Massage

My friend Brenda has been telling me about her massage therapist for as long as I have been running with her. I have always wanted to get a massage but was also nervous about it. Why? I'm not sure, I am kind of self concious... this coming from a girl who sun bathed topless in Spain. Whatever the reasons I finally overcame them and went to Christy yesterday. OH.MY.WOW. it was wonderful! We talked a bit on the phone when I made the appointment and a bit before the massage so she knew my concerns and was really sweet and pretty much any reservations I had just went out the door.
It was a "deep tissue" massage but she told me afterwards she did not go as deep because it was my first time.

She spent a lot of time on my lower back, butt, and hamstrings. I have been having a lot of butt pain lately, it is very random I can go for days and not feel anything and then boom I turn the wrong way and I have pain.
Tuesday night at the clinic that is exactly what happened, I didn't have any problems all day and then on teh way out the door I must have turned wrong or stepped down wrong because by the time we got to Magness Creek my butt/hip was killing me. I thought I might not be able to do our planned workout and was just going to do an easy run, but decided to just tough it out. I'm glad I did because I had a great workout, Cheryl, Kelly and I did it together and it was great.

Wednesday morning when I was running with Kim my ankle did something crazy. We had taken a walk break and right when we started running again my ankle kind of seized up, I really don't know exactly how to describe it but it hurt and it was kind of like I couldn't bend my foot. We ended up having to walk the 1.5 miles back to my house. While we were walking it would sometimes kind of relax and feel better and then a few steps later it would really hurt again. The pain wasn't unbearable but it scared the crap out of me!! I have a 1/2 marathon on Sunday that I have set some goals for and I was just so worried I was hurt. Once we got back my house I immediately sat down and took my shoe off to try to work out the cramp or whatever it was that was causing the problem. After Kim left I went inside and made pancakes for Arland and myself, I sat on the couch and ate mine with a bag of frozen corn on my ankle. My ankle never did swell up but I thought ice couldn't hurt it.
I also took a couple of motrin and by the time I was ready for work I couldn't even feel my ankle anymore. Throughout the morning it would twinge every now and then but nothing serious. I e-mailed Brenda about it and she said to be sure to mention it to Christy when I went for my massage.

Christy told me after the massage that my left lower back/hip/glute is really tight and still needs a lot of work. She also told me that the problems in my hip area were probably the cause of my ankle pain.
I have to say I feel like a million bucks today and my ankle doesn't hurt at all. Hopefully I can say the same thing after my run tonight.

I plan to make Theraputic massage as much a part of my training as speed work. I am going to go every two weeks for the next month and then after that probably every three weeks. Anything that will help me keep running injury free is worth it!!!