Spiky Stick and Marathon Stick - good double team

[Bare Lee]

Hey I just got this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BOTVF6/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00
on the recommendation of a fellow BRS member (who, given the inevitable kinky associations this post will provoke, will remain anonymous to protect his saintly image).
It works really well in tandem with the 'marathon stick' for a good massage of the lower leg, front and back, plus you can roll your feet over it or roll it over your feet for an extra benefit the marathon stick isn't really capable of. It also works much better as a foot massager than a single spiky ball. I likes the spikes.

 

[Lomad]

First: I'm no saint. I reside at roughly the maturity level of my grade 3 class. Second, that is exactly the tool I described and I wish I could now locate mine. It is somewhere under the jumble of ignored laundry that a return to gainful employment has somehow created.

The spikes are goooood.

 

[Bare Lee]

First: I'm no saint. I reside at roughly the maturity level of my grade 3 class. Second, that is exactly the tool I described and I wish I could now locate mine. It is somewhere under the jumble of ignored laundry that a return to gainful employment has somehow created.

The spikes are goooood.

Thanks for outing yourself. I knew you would feel compelled to defend yourself against my facetious libel.
And yah, the spikes are a nice complement to the stick. Both have slightly different effects. Alls I know is that with constant self-massaging while I work at my desk over the last two weeks, I was able to run a little under seven miles yesterday with just the slightest of niggles. Will reduce a bit on tomorrow's run and then try 7-8 on Monday. Thanks for the rec! Now I just need to figure out what to do with the cushioned zero-drop shoes I bought when I thought I had a stress reaction problem in my mets. Maybe I can use them for 440 repeats down at the gravelly track nearby. I've been meaning to try some speedwork like that. But bare is just sooo good. My feet are tingling even as we type.

 

[Lomad]

Hey man...I can't help you with the shoes, but will add that winter is coming...Could be handy? I'm looking for less shoe myself. I tried the Minimus Road zeros the other day and they were flat, firm, and low stack. All good things for me. Rolling and sticking are helping the foot exponentially.

 

[Bare Lee]

Hey man...I can't help you with the shoes, but will add that winter is coming...Could be handy? I'm looking for less shoe myself. I tried the Minimus Road zeros the other day and they were flat, firm, and low stack. All good things for me. Rolling and sticking are helping the foot exponentially.

Well, I haven't taken them for a proper run, but I did a short jog with my daughter, and I found the stack height is enough that it's easy to heel-strike if you're not careful, so I'm thinking they may only work for me at faster paces, or as a casual walking sneaker. Kind of a waste of money, as I rarely need that kind of shoe, but when they came my daughter was anxious to see me try them on, and ripped off the little plastic tag, so I couldn't return them as unused. Still, Pete Larsen likes the Bare Access cushioning on longer runs, so maybe I can use them if I can learn to maintain good form with a greater stack.

Glad to hear the same therapy is working for you too. We really have to evangelize this thing. I think a lot of people may be misdiagnosing their tofp as a stress reaction, when it's really muscle tightness.

 

[devilnuts]

Now I just need to figure out what to do with the cushioned zero-drop shoes I bought when I thought I had a stress reaction problem in my mets.

I use mine for when I HAVE to wear shoes. Like the gym. Oddly enough, wearing VFFs is okay, but barefoot is not...go figure. Other than that, I am pretty much barefoot all the time. So at that rate, I won't have to buy any shoes for at least a good 5 years. Oddly enough, I have one pair of dress shoes, one pair of "running shoes", two pairs of VFFs, and one pair of combat boots. Oh, and a pair of flip flops. I don't think I'll have to spend any money on footwear for at least 10 years. HAHAHA.

 

[Bare Lee]

I use mine for when I HAVE to wear shoes. Like the gym. Oddly enough, wearing VFFs is okay, but barefoot is not...go figure. Other than that, I am pretty much barefoot all the time. So at that rate, I won't have to buy any shoes for at least a good 5 years. Oddly enough, I have one pair of dress shoes, one pair of "running shoes", two pairs of VFFs, and one pair of combat boots. Oh, and a pair of flip flops. I don't think I'll have to spend any money on footwear for at least 10 years. HAHAHA.

Yup, that's me. It felt kind of weird to put on proper running shoes after all these years, but also kind of good, the way they hug your feet, like a false prophet preaching easy redemption. And then a few minutes later they feel hot and I can't wait to take them off.

 

[Twisty]

That contraption looks deadly!! The wife was looking at the IPad over my shoulder with a huge smile on her face

 

[Lomad]

Found my spiky stick last night (thats what she said...) finally. The calves were sooo happy. Getting back in the low drop/minimal groove is reminding me how important stretching is!

 

[Bare Lee]

Found my spiky stick last night (thats what she said...) finally. The calves were sooo happy. Getting back in the low drop/minimal groove is reminding me how important stretching is!

You said it man. Tuesday I ran 7.7 miles completely niggleless, thanks to two-plus weeks of fairly relentless massaging and stretching (I keep one stick and a foot massage roller in my office). I also stopped in the middle of that run at about the four-mile mark to massage and stretch on a bridge over the Mississippi, using the high hand rail, and getting down on the pavement. I think stopping to massage and stretch on longer runs is going to be my version of taking walking breaks. In place of run-walk-run, I'll do run-M&S-run.

BTW, make sure to work the front of the lower leg too. I find this just as much or more important than working the calves. I feel the tightness in the tops of my feet and near the ankle flush immediately. As Jimmy Hart explains:

"The typical runner making the switch [to barefoot or minimalist running] will usually complain of sore and tight calves after the initial barefoot runs. This is because the calf muscles are now being tightened and flexed. After that initial shock is gone and the calves begin to adapt, the same runners typically complain of pains in the tops of their feet. These pains are usually coming from two muscles and/or three tendons that run the length of the top of the foot, one of which actually starts along the tibia.


The two main foot extensor muscles are the Extensor Hallucis Longus muscle (EHL) and the Extensor Digitorum Longus muscle (EDL). The tendons from these muscles cross the front of the ankle, pass across the top of the foot, and attach into the big toe and lesser toes. These are the muscles that run along the top of the foot. There is also the Extensor Digitorum Brevis muscle, but it is more along the upper/outer part of the foot and not typically associated with this issue. Three tendons cover these muscles: the Extensor Digitorum Longus Tendons. These muscles and tendons all function to pull the foot upward and work with resistance from the Achilles tendon and the calf muscles (flexor muscle group) that pull the foot downward."

 

[NickW]

Good info Lee!

 

[Lomad]

Yeah, that front section has made a big difference. It really opens up the mobility at my ankle if I roll it out really well. My soles are feeling a little pounded after the 4-miler the other night in minshoes. I'm not used to that much exposure to all the road surface and the flexibility of the shoes. My second two toes are feeling it for sure (at the joint...I'm pushing a little bit on occasion, but I can feel it and adjust, but the ouchie is already done. Maybe I need to run bare a bit more...novel idea...)

 

[NickW]

Yeah, that front section has made a big difference. It really opens up the mobility at my ankle if I roll it out really well. My soles are feeling a little pounded after the 4-miler the other night in minshoes. I'm not used to that much exposure to all the road surface and the flexibility of the shoes. My second two toes are feeling it for sure (at the joint...I'm pushing a little bit on occasion, but I can feel it and adjust, but the ouchie is already done. Maybe I need to run bare a bit more...novel idea...)

What kind of minshoes are you wearing?

 

[Lomad]

New Balance mt110's are my 'do it all' shoe right now. I'll be looking for proper road shoes this weekend now that I have some birthday $ to spend. I'm thinking of the nb minimus road zero. I tried them on and really liked the fit/feel in store...