When I'd been running (shod) a couple of months, I started having a knee issue. It ended up being my IT band as well as my quads. A friend of mine is an Ironman triathlete, so of course she's been through it all! She showed me how to correctly use a foam roller.
The first few times I used my new foam roller, I literally had flashbacks to my unmedicated labor.
I called it the "Blue Foam Torture Roller of Death."My quads and IT band were so INCREDIBLY tight. Thankfully, using the foam roller regularly (almost daily) and sticking to flat surfaces worked. I got loosened up, and I lost very little training time. Within maybe a month, I was even back to running hills.
But I still had bad running form, and despite frequent use of the foam roller, as my distance increased, I started having the same issues. When I ditched the shoes (and the long runs), I was so pleased that my upper legs and knees were feeling amazing.
So I got lazy. I figured I didn't need to do much with the foam roller. I went on vacation for 2 1/2 weeks, and used my mom's roller once or twice, but other than that, I didn't use one, despite continuing with my regular runs, continuing to gradually increase my distance. At the end of the trip I felt that old knee pain. So frustrating!
Using the roller, I was getting on top of things, but last Thursday I forgot to use it at all, and I went on an evening run. I had to stop multiple times to massage my quads. I was so frustrated!
Then today was my "long run" (which is up to 3.75 miles.) I spent a LOT of time using the roller before the run, probably 25 minutes at least. I'd had an even longer session last night. And guess what? My upper legs/knees felt GREAT!! Two days after having tons of tightness, I was fine, thanks to that trusty foam roller.
One thing I've learned from my friend who taught me to use it, and from something Jimmy H. (I think) wrote here, is that you can't just quickly roll the muscles. You have to focus on the tight knots, staying on that area for awhile. That really gets the tightness worked out.
The foam roller has become such an indispensable part of my training. It takes some time to use it properly, especially when I let my legs get really tight, but it's so worth it!
Here's the one I got when the foam of my first roller broke down. This one doesn't break down, and I like the extra knobbiness of it:
It's called "The Grid" from Trigger Point. You can get it on Amazon (click the pic for the link) or from the Trigger Point website. I don't have any connection with them, other than being a fan of this product!
The foam roller just feels almost magical to me. I love to tell people how much it's helped, hoping it will help other runners too. Of course it doesn't solve every injury, but when an "injury" is due to muscle tightness, sometimes a foam roller can get you past it really quickly.
The first few times I used my new foam roller, I literally had flashbacks to my unmedicated labor.
I called it the "Blue Foam Torture Roller of Death."My quads and IT band were so INCREDIBLY tight. Thankfully, using the foam roller regularly (almost daily) and sticking to flat surfaces worked. I got loosened up, and I lost very little training time. Within maybe a month, I was even back to running hills.But I still had bad running form, and despite frequent use of the foam roller, as my distance increased, I started having the same issues. When I ditched the shoes (and the long runs), I was so pleased that my upper legs and knees were feeling amazing.
So I got lazy. I figured I didn't need to do much with the foam roller. I went on vacation for 2 1/2 weeks, and used my mom's roller once or twice, but other than that, I didn't use one, despite continuing with my regular runs, continuing to gradually increase my distance. At the end of the trip I felt that old knee pain. So frustrating!
Using the roller, I was getting on top of things, but last Thursday I forgot to use it at all, and I went on an evening run. I had to stop multiple times to massage my quads. I was so frustrated!
Then today was my "long run" (which is up to 3.75 miles.) I spent a LOT of time using the roller before the run, probably 25 minutes at least. I'd had an even longer session last night. And guess what? My upper legs/knees felt GREAT!! Two days after having tons of tightness, I was fine, thanks to that trusty foam roller.
One thing I've learned from my friend who taught me to use it, and from something Jimmy H. (I think) wrote here, is that you can't just quickly roll the muscles. You have to focus on the tight knots, staying on that area for awhile. That really gets the tightness worked out.
The foam roller has become such an indispensable part of my training. It takes some time to use it properly, especially when I let my legs get really tight, but it's so worth it!
Here's the one I got when the foam of my first roller broke down. This one doesn't break down, and I like the extra knobbiness of it:
It's called "The Grid" from Trigger Point. You can get it on Amazon (click the pic for the link) or from the Trigger Point website. I don't have any connection with them, other than being a fan of this product!
The foam roller just feels almost magical to me. I love to tell people how much it's helped, hoping it will help other runners too. Of course it doesn't solve every injury, but when an "injury" is due to muscle tightness, sometimes a foam roller can get you past it really quickly.
