WEEK 4: TURKEY TROT 2019

THE 4TH WEEK OF THE 10+ WEEK TURKEY TROT 2019 TRAINING PLANS FOR RUNNERS AND WALKERS START Monday.  Your mileage is increasing, so performing the Foam Roller session sometime this week becomes more important. If you have not yet experienced this routine, you might be surprised at how it helps you to recover after a longer run.  No doubt, the first several times rolling can be uncomfortable. But with repeated sessions over time, it feels wonderful. An ice bath doesn’t ever feel wonderful.
 
Before I knew anything about FR, I would attempt to ease post-run leg stiffness by sitting in an ice bath. To prepare I put on a bathing suit and a short warm sweatshirt, made a cup of hot tea to drink, drew a tub half full of cold water, and filled a bucket with ice.  First off, I eased into the cold water, then gradually added ice.  I never spent the recommended full 10 minutes in the ice bath, so that’s possibly why it did not have provided relief from stiffness. To those who think foam rolling is painful, I would argue that it in my experience it is much less uncomfortable than icing. is more effective for me, compared with icing.
 
It’s the reason behind my encouraging foam rolling!
 
It’s best to start this practice early-on in training, before your soft tissues (muscles and surrounding connective tissue) significantly ‘tighten’ from repeated cycles of micro-injury and repair. At a later point in training you will likely experience exquisite tenderness (otherwise known as pain) when the tight tissues are compressed by your body weight during rolling.  
 
Recommendations have included foam rolling immediately after running and every 24 hours on subsequent days as needed up to 72 hours (3 days later), to prevent delayed-onset of muscle soreness, called DOMS.  Even though you might be able to grit your teeth and endure the DOMS, another reason to foam roll is that it can help prevent injury. This may be especially helpful if you are planning to run or exercise 24-72 hours after a tough long run.
 
A bonus of this session is that you work arms, core, and upper body as well.  Feeling a little DOMS in these areas the day afterward will be proof.
 
If you find yourself forgetting it or skipping it due to lack of time, foam roll at least one time each week. I’ve confessed before that I find it best to hit my tightest spots (piriformis, calves, quads, back) PRIOR to a long run and then hit all areas AFTER the run.
 
Try it, at least once, before deciding to skip these sessions. The RESOURCES page lists some demonstrations.
 
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!

https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a19542636/injury-prevention-workout-plan/

http://www.upmcmyhealthmatters.com/injury-prevention-the-foam-roller/
 
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272165454_Foam_rolling_for_DOMS_and_dynamic_performance_measures

http://natajournals.org/doi/abs/10.4085/1062-6050-50.1.01

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