To translate article suggest following link http://translate.google.com/translate

Triathlete Post Event Recovery

Many years since I was a massage student and I had to do a set number of hours for myqualification at sporting events-one of the areas I chose to work was in triathlon-these are held inthe bay area where I lived at the timeSunday mornings along with other students I would turn up at the event and set my table up in therecovery area they provided for us and wait for the first people to finish to come in to be fixed upwith their muscle soreness and fatigueThe lucky ones got back early and were first onto the massage table for us to work (and learn) on-and as more people got back, the lines of fatigued sore triathletes’ got larger and longer-and colderand stiffer as they waited for their turn on the tablesAs students we were massaging as hard and as fast as we could, and the athlete on the table wouldbe asking us to sort out problems of soreness and tightness, and would point out areas they had beenhaving problems with while they were cycling/running/swimmingMeanwhile the lines got longer-most of the people finishing came straight to wait for their afterevent muscle recovery work so did not stop to cover up by getting a blanket or track suit-and if theyhad, they would have had to remove it for the massage anywayThe event is over-now the blisters have to be fixed and muscle stiffness sets inThe objective for them next is to recover as quickly and safely as possible and they did this usingthe

World Run Recovery System-an alternative simpleoil free, effective option

Crampingand hypothermia

As students we did not understand cramping or hypothermia and really it wasn’t our problem-if someone cramped up during our recovery work, we would suggest that they had not been drinkingenough fluid-with the onset of hypothermia which luckily we did not have to deal with, we justpushed the poor person with it off to the first aid people to deal with itNow I work in the area of ultra marathon running and walking-a group of people who are extremein their choice of sport-I have since learned a lot more about cramping and hypothermia after eventsand of course muscle recovery-which is a common problem for all athletes

Cramping

There are many causes of cramping-medical, biomechanical, other causes, and sports related-somepeople cramp up when they are in an event for no apparent reason, others because their fluid andsalts exceeds their output and they do need re-hydration to help with recovery

Crampingduring recovery work

Many athletes who have not cramped during the event, cramp on the recovery when on the table, Iused to find that this was during the stretching phase-at first like everyone else I assumed that theones who did this had not been drinking enough while out there

The ‘muscle self-defence mechanism’ recovery induced cramping

After hours of competition during which the legs and muscles are under heavy stress-the momentthe stress stops, the body starts its repair processes-the muscles are fatigued and they need time towind down and absorb the rubbish that has collected in them

Finger initiated cramping

! The theory is that working

the muscles using the fingers

into

the tissues is the way to helpthem disperse this rubbish and it can if the work done is appropriate for the job in handBut it can also initiate the dreaded cramp if done too hard-and the problem is that no one knowshow hard too hard is-the pain perception of the athlete has changed because of event relatedsoreness, cold, endorphins and emotional reasonsWhoever is doing the work has no perception of the pressure and extra stresses they are putting onand into the muscles and its structures

and they may be initiating

cramping by using their fingers onthem

(*reference sources are on p.6)

When I started in ultra I was using my fingers in a conventional style of working on the muscleswith my fingers and had many episodes of cramping to my credit during the recovery process-whenI changed to working with the muscles, I had very little-in fact at the 1996 Nanango 16 day 1000Miles (1600 kilometers) I had no problems with cramping at all

Hypothermia in the recovery area-heatlost through radiation

Standing in lines waiting for a turn on the table for recovery work to be done without covering upand cooling down is asking for hypothermia-the triathlete has just returned, they are hot andsweating-the event is held near water so there may be breezes blowing over the skin which takes thebody heat away until the core temperature drops

Cover up on stopping and stay covered until you have cooled properly

Triathlon Post Event Recovery using the World Run Recovery System3Copyright 2008 Michael Gillan ultra marathon recovery specialisthttp://aching-legs-relief.com/triathlete_recovery.html These guys are doing a fun run of 60 kilometers for the day-they knew if they did not cover up theycould go into hypothermia

There are usually just the local first aid people to fix blisters and treat for heat andcold related problems and a few local massage therapists to help those who havepushed the boundaries too far

Many triathletes study all the training manuals and spend a fortune on equipment and get advice oninjury prevention-but do not have any recovery plans for after the event other than to go home andsuffer with soreness and stiffness until they get over it

Recovery after pushing the boundaries is easier than people think

There is much information on the internet and organisers have top athletes and trainers discussingequipment, training, and tactics-but there is one tactic that is not discussed very much and that isrecovery after it is all overRecovery is a subject that is difficult to deal with for many people because there is a mystique aboutit and much of it is scientific that most ordinary runners cannot understand or do for themselvesMy secret weapon of recovery when I looked after the Danish National Running Team at the 200724 Hour World Championship consisted of the chair next to the drink bottles

What do I do that is different to other more difficult to use recovery system?

I simply stopped working

the muscles and started to work

with

them

How does it help the fun runner who just wants to recover from the fun they had?

It makes it possible for them to recover without any training, specific techniques or equipment

The most important change in my approach though was to accept that in therecovery phase, most of the time there is no injury to fix-but with a little help thebody can be assisted to recover itself