All posts tagged with: Massage

Congratulations on completing almost four solid months of dedicated training! It’s am impressive feat. The next two weeks is the final push to the start-line, and it is an important  time for marathon runners; it’s called tapering.

“Tapering is the fine art of rest,” explains Running Room founder and CEO, John Stanton. “The more you rest the final week the better you will run on race day.”

More than just rest, this time period is also used for mental preparation, allowing the body to repair itself for the big race, and to store valuable fuels for race day.

Keep focused on maintaining the daily intake of carbohydrates, especially in the final five days leading up to the marathon. If you prepare correctly throughout the week, carb-loading the night prior to the race isn’t as critical. Also keep in mind to decrease your meal portion size and quantity of snack because your body is burning less calories because you are running less distance.

“You have passed your test during the miles of training, race day if your graduation day,” said John Stanton, encouraging marathon runners at the end of their training program.

The secret to tapering is to do all runs relaxed and easy. Runs should keep your legs loose with a couple of easy accelerations to remind you of how it feels to run fast. If you have anxiety of the upcoming race day, use it positively during your remaining training runs.

Keep positive and stay focused throughout the taper period. Recite these words if you are ever in doubt of your training:

I am strong. I am fit. I can do it! I see myself crossing the finish line with a smile!

Here are five important tips to remember during the taper period:

1. Stick to the training schedule. It’s temping to do additional training, but trust the schedule, the hard work is behind you and it’s time to let the body rest and recover.
2. Drink an extra glass of water each day, to help flush the body of toxins.
3. Eliminate all fat from your diet. Stay away from deep fried foods, ice cream, refined sugar, and alcohol.
4. Reduce caffine intake. In the week leading up to race day, try to eliminate all coffee, energy drinks and pop.
5. Take advantage of the reduced training time to get extra sleep. It will help the body heal.

During the tapering period, you may experience what is called phantom pain.

Phantom pains are when you sense the feeling of pain, but you cannot clearly distinguish if it really hurts or not. What’s actually happening is the tissues are repairing themselves on the microscopic level, causing muscle twitches and sometimes muscle cramps. With less running and more time to think about the marathon, there is increased noticed of aches and pains, which we would typically ignore, but during taper, these sensations are exaggerated to the point of insanity.  To help with phantom pains, it’s important to continue with regular Epsom salt baths and to visit a massage therapist.

There is not doubt, long distance running is hard on the body. Half, full and ultra-marathon runners ensure a lot of stresses on their feet, legs, lower back, shoulders and neck. Sometimes it can be resolved by using proper footwear and correct running posture, however, muscle recovery can be sped up through effective massage therapy techniques.

Pre-race, a RMT can help loosen tight muscles, delivering blood rich with nutrients and oxygen to the tissues, resulting in increased running performance and reduced chance of injury.

“Fascial release therapy releases the muscle so it can contract more efficiently;  resulting in better performance and reduced chance of injury,” said Michael Desrochers, RMT at painPRO Therapeutics in Vancouver, BC.

Additionally, a good RMT will also help runners with effective stretches for pre and post race to reduce injury and to speed up recovery time.

“Post-race, massage is most effective 48-72 hours after finishing,” Micheal explained. “Swedish style massages are ideal. The long, sweeping strokes promote circulation back to the heart.”

Runners should also avoid deep tissue massages and long, static stretches; the muscles are already weak and compromised. Slower, dynamic stretches are recommended for endurance based sports, like long distance running.

With the BMO Vancouver Marathon just days away, it’s time to think and plan for post-race recovery. According to Matt Thompson, a Registered Massage Therapist and personal training and conditioning expert at PainPro Theraputics, massage therapy should be near the top of your post-race game-plan.

“A post event massage is a very good idea,” Matt said. “The best type of massage for this is a general Swedish style massage with lots of long sweeping strokes that promote circulation back to the heart.”

It is strongly recommended to avoid deep tissue treatments immediately following a race because the tissue is already weak and compromised from the marathon run.

