massage

Alternative treatments help keep me running

July 21, 2015 by Michelle 19 Comments

I’m linking up once again with Erika, April & Patty for Tuesdays on the Run. This week’s topic is one that I have always found really interesting – alternative treatments for running injury/injury prevention.

Over the past couple of years, I have turned to both acupuncture and chiropractic treatment at various times to deal with different nagging issues. Long before I started running, I’d been a big fan of acupuncture ever since it helped me deal with what were once debilitating migraines. So when I first encountered some knee/ITB issues I quickly turned to acupuncture and had great success with it. Which, of course, begs the question, why stop? Sadly, my talented acupuncturist moved his practice out of state and I just haven’t found a replacement.

I’m also a huge fan of massage, especially when I’m actively training for a race and my mileage is high (for me). I find sport massage helps to both keep my legs feeling good and aids my recovery. I would love to go on a regular basis….hmmm maybe I need to buy some lottery tickets 😉

Obviously, I’m not a doctor nor do I have a medical background – I can only say what works for me.

Have you tried any alternative treatments? What works for you?

Filed Under: acupuncture, chiropractor, massage

May’s Ultimate Coffee Date

May 2, 2015 by Michelle 28 Comments

It’s May! And I’m getting this month started by joining one of my favorite link-ups, The Ultimate Coffee Date. Thanks to Coco, Lynda and Deborah for hosting!

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that the forecast is finally showing real signs of consistent spring weather, and I cannot wait to get into my garden this weekend and start planting. Despite the harsh winter, many of my plