In the lead up to any large athletic event, I always advocate that we make use of massage in addition to nutrition and rest as a form of making gains in our training. Many sports scientists have written that this is merely a placebo effect and something not to be taken seriously - ala stretching and icing.
All of the massages that I have had have involved some measure of pain and resulted in elbows being stuck into my back and legs. Yesterday however I visited a new massage therapist who was not in the slightest bit painful and instead used varying techniques of placing pressure on points in my body rather than just sticking her elbow into my back as had been done in the past.
Result was that I am a very happy camper and will most certainly return to her again - my speed sessions the day after have always involved some measure of pain. This time I felt light and strong and my legs felt as though they could run all day long.
It is also worth mentioning that this lady was the first one to actually explain everything that she was doing to me. Money well spent indeed.
In my opinion massage is certainly of benefit, but this experience has let me know just how many different techniques there are and also the importance of finding the person that you are most comfortable with.
Running together (light and strong after great massage recovery), stride for stride on a life changing ride! -- Sean Muller
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