“Long static stretching should also be avoided,” added Matt. “Slow, dynamic stretching is best for post event endurance based sports.”

Any time within the first 48-72 hours after completing a marathon is recommended for a massage treatment to get the blood circulating and to relieve muscle tension.

PainPro Theraputics will be providing free massages to BMO Vancouver Marathon participants during race package pick-up May 3-5 at the Health, Sports and Lifestyle Expo at Canada Place, and receive a $10-off coupon towards a post-race massage to speed up post-race recovery.

After running a marathon, like the BMO Vancouver Marathon, it’s important to pay close attention to post-race recover. Here are five easy things you can do to help your recovery time:

1. As soon as you cross the finish line hydrate. You’re body burns an average of 1 cup of water per 15 minutes of exercise. Sports drinks with electrolytes will help your body absorb and retain water.
2. Within the first 30-60 minutes of finishing the marathon it’s important to start replenishing the body with much-needed nutrition. Start with lean proteins to help rebuild muscles, carbohydrates to replace fuel burned during the run, and fruit like blueberries and bananas to replenish sugars and vitamins. A banana, chocolate milk and a bagel make a great combination.
3. Rest your legs. Elevate your legs to flush out the legs. Epsom salt baths and a massage after the run or the day after will do wonders to speed up the recovery time.
4. Stay warm. Have a change of clothes ready that are warm and dry. If you stay damp and get chilled you can easily get sick.
5. Stretch your muscles. From the legs to your shoulders, you have put a lot of stress and tension on your body. Stretching will help ease muscle cramping, pain and increase flexibility.

Rest days are an important part of long distance and marathon training. It gives the body time to recover and heal from the strains and pressure of a hard run. Massage therapy is a great way to speed the recovery process, but how often should you go during your training?

Training frequency, intensity, duration and past injuries all play an important role in determining treatment timing.

For injured runners, shorter, more frequent treatments every few days will give the best results. But with any injury, it comes down to an assessment by the RMT to determine the best treatment for each individual.

A qualified and reputable RMT will create a treatment plan unique for each individual. Most average, injury free marathoner would benefit from a massage therapy treatment every 2-3 weeks during the training season as pro-active maintenance.

PainPro Therapeutics has two locations in downtown Vancouver that specialize in massage therapy services for marathon runners. They are an official partner of BMO Vancouver Marathon and offer convenient same-day and online bookings.

Long distance running puts a lot of strain on a runners body. Runners often complain about being tight, cramping, having tension and other tissue injuries. Massage therapy is an effective treatment for runners to help recover faster.

According to Vancouver’s PainPro Therapeutics, here are the top three benefits runners can receive through massage therapy:

1. Speed Up Recovery Time: This is done by loosening tight muscles. Chronic tight muscles restrict blood flow, which traps in de-oxygenated blood causing pain and discomfort. Massage can help break up the adhesion in the muscle that causes tightness, reducing the restriction of blood flow, bringing fresh, oxygen-filled blood allowing the muscle tissue to repair and heal faster. A post-race massage can help a runner recover faster in a shorter period of time, meaning they can focus on what they love doing – running pain free!
2. Improve Running Time and Performance: Runners are always looking for ways to run faster, smoother and reduce their risk of injury. Fascia is a connective tissue found throughout the body. It’s a 3D web support of muscles. As you start to run, the fascia becomes tight and begins to compress the muscle causing compression of blood vessles and nerves, giving the sensation of tingling or weakness. Fascial therapy  releases the tension by lengthening and expanding the muscle tissues, reducing the overall pressure, which leads to better performance.
3. Educate: An RMT who understands the mechanics and nuisances of a long distance runner can be a runners best friend because they have a wealth of information. They can provide valuable ‘homework’ assignments to further improve recovery time or prevent further injury including stretching and strengthening exercises, and other effective treatments like hydro-therapy.

PainPro Therapeutics offers affordable, quick, and easy access to effective pain relief through advanced massage therapy techniques. The have clinics in the business district and in Coal Harbour in downtown Vancouver and offer both same-day and online booking capabilities.