Active Release May Be Just What My Ass Ordered

We are all just doing our best to be better runners. That means different things to different people. Some want to be faster. Some want to remain uninjured and run pain free. Some want to lose weight or maintain weight loss. Whatever your goal, if you are committed to your running, you’ll go to great lengths to be able to do it and do it well.

I want to improve. Sure, I want faster times, but I simply want to be a healthier runner. I want to remain injury-free, I want to see progress, I want to feel good when I run.  Like I did here –>

As you know, I’ve had this nagging ass issue. It started long before my injury, and probably led to my downfall. It subsided for awhile but “reared” (get it?) it’s ugly head once I added mileage and racing again. The pain recently moved down to my higher hamstring.

I will say that one year ago I was on crutches with a hip stress fracture. Since that time, I have done 3 triathlons (one of them a 70.3), one marathon (Boston), and 2 half marathons. All of these were pain free with the exception of one (my last race in October). That said, I know my running performance was off. I never felt quite right. I knew I was compromised.

Like most injured athletes I am grasping. What is the best treatment? Is it expensive? How long until I am cured? What are the root causes of my problems and how do I “fix” them?

There are two things I know for certain that I need to address to get to the root cause:

1. Incorporate running-specific strength training into my life
2. Make gait modifications to help minimize my injury risk (higher turnover, mid foot landing, feet landing under hips, no over striding).

These two things will take time. I am committed and willing to do what it takes. I am 44 and have only been running for 3 years. I have a lifetime of running head of me. I have a lot I want to do.

In the meantime, however, I am also looking to deal with where I am today. Enter, Matt Schaub, LMT with Handled with Care Massage:

Matt contacted me (One of his clients, my friend, gave him my name. She said he “changed her running life.”). He offered a complimentary trial session in exchange for an unbiased review on my blog. He uses an active release technique that involves finding the trigger points and applying pressure to the impacted muscle. The muscle is then put through both active and passive stretches, releasing the adhesions in the tissue(s).

Make sense? Basically, intense pressure is applied, you cry and try not to fart and then stretch and resist. Things should release, but hopefully not your sphincter.

Poor Matt. I made him take my picture. That’s what we bloggers do.  Damn I have boney back.

I told Matt that the pain had started in my glutes over a year ago, but more recently hit my hamstring. He started putting pressure on the piriformis (think left butt cheek) and this was extremely tender, so he was hitting the right area. Matt was able to release my tight piriformis muscle using what is known as an active release technique. He then did the same with my glute minimus, which has also been source of pain and discomfort for some time. The deep massage also brings increased blood flow to the area, which helps with healing.

I’m not going to lie. This hurt like a mother. I have had many deep tissue massages (I even had some woman walk on me once, almost broke my sternum), but nothing compares to the depth that Matt achieved today. I am one of these people, like John Cougar Mellencamp, who enjoys the pressure and the “good hurt” and I let him to know to not take it easy on me. Yeah, he didn’t and it was intense. I loved it.

Matt talked to me a lot about trigger points. In layman’s terms, you have muscles that are trigger points. When they are compromised, they refer pain to other parts of your body. That’s why many times when you feel pain in one place, that is not actually the source of the problem. “The trigger point model states that unexplained pain frequently radiates from these points of local tenderness to broader areas, sometimes distant from the trigger point itself.” {source}

Guess what? The piriformis and glute minimus are trigger points for the hamstring.

The result of the massage? I don’t know yet.  My ass feels looser than it has in a long time (probably not a good thing for someone like me – haha!). Matt said when he started things were very cramped up, knotted and tight. He was confident that he released and broke up a lot of stuff. Our plan is that I run on Thursday and see how I do. I’m excited because he believes that we will see very good results in a just a few sessions. I will let you know!

Although I had a Cortisone shot last week in my high hamstring, I honestly am not convinced it did any good. Hard to know what is working when so many factors are at play. My guess is that for me it will be a combination of things, including lots of rest and smart training, that is key.

Matt makes it clear that he is client centered and results oriented.  He zeros in on the root problem and tackles it with cautious intensity. And HE LISTENS. That part is sometimes quite hard to come by.

One of my most favorite things is that on the sheet he gives in the beginning, clients are encouraged to be comfortable whether that means yawning, moving around or letting out intestinal gas. PERMISSION!! HE GAVE PERMISSION TO FART!!

If you are in the Denver area and are looking for this type of results-oriented therapy, consider Matt. A one hour session is $65 and you can book online HERE. He is in Arvada on Ward Road.

Have you had good results with massage therapy?

Ever tried an active release approach?

