humbled pretty quickly, and it would probably mess with my head. Slow is better right now.

>>What did you do well this week? What do you want to work on for next week?

Wrapping up week 1…

Yesterday was a wellness day. I had my annual physical (my numbers looked great), I met with the podiatrist, and had a 90-minute total body massage.

In the spirit of low-carb, I finished the day off with a bun-less turkey burger wrapped instead in collard green leaves. I know, I know… it sounds weird, but it actually tasted great (with the help of colby jack, pickled red onions, avocado and ketchup)! Instead of fries, I got roasted parmesan brussel sprouts. Yum!

So, back to the podiatry appointment… Despite the fact that I haven’t had pain lately, my toes have been going numb around the 1-mile mark. The podiatrist felt that, post-injury, it could be inflammation of my sinus tarsi — a tunnel through which nerves and ligaments run.

Photo from: https://walkwellstaywell.wordpress.com

So, he gave me my first ever cortisone injection to decrease said inflammation. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling as he gave it, but I haven’t had any discomfort to the area since.

He also gave me this monster of a brace to try out, which I used on today’s run:

I must say, I don’t know if it was the shot or the brace, but I had no ankle tightness, no foot pain, and no numbness!

Today was supposed to be a 30-minute walk day, but because I didn’t hit 1.5 miles on Thursday, I decided to just keep a really slow pace and get the 1.5 miles. I ran with my running girlfriend and we ran a crazy figure-8 path today (as you can see).

All I have left today are my squats (up to 45 now!), push ups and sit-ups. Happy Saturday, folks!