Marathon Running Advice: Massage Therapy

Massage.  Many think:  “Oh wow!  You got a massage, must be nice!”  No... actually it's not "nice".  Those that have had the deep tissue, sports massage understand.  Massage, although helpful, is not enjoyable/relaxing/fun for a Runner.  It's a part of training.  And it isn't something you necessarily look forward to... at least in an enjoyable/relaxing/fun way.

I tell people often:  get a deep tissue massage when you do endurance training.  Find a masseuse who has a kinesiology background and understands the body mechanics of a Runner.  Find someone who will work with you and your training.  Find someone you can build a relationship with.  And, if you find them... see them approximately every three weeks to a month when you're training for a big event like a marathon.  Then hope they never move to Australia… like mine did!

When I was training for my first Marathon, a close friend, Marisol, was getting her Massage Certificate.  She made me her case study and the two of us benefited from that relationship…. Ok, fine... I benefited.  I got a great understanding of the importance of Massage.  And she gained some training hours.  After 10 years working together, Marisol knew my body better than I did.  Finding knots I didn’t know existed.  And then pounding them out with an elbow… until last year when she moved to Australia. 

So I’m on the hunt for another Masseuse.  It’s been almost a year and the legs have finally called Uncle. 

Deep Tissue Massage helps keep your legs healthy by loosening up the muscles and improving circulation (a.k.a. improving recovery).  And despite my setup, it shouldn’t be a huge painfest.  On a pain scale of 1-10 (10 being extremely painful), your massage should stay around an 8.  Your Massage Therapist should work with you, paying attention to how the muscles react to the amount of pressure applied.  Never be afraid to ask a Massage Therapist to back off.  With too much massage pain can come more injury and/or delayed recovery. 

The thing I tell my Runners is, after a Massage be prepared for “Rubber Legs”.  Rubber Legs mean, your legs will be fatigued and tired as if they just ran a tough Half Marathon.  You’ll feel sluggish and sandbag-ish on the first run out.  That’s because a Massage, in many ways, is like a workout. 

In my layman’s terms: 

The Masseuse is applying pressure (a.k.a. an elbow) to a muscle that has knotted, forcing it to relax (annoyed by the “foreign object” a.k.a. elbow).  The result:  relaxed muscle, released pressure, improved blood circulation = better recovery.

During my search, I came across Massage Envy.  I’d heard a few friends talk about the franchise, and once Marisol moved I decided to give it a shot.  More so because an old friend, Ernie, worked there as a Massage Therapist, than because of Massage Envy’s deals.

The thing I did not like about Massage Envy is their “car salesman” approach.  Introductory Massages cost only $39 for the hour.  However, the minute you leave your session they hit you up for 1 year or 6 month contracts.  Personally, this turned me off… but the idea of only paying $59/session made it worth it.