FREEDOM Clinics has been busy preparing long distance runners for the start of the season. As the marathon season kicks in in earnest we thought we’d share a few tips to make sure you cross the finishing line in a blaze of glory.
Many of you will spend some or all of the event dreaming of a relaxing massage when you finish. But to have the best race you can, and finish injury free, a pre race sports massage would be a better investment.
It sounds counter intuitive, but it makes a lot of sense. Marathon training is a long hard slog, involving long runs of up to 23 miles with a two week taper. Having taken so much out of your body why wouldn’t you put something back into it before your big race to make sure it performs as well as it can?
When you finish your intensive training your muscles will be tired, tense and you will be feeling the same. A deep tissue massage by our Freedom Clinics sports masseurs three to five days before your race is the perfect antidote.
The main reasons for a pre race sports massage are:
- Intensive running will leave you muscles tense and hard. With the best will in the world runners don’t stretch enough and many are prone to last minute injury because of this. A sports massage three to five days before your marathon will help loosen them up.
- Toxins will have built up inside your body as you increase the mileage causing potential stress points. A sports massage professionally done by a Freedom Clinics sports therapist will relieve these points removing these toxins from your system.
- As you approach the big day stress hormone levels will rise as long distance runners increase the mileage and develop mental stress ahead of the final weeks. With the best will and greatest experience you will become nervous, a sports massage that tackles deep muscle tissue will help your body and mind arrive at the start line more relaxed and better able to cope.
Enjoy your race, you’ve trained hard for it.
“In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, ‘I have finished.’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that.”
