Gear
Hurts So Good
- frontstick.gif
Spring is playing cat and mouse with us this week -- with crowds shifting between treadmill and running path with each fluctuation of thermometer -- but clearly running season is at hand. It's time, then, for my annual love affair with The Stick. I've found that if I take the time to rub this crazy rod over any troublesome leg muscle, before and after running, I can ward off the kind of early season pain and injury that has hobbled -- or halted -- my spring running in the past before it even got going.
It's really dead simple (and vaguely sex toy-like): Just a mildly flexible, dense plastic rod; but the effect is uncannily like deep tissue massage. The operative benefit is warm muscles before you hit the path in chilly weather, and, presumably quick dissipation of lactic acid immediately after.
For the record, I actually learned about The Stick from a yogi friend, so it's not exclusively a runners thing. I gather Phil Jackson, Zen meditator and superstar NBA coach, is also a big fan. You can pick one up in New York at Jack Rabbit Sports on 14th street for $19.95. Way cheaper than a weekly sports massage, though some things are certainly lost in translation.
- Erinn B.'s blog
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This completely saved me when I was doing triathlons when nothing else was helping my calf and shin pain! Now my husband has stolen it for his back - who knew sitting at a desk could be so strenuous ;-)
Submitted by Hannala on 03.25.09 at 04:11.
I use something similar at the gym -- those long styrofoam columns, which I roll my legs over. They saved my knees after 13 years of running. That was 4 years ago, and I still use them and recommend them to anyone with knee problems. A 50-something year old man at the gym told me that these exercises saved him from needing surgery in both knees, shocking his doctor. Awesome stuff.
Submitted by BkBenita on 03.25.09 at 10:44.
I LOVE that foam roller you're talking about too! I roll my IT band over it. It KILLS but in a good way. That foam roller is also good for stretching your back and hip flexors. For the hips, I lie parallel on the long roller for a passive stretch. For my upper back, I lie perpendicular: the roller is under my chest so my head and shoulders can touch the floor.
Submitted by Erinn B. on 03.25.09 at 11:50.
My comment was posted under the wrong entry. Oops!
Submitted by Squirrelly on 04.06.09 at 08:42.
Yep, totally kills in a good way. I will try the other stretches. I also use the "half" rollers (cut the long way) to do core work -- if you put the roller down on the round side and lie your body down on the flat part without touching the floor, and do crunches (but I usually have to touch down more than I'd like to). It's crazy!
Submitted by BkBenita on 03.25.09 at 04:22.
And if you ever need any lower back stretching, I love this thingie too:
http://www.socialworkout.com/2009/02/11/sacro-whaaaa
Submitted by Erinn B. on 03.25.09 at 06:03.
Thanks Erinn, I read a post about 'the stick' on runnersworld today, and was wondering what they were talking about. Must head south (jack rabbit) asap. =D
Submitted by cantswim on 03.31.09 at 04:09.