Just as rest days are crucially important in building your strength and stamina, pre or post event massage can have a really positive impact on your run performance and recovery.
The marathon-ers amongst us will now be hitting peak training miles – I’ll never forget the feeling of my 19 mile training run, when another seven miles seemed simply inconceivable! My experience was that when it comes to a marathon training schedule it’s a fine line between having never felt better and never felt worse. The good news is that with all the adrenalin and support of the day, the 26.2 miles will likely feel a lot easier than any of those long training runs.
At the finish line! London Marathon, 2008
I see a lot of runners at this time of year and find it really rewarding tailoring treatments that effectively address areas of strain and tension – common examples include the IT band (‘runner’s knee’), tibialis anterior (shin splints), Achilles tendon, compression of the lumbar spine and so on – as well as including dynamic stretching (did you know an assisted stretch can achieve a 30% greater stretch than you alone can?) and, of course, soothing and restorative elements to aid relaxation. This last part I feel is very important. When I have sought massage when I’ve been on an intense training schedule or have suffered an injury, the massage has often left me wanting a bit more. Yes, I want that clinical work, but I also really appreciate the ‘ooh, that’s nice’ elements too. I haven’t found many places combine the two very successfully. So that’s what I try to do here at Brighton Bodyworks.
Your treatment will likely include trigger point work, deep tissue, myofascial release, soft tissue release, passive and active stretching. It will also likely include the highest quality 100% organic aromatherapy oils, warm stones to help increase circulation and soften the tissues, and hot towels wrapped on the feet just to give you that extra bit of TLC. If you’re out there training in all weathers at the moment, those feet really deserve it!
Good luck to all of you who are taking part in the Brighton or London marathons in April. If you are looking for massage to help pre or post event, then please get in touch either on 01273 729691 or by email amy@massagetherapy-brighton.co.uk.