Adverse Camber

I started this blog to get me through the London Marathon 2011. It was quite a challenge as I only started running on the 3rd of May 2010. I finished the marathon with painful blisters and quite a lot of money for a great charity!

This blog is now taking me on a new journey - to a fitter lifestyle aided by running.

Sunday, 3 October 2010

Sports massage

This is a new thing for me - sports massage.  A friend's husband is a triathlete and when she told him I was covered in ibuprofen gel he said a regular sports massage would be better for me.  With payday approaching I googled sports massages in Barnet, the one place I did not want to go for this was my local gym as the amount of testosterone in there (from men and women) is anything but relaxing.

So, I found a good website and read all about the masseuse.  Perhaps I didn't give it much thought; she was well qualified and local so I emailed to book an appointment.

Now, the furthest I had run thus far was 7 miles - but Saturday with the promise of a sports massage at 2pm I kept running until I had achieved 10 miles.  The last two were very slow and draining, but I thought if I can reach this goal it is significant enough to build upon.  After all, on the 21st of November I have 13 miles to run in the Gosport half marathon!

I was in the park forever!  At 9am I did three laps past children playing with their football coach, then they were gone and I had the park to myself before the dog walkers came out, then the other runners and finally parents with children.  Thank goodness it was a nice day!

Since I thought I might struggle to stand up in the shower I had a bath back at home and then went off to meet the masseuse.

I was met at the door by the masseuse who could have been Kirsten Dunst's sister.  She completed a health questionnaire with me and then checked my mobility.  It seems my shoulders are bending in (I need to stick my *ahem* chest out).

Ouch!  I had been told it might hurt and it did!  However, as the worked area was finished it felt fantastic and at the end I felt very, very relaxed.

The masseuse was also full of really useful advice and I am going to share this with you:
  • run with your bum, don't let the legs do all the work
  • keeping your middle tight will help prevent lower back pain
  • don't do static stretches before running, do some dynamic stretches or walk quickly
  • do ten minutes of static stretches after running
  • stick your chest out!
I highly recommend a sports massage if you are putting your body through new vigors and if I can afford it I shall make it a monthly event in my build up to the London marathon!

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