If you have questions for Matt, leave them in the comments and he will answer you. Or, email him directly at matt.schaub@massagetherapy.com.

SUAR

PS: The winner of the Subway gift card is #62 KJ at Running My Life and This Family…

After Thoughts and Lessons Learned

At exactly this time, this moment, a week ago I was crossing the finish line of the Colorado Marathon and celebrating a PR and a BQ. Having had 7 days of rest (only one yoga session and one 5 mile run), lots of wine, many calorie laden meals, one massage, and exactly four large dumps (I never said I was regular), I’ve had lots of time to think about how it all played out, what I learned and what I might do differently next time. Here’s me thinking  while I swing like a carefree child:

Let me start by saying – I know that just because I BQ’d, I am not some running guru or speedster. There are hundreds of thousands of 43 year old women faster than me.  I just know what worked for me and helped me to cut 21 minutes off of my previous marathon time of only 17 months ago. This is just my personal success story.

There has been a lot of talk lately about how BQ’ing is “too easy,” especially for women. I guess those real fasties don’t like Boston to get watered down with those of us who are less speedy. However, there may be some truth to these claims, especially because men’s qualifying times are SO much more difficult than women’s. It seems either the men’s times need to get easier or the women’s harder to make it more balanced. In addition, the Boston Marathon is overflowing with people who have qualified and are trying to get in. This could be because there are so many more people running marathons these days, or it could be that it’s “too easy” to get there.  I don’t pretend to know. I’m just a girl trying to get to Bean-town.

I will say that it is an honor and privilege to be a 40-something woman who only started running in 2008 who is on her way to Boston. Maybe someone as inexperienced as I shouldn’t be able to BQ because that shows it’s not hard enough. But, I trained my ass off for this accomplishment, so I’ll take it with pride. I don’t know if I am too slow to run Boston, but I do know that the current standards have allowed me this opportunity. So, thanks B.A.A. for not changing anything…yet.

Things that worked for me this time around:

After running myself into the ground, getting a stress fracture and ending up like this:

(God, I look like a dork). I decided that for me, less really is more.

• I trained using a mix of the “Run Less, Run Faster” plan plus some of the Runner’s World Smart Coach. I rarely ran more than 3-4 times a week, but each of those runs (speed, tempo and long) were purposeful and difficult.  I did my Yassos to correlate with my hopeful marathon time.
• I started Bikram (hot) yoga and did this twice weekly during my training
• I took 1,200 mgs of calcium per day, a multi vitamin and acidophilus. I ate healthily and drank wine very regularly. I didn’t do meth or crack.
• During the 16 weeks of training I only ran 492 miles. That is a lot less than most of you but it’s still friggin’ 492 miles.  I also incorporated lots of cross training, mostly swimming
• I never ran more than 20 miles in a training run, and only did that once (because I had the shits on this run and got scared). My other longer runs were 18.5 miles (x2) and 18 miles (I still had the shits and left a present in a tree)
• With the exception of Ken running with me for parts of my long runs, I did all of them solo. I learned to enjoy my own company and to love the meditative quality of these runs. I was hell bent on keeping a certain pace and knew I would do that best if I ran alone.
• I got monthly massages. No honeysuckle touching allowed.

I won’t lie. The week before the marathon I added up my miles and psyched myself out with those age old pre-marathon messages – I haven't done enough. I can't keep my marathon pace over 26.2 miles. Will the Depend show through my cheetah running skirt?

What I now know is that my training plan worked like a charm. I was well prepared, mentally and physically. And I wanted it bad. REALLY bad.

Other things that worked:

• Wearing a pace band during the race. Used THIS ONE. I wasn’t sure if I’d love or hate having this on my wrist, but it saved me and kept me on track
• Not eating dairy or fiber three days before the race. No GI trouble, no porta potty stops, not even to pee
• I hydrated very well in the days leading up to the race
• I learned everything I could about the course and drove most of it. I visualized myself running the race strong, smiling and at marathon pace. I had all of my mental tools ready for when the going got tough.
• I made my goals public. There were times when I really wished I hadn’t done this because I felt like if I didn’t get there, I’d be a failure. But in the end, I think it made me work harder
• The week before the race I watched inspirational movies like “The Spirit of the Marathon” and “Race for the Soul.”

