Self-Massage for Runners

Every runner has a different reason for needing a massage. Maybe yours is your feet or your calf muscles? Or maybe it’s your knees and hips that need attention? Perhaps your quads or hamstrings are too tight? One thing is certain though, if you run often, or you run hard, your legs and possibly your whole body needs frequent massage. But are you getting it regularly?

While sports massage therapy has grown rapidly during the last twenty years, it can’t meet the needs of millions of runners. Just as a professional chef isn’t available every time you get hungry, a professional massage therapist can’t be on-hand every time a muscle tightens-up. One solution may be self-massage. Don’t snicker; self-massage is an effective way to relieve muscle soreness, prevent injury, and just plain feel better. It’s also easy to learn and simple to do.

Most runners know sports massage can improve athletic performance. What they don’t know is how to apply the benefits of massage to themselves. That’s where my new book Self-Massage for Athletes comes in handy. It teaches the same basic massage strokes professionals use. While not everyone can attend the Boulder College of Massage Therapy, everyone can learn a few simple massage techniques to help themselves feel better fast.

Let’s Try It
There are only three strokes you need to know for now: gliding, squeezing, and drumming. Once you’ve learned them, and some simple variations, you can apply them anywhere between your head and toes, and voila, free massage. So roll up your sleeves, get your running shorts on, and keep reading. You won’t need massage oil, massage tools, or malpractice insurance; just a sense of touch and a willingness to use it.

Stroke #1: The Glide
We’re just going to massage the legs, or to be more accurate: You are going to massage your legs. Begin with, the stroke that most sports massage therapists begin with, the glide stroke. Professionals call it effleurage. But by any name, it’s a glide, slide, or skimming motion. Get seated, get comfortable and try it. Just glide your hand over your thigh for starters. Use this stroke to warm up your body before the more intense massage strokes to come.

As a general rule, when applying deep pressure, your hand should move in the direction of your heart to help blood flow back to your heart. Try ten gliding strokes up and down your right thigh. Use light pressure away from your heart and deeper pressure toward your heart.

OK, now that you’ve got the idea try gliding your hand over your entire leg, from your ankle to your seat. You can use both hands if you like. Try ten strokes varying intensity and velocity. By reaching for your toes, you should get a gentle stretch as well. When you’ve sufficiently warmed your first leg move onto your second leg, again covering its entire surface. This should feel good, if it doesn’t, fake it for now, it will get better with practice. Let’s move onto:

Stroke #2: The Squeeze
This is a compression stroke called squeezing because it compresses the muscles you’re squeezing. It should be pleasing; let’s see if it is. The purpose of the stroke is to warm your skin and muscles, and improve your circulation. Improved circulation brings fresh nutrients and oxygen to your cells and forcefully ejects the toxins that have accumulated during your run. This is powerful therapy for runners because it feeds and cleans the very muscle cells that took it in the shorts during your run.

Try squeezing your calf muscles. Start at the bottom of your calf and work your way up in the direction of your heart. While keeping your calf muscles relaxed, vary the intensity of your squeeze. Try varying the volume, i.e., the surface area that you squeeze. Perform a minimum of ten squeeze strokes. Then massage the calf muscles that live in your other leg.

Now try squeezing your entire leg, begin at your Achilles heel and move on up as far as you can go. Use two hands if you want. Go slowly; it’s not a race. Stop at your butt. Massage your other leg using this squeezing stroke. Just press and compress the muscles as you gradually squeeze up your leg until there is no more leg to squeeze. Then you can either do it all again or move onto:

Stroke #3: The Drum
This stroke is called drumming for reasons that will be clear in the next sentence. It’s a stimulating stroke in which you use your hands to actually drum your body. Think of your body as percussion instrument with a low pain threshold, so don’t drum too hard or loud. If the neighbors complain, it’s too loud. A soft easy tapping will do. You can use your fists, flat open hands, the sides of your hands, or really any part of your hand that feels good. Begin at your feet, and move toward the largest muscles in your body, the ones you’re sitting on. Try drumming your other leg. Get a good rhythm going, and when you’ve had enough, stop.

Just Getting Started
Congratulations on completing the beginning of a powerful new practice that will improve your running. Massage will get easier and more effective with repetition. So practice it regularly, directly after running. You’ll find that your muscles are less sore and you’ll recover more quickly between runs. With time, you’ll also notice that your health has improved; that’s because frequent massage strengthens the immune system. It also reduces stress, anxiety, and depression which will improve your mood. And if nothing else, your improved mood will make your running partners happier as they desperately try to keep up with you.

Most of all have fun with it. If it feels good, do it. Self-massage is not an exact science. It’s user friendly and doesn’t require the precision of stretching. Eighty percent of self-massage is just showing-up and practicing it regularly. If after every run, you massage your legs for ten minutes, your running will improve, your health will improve, and your mood will improve.