ITBS - a ray of hope?
Today should have been for post-marathon recovery, so I’d already booked a day off work should I need it. Physically I didn’t need it, but I think mentally I did. It turned out it could have been the smartest thing I’ve done for a while.
As part of the chillout process, we (Allsyon and myself) went to Barnes & Noble to check out some books/magazines and drink coffee at the inhouse Starbucks. One of the books I picked up, “The Lore of Running
Luckily there was a Dick’s Sporting Goods right next door to B&N, so I left Ally reading magazines and went to pick up a roller. The one I bought is about 24″ long and 6″ in diameter. It’s quite dense, but also has some give in it. Don’t get one that’s too hard as it can cause really bad muscle damage. Conversely if it’s too soft, it won’t support your bodyweight at all.
Naturally i couldn’t wait to try out all my new found knowledge. I bought The Lore of Running
The roller came with an instructional DVD, which featured numerous exercises for all parts of the body. I concentrated on “rolling” the outside of my thigh, using my left leg for balance. Check out Figure 3 on this excellent web site to get a better understanding of what’s required. I must have spent a good 20-25 minutes stretching, rolling and generally getting ready to run, something I normally don’t do for lack of time (poor excuse I know), but something I will have incorporate in the future.
Gingerly I stepped on the treadmill, set the speed at a very moderate 4.5mph (0%) and started running. I expected the pain to begin at around 8 minutes, as it has for last 4 weeks. 10 minutes came and went, still no pain. As I stopped the clock at 15 minutes, I couldn’t believe everything still felt good. I spent another 10 minutes rolling and stretching, already looking forward to Tuesday’s run……
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