Lessons Learned:

• Turn off the auto pause on my Garmin
• Cut the toenail on my god awful Morton’s toe
• The things you worry about almost never happen (but, the really freaky things you don’t worry about, like your dog losing an eye, might)
• Even when things fall apart, it doesn't mean everything's going to hell. Always have hope
• NEVER lose sight of your goals. Keep the faith. If you don’t get them this time, try again. They’re yours for the taking.
• Don’t ingest pizza, chicken wings and beer the night before a long run. Ever.
• Stop worrying about what other people think. Do what’s right for you. Have confidence.
• Be kind to yourself. A time at the finish line is only hours and minutes. It doesn’t define you. You are not “good” because your time is “fast,” and you are not “bad” if you run at the back of the pack.

Thanks for reading and sharing this journey. Now a little anecdote from today:

Picking up my son (12) from school this afternoon, I noticed a girl who he’s known since kindergarten. I said (impulsively), “Wow, she’s really blossomed. In the chest area.” Sam said, “Hah! You jealous??”

Yes, my son, I am.

PS: Check out Tara’s giveaway for Silver Maple Jewelry!

Do You Have a Problem?

Running tip for the day: Always decide on and commit to your workout at least 24 hours in advance. Get specific about your route, your mileage, your pace. Review it in your head the night before or even write it down. This will make you more likely to meet your goal for that day. It's all about intention!

Do you ever get the sense that people think you are crazy for running and training as much as you do? Of course it's the non-runners I'm talking about here. They just don't get us, do they?

As in,

• When you tell them you're training for a half marathon, marathon, or (god forbid) an ultra marathon, they give the token response, "Oh I haven't run that far since I was chased by (insert favorite bad thing here) a murderer, my mother in law, the tax man, my mom and her sweaty underwear." Or they'll make some crack about the furthest they ever go is to the fridge for a Hagen Daz bar.


• You can never complain for a second to these people about something on your body hurting because they will just remark, "Well that's what you get, you stupid shit, for running so much."

I bring this up because I have started going for monthly sport's/deep massages. I love my massage therapist (I say this as if she is my personal massage therapist, only existing for me and my needs, at my beck and call day or night, she vacations with me, comes to all my races with me...if only), but she is not a runner. Yesterday she was rubbing me down (anyone getting aroused?), and started commenting about things on my body: Oh, I see you have a huge blister. Is that from running? Oh, I see you've lost a toenail. Is that from running? Oh, I see you have a scrape on your knee. Is that from running? (we all know where the scrape came from: not running, but falling off the treadmill). Oh, I see you have a huge bunion. Is that from running?

Plus, when I came in the door I was fresh off of my tempo run and per usual, my intestines were playing dodge ball with the fecal matter inside so I had to warn her that I might at any given moment have to jump off the massage table and sprint to the bathroom (maybe even naked) if one of those cramps turned into a full fledged crap emergency. So, (again) she asked, "Oh, is your stomach upset from running?"

Then she reminded me that running is "hard on my body" and, am I sure I really need to put my body through these things? She also told me later that she thought I was addicted to running. Better than being addicted to rubbing people's bodies with scented oil while listening to a CD of waves crashing, isn't it? My mom even said to me yesterday, "I don't know how you got this way. No one in our family is like this" (can you say black sheep?)

Obviously non-runners. All of them.

What non-runners don't get is that runners don't give a shit about bloody blisters, colon distress, pulled muscles, wind seared skin, intermittent puking, minor dehydration, or scrapes from falls. Hell, we keep Icy Hot, Ben Gay, foamrollers.com, Dr. Scholls, Super Feet, and Advil in business. They count on us to keep running while we're hurt or uncomfortable just so we'll buy their products in bulk. Seriously, Costco should have a runner's section specializing in running care packages comprised of ointments, wet wipes, ibuprofen, band aides, Depends, gels, salt tablets, etc.

I should rephrase. It's not that we don't care about these maladies, it's that we don't let them stop us. A non-runner or someone who can give or take running will get a blister and decide, "Well, that's a sign. I'm out for the season." A more serious runner will train and race through all sorts of pain and discomfort, refusing to give up unless a doctor or God flat out says, "You must take a break from running or you will never run again." To a runner, only the threat of not being able to run in the future is enough to make him/her rest. I know this because I ran a half marathon with a stress fracture and despite the unbearable and ridiculous pain from miles one to thirteen, it never occurred to me to quit. I am just that stubborn. We all are.

So, is this stupid or is it just what it takes to run the miles that we do?

Do you ever feel judged by those around you because of your addiction to/love for running?

Guess what? I'm not even running today. In fact, I'm not even swimming, biking or going to yoga today. I am resting. See, here I am resting on the stairs. Usually at this time of day I am still in workout clothes and have smelly crotch syndrome. I even matched my pants to the dog.

Drinking: Vic's 12 oz. latte with 2%