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Female Runner Legs Fatigue RecoveryLeg recovery using anenvironmentally friendly recoverysystem

The female athlete has special needs in the recovery area-although they get as manyproblems as male athletes

I have worked with both male and female runners, and while they get similar problems concerningrecovery, they have different needs in the recovery area after their eventsIn many after event recovery areas, male and female runners are treated in a common area whichdepending on the size of the event can be just an open space with massage tables set upMost women who enter competitions are usually slower than men so are later into the recovery areaafter the event-so miss out on any of the benefits that might be waiting there-so they get colder andstiffer while waiting in the line of people for recovery work to be done on themCold is the last thing muscles need after a hard run, and most recovery systems are reliant on oil toprevent friction between the recoverer’s hands and the skin of the person being recovered-this isnecessary because the muscles are being worked

There is also another aspect to attending a public recovery area for help with after run recovery-thatis from the aspect of modesty-which may not be a problem for the younger people but it certainlycan be for the older women who were bought up in a different eraLet’s be quite blunt about things, having to take a certain amount of clothing off in a public area tohave oil applied can be a problem, and some of the stretching performed can be quite revealing-anddegrading-no matter how open and sports minded we approach things, loss of dignity is somethingno one wantsA further complication is that some recovery people are from sports such as football, hockey orrugby players that do not understand the female runner or the needs they have-their muscles are notas bulky or as strong as their male counterpart so they can’t take the same strong massage as seemsto be required by some sports peopleThey just can’t take the same strong work as males-nor do they need it!

http://womensweb.aching-legs-relief.com/simple_running_recovery.html 2Can this lady take the same strong work as the men beside her?This is one tough lady on the track, but having heavy work done on her legs can cripple her

To get to the stage where recovery is needed, the muscles go through the following stagesEvent starts

Fresh legs Gets into stride Muscles tighten Muscle soreness Muscle fatigue

0--------------1-------------------2-----------------------3-----------------------4--------------------

Stages 0-3 conventional massage systems appropriate stages 3-4 not appropriateUp to stage 3, conventional systems are fine because the tissues still have integrity-beyond this,they are as tight at at bowstrings, and soreness is caused by micro-injury to themOne effect of working

and into the muscles is that like a bowstring that is overstretched orstressed, they can be damaged by too much pressure, causing injury or provoking an older one

Stages of recovery after running/walking

Muscle fatigue Acute or Immediate Sub Acute RehabilitationPost Event recovery Post Event Recovery

0----------------------1-------------------------------2----------------------------3--------------------4

Stage 0-2 the body is recovering at Micro Cellular level-any work done

the muscles may impacton and break into the bodies own recovery processes leading to them having to start repair againStage 2-3 Sub Acute-Micro Cellular repair is well under way, but can still be disrupted by working

the muscles-any work done to assist the body’s recovery at these stages should be light relaxingwork that will not add further stress to the already ‘at risk’ muscle tissuesStage 4 rehabilitation-Conventional working on the muscles can now be done which includessorting out any injury and problems that have developed on the run or walk

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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-it is also 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

•

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

•

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 becausesomeone considered that he was going to fix her soreness issues with his handsIt 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 the benefit

Source:http://www.surreywalkingclub.org.uk/Training?Advice/Articles/training_for_ultras_by_sandra_br.htm#Trainin

/forUltras_SB

SANDRA BROWN 1996 Ladies 1000 Mile World Record Holder