Massage & Running - thoughts? (Read 653 times)

For those of you who regularly get massages, how has it helped your running?

As careful as I am with yoga, stretching and Stick/Foam Roller, Jaime always finds knots on me. I try to get a massage 1x a month.

Before I started getting 2-3 deep tissue massages a year, my calf and IT band strains had become routine to the point where several physical therapists suggested that my legs "just weren't built for distance running" and that perhaps I should try something else. Massage hasn't been a silver bullet (this should'nt be a surprise as there are too many other variables that also have an impact: sleep, diet, stretching, etc...), but since starting therapy, my running has been smoother, healing time has been shorter, and "nicks and dings" much less frequent. It's not an exaggeration, though, when I say that massage saved me as a runner.

Ditto... Got my first last fall. It cleared up the beginnings of some IT band issues... Second.. the sping after a 1/2 marathon... she found some knots in my right calf... worked them out... and I continued working them for another week or so myself until it was gone... last one about 9 days before my marathon... took care of a hamstirng issue (right leg)... and left calf issue... ..... before massages started I had constant issues with my right achilles tendon. now it is not a problem... I also added yoga and strenght training in about 3-4 months ago which I think directly relates to my achilles problems subsiding. I see massage as an key part of injury prevention. Have a niggle that persists for more than a week or two and keeps coming back... time for a massage... Who know maybe I'll change to someone who goes as a preventative measure not reactive... at some point... One thing is for certain... it is SOOO WORTH IT!!!

I don't like to do them before a long or hard run... mine hurt like hell and I'm usually gimping around for a day or so afterwards

Is there a consensus on the best time to get a massage (e.g. shortly before/after a long run, on a rest day, etc.)? Does a deep tissue massage typically benefit a runner more than a sports massage? I've been considering a massage for a while now and am unsure when and how to have it done.

My person works alot with runners and she wants to get you after an easy day or so... and when you can take the rest of the day off and take it easy or not run the next day. From my experience it takes a day or two to "recover" from the deep tissue massage.