Muscle Maintenance

There are two things: Running and Recovering

"Once you've started a radically different running style, your body will hurt in places it hasn't hurt before." -- Coach

After my very first, measly two-mile run in my new pair of running flats on my toes my calves felt

1. Tight
2. Swollen
3. Pissed

In this situation stretching doesn't quite cut it. My philosophy is basically that stretching can't attack the knots in the muscle as directly as other means such as rolling or massaging. In fact, stretching may just overstretch surrounding muscle making it pissed as well. Stretching is good for flexibility and looking "sporty" but doesn't target knots like a pointed elbow rammed into the leg muscle.

I won't be backing up these claims with any links or journal references. If you doubt anything, check it yourself. This will have taught you another key lesson: doubt what people say: take interest in finding your own solutions.

Muscle Fixing Tools

Massage Therapist

A sports, deep tissue, or trigger point massage is one of the most effective means of knot reduction and restoration of damaged muscles. Massage does neat things like release clenched muscle fibers and encourage blood flow. This isn't a fluff-and-buff massage. It's going to involve gritted teeth and an elbow slicing through your mangled muscles like a homestead plow. After a couple recovery days after the massage, you'll be able to celebrate by screwing up your muscles all over again by running more. Repeat.

Foam Roller

This little guy brings muscle torment to the masses. When you can't afford to get a massage every day, either money-wise or time-wise, use a foam roller. Sticking to the running genre, a foam roller is great for reducing knots and muscle tension in the quads, hip flexors, and glutes. Check youtube for howto's My favorite roll is a side plank with the roller starting at the knee followed by slowly sliding down the roller as it crushes the I.T. band all the way to the hip flexors. The Steam Roller.

The Stick / Rolling Pin

The Stick is a handheld rolling device. It's a mini steam roller for muscles you can't quite steam roll, such as your calves.

A generic google search about using the stick on your calves.

I still haven't invested in an official The Stick yet. A $5 rolling pin can accomplish the job and I've stuck with that for now.

Lacrosse Ball

This is a hard, round object. It's used for digging into muscular tissue with your body weight to release knots. I keep one under my desk to roll out my arches while I'm writing blog posts about rolling out my arches. As a bonus, the lacrosse ball can also be used for your shoulders. Get creative and substitute a large bouncy ball or golf ball.

A generic google search about lacrosse ball foot massage

Trigger Point

We're traveling off the deep end into psuedoscience. Here's the deal: sometimes what feels like ligament or joint pain might actually be muscle pain that is being projected to those areas. Massage the pissed muscle and the joint pain goes away like magic. Psuedoscience. This isn't doctor recommended, but it's at least worth a read. I've found that massaging my calf can lead to toe pain relief, WTF.

The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook

Recover Like a Pro

Pro athletes get all sorts of awesome things like post workout nutrition, ice baths, and massages. Woah. Wait. You've got a foam roller and stick now. You've got ice too? Throw 2-3 pounds of that in a bathtub with cold water. Sit down in that tub for 10 minutes with your legs fully submerged. This is an ice bath and, afterward, your legs will thank you. Ice baths reduce muscle inflammation like no drug could, no drugs required. When you just have sore lower calves or feet, I've found a 5 gallon bucket of ice water works wonders.

Action:

After your next tough workout, recover like the pros: ice bath, foam roller, stick, massage. If this seems like overkill, remember, the faster you recover, the sooner you get back out there running, becoming Zen.

Finally, you must use this advice at your own risk. Some advice will go against conventional wisdom and doctors' advice. I am not a doctor and do not claim to be smarter than a doctor; I am a coach.

-- Coach

Facts about Running

You should care about how you run. 

Like most sports there are bad ways to run and better ways to run. Poor running technique wastes energy, can cause injury, and may even take the fun out of running.

Running is fun by association.

Some people say running isn't fun. Running is fun or people wouldn't do it. Some people run to socialize which is fun. Some people run to gain fitness or lose weight because gaining fitness or losing weight can lead to fun things. Therefore, running is at least fun by association.

Running is dangerous.

If it hurts, stop. Seriously, does that not make sense?

The right way to run is as follows:

1. Your shoes shall not be thick or padded. This makes it too easy to land on your heel and have overall poor form. When you run correctly, you will not need much, if any, additional padding than what your foot naturally offers.
2. Keep your back straight and head up. Look where you are going, not where you are. This helps breathing and balance.
3. Keep your hips directly beneath you. This may feel like you're pulling your hips unnaturally forward. You aren't. Rather than putting an arch in your lower back, it will allow the spine to remain neutral preventing lower back pain.
4. Land on the balls of your feet first. Let your heel lower until it touches the ground. This is the shock absorption. These 3 inches of spring built into your feet outdo any amount of foam or air cushion you could have in your shoes.
5. Keep your arms bent and thumbs held near your nipples. Swinging your arms is a waste of energy for distance running.
6. Take 4 steps for each full breath. Ie. breathing in... left right... breathing out... left right...
7. Don't gasp for air. Focus on fully exhaling.

That's about it.

Past and Future

Starting in January 2012, I worked with my coworker and friend Joe to bring him from a "non-runner" with running-induced knee pain to a minimalist runner who completed his first ever half marathon in October 2012 in under 1 hour 40 minutes, without knee pain. This ten month experiment along with others has lead me to believe that this is one of the better styles of running. In subsequent posts, I will detail the training strategies and techniques we used to get from slow and injury prone to fast and pain free.

Joe and I after completing the 2012 San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, on our toes. Pain free except for sore muscles and some blisters.

Action:

On your next run, get up on your toes for 1 block. How did that feel? Frickin' weird right? Your calves feel destroyed; your knees, hips, and back are thanking you. Good. Muscles can be strengthened.


Finally, you must use this advice at your own risk. Some advice will go against conventional wisdom and doctors' advice. I am not a doctor and do not claim to be smarter than a doctor; I am a coach.