Today I had my weekly sports massage in Wake Forest. This is not just pampering my body for an hour and a half. This is the bare minimum I can do to take care of a body that works so hard for me during the week. A good massage is right up there with other health-inducing practices such as getting a good night's sleep and eating a healthy diet. Massage does several things, from improving tissue flexibility to relieving trigger points to identifying areas of tension. Today we discovered that my 10 mile race on Sunday produced extreme tension in my triceps because I had not been using my arm swing in a relaxed manner. Lesson learned.
Running can wear us all down at times. We have to remain vigilant of how our bodies are feeling and listen to them as far as whether we are going too hard and too fast. Part of training is incorporating weekly rest days into our schedule as well as a week or two of complete rest. I plan on taking two weeks off from running after the Milwaukee Marathon on Oct. 2.
Rest, oh rest. I'll say it again: I do not enjoy resting but I know it is necessary.