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Fatigued Legs RecoveryLeg recovery using anenvironmentally friendly recoverysystem

Marathon or ultra marathon-the problems are similar and recovery is the same!

There are magazines and websites about marathon runners and running that cover techniques,equipment, events, and clubs, so I can’t add anything new here and am not going to try to do itWhat I am going to cover is an area that should interest everyone who does it but which not too maypeople know anything about-recovery after pushing yourself too far

Recovery

Recovery after marathon training and running in an event is important-simply because you have anormal working, domestic, study or any other life after it and if you are like most people who runyou probably push the limits too far occasionally and finish up sore and stiff as wellMarathon is initially an individual sport where people train by themselves or with a number of friends, or club and then join in with 30,000 people or so where anyone they entered with may belost somewhere along the wayBecause of its collective individual nature, and the many people involved, both as officials, andhelpers on the route, and in the first aid and recovery area after the event, it is difficult to knowanyone who is there dealing with any problems you may have developed during the runSome runners are lucky because they have their support crew they know to look after them and helpthem recover and help fix their problems after they have finished-the rest, have to find their wayhome and get over it the best way they can, and the best of luck Others who finished up in the field may be lucky to find themselves a place in the recovery areawhere they can get a recovery massage by a massage therapist waiting there for themTo place your self in the hands of someone you do not know, no matter how trained or wellintentioned or qualified they may be, could be inviting disaster for your recovery, your muscles,your training and your future in marathon running

All masseurs and massage systems are not the same

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Massage and recovery

Massage is one of the most commonly used (and cheapest) forms of recovery from stiffness andsoreness after an event-and it is one of the least understood-if considering this as part of a recoveryprogram and considering getting someone to work with you, there are 2 basic rules in deciding thebest person for it

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The body recovers itself-the recoverer is just there to assist or facilitate that

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No matter how good the therapist-the last man who could heal with his hands using touchdied 2000 years agoIf your therapist can’t accept this then find another one because they have a belief that they knowwhat is best for your recovery and will probably not listen to what

you

want and by not listening,accidents may happen that causes muscle damage and extending your recovery timeTo illustrate my point-I recently officiated as the recovery person at a 24 hour 100 mile event, Ihave my own area slightly away from the track where people come in when they have pushed theirboundaries too far, and I am usually kept busy from about the 12 hour mark I did not know there was a massage therapist pulling the walkers off the track for work until one of the first aiders on a walk around caught him digging into one of the walker’s muscles and reportedwhat he saw to the official in chargeIt was too late, the damage had been done, she had a bad injury to her buttock muscles which madeit impossible to continue-her event came to an abrupt finish and she went home devastated-will sherecover from the damage caused to do any walking again in the sport she loves? She may, she maynotIt turns out he was a qualified massage therapist, but had only worked with huge football players,and while he may have been good in that area, did not have the slightest idea and could not adapt torecovery of slightly built runners and walkers who had just pushed things too farIf someone is considering massage, they should be aware of what is happening; using the examplefrom Sandra Brown to stress how important the correct approach to muscles is.“The second tear (at least I have matching legs with old tears on both sides) was caused, to my greatannoyance at the time, by an overenthusiastic physio who was supposed to be helping me to warmup gently before a 24 hour race and got carried away. I am now more wary of having physio at anytime, and make sure that I stay in control, by saying at the outset what I want and don’t want to bedone to me. Having never had a persistent injury (my varied training pattern means that any niggleshave the chance to heal quickly, rather than get hammered and go critical,) I have never had regularphysio or a steady relationship of trust with any physiotherapist who knew me and my needs. Theclosest I have come to this was receiving massage from Michael Gillan during the Nanango(Queensland) 1000-mile race in 1996. I had no hesitation in having a massage from Michael againat the end of the Melbourne 100 miles walk in 1999. Michael’s approach is very gentle at all times,and always works with the athlete and puts the athlete in control, thus minimizing the risk of harmand maximizing thebenefit.’(Source:http://www.surreywalkingclub.org.uk/Training?Advice/Articles/training_for_ultras_by_sandra_br.htm#Training/forUltras_SB) SANDRA BROWN 1996 Ladies 1000 Mile WorldRecord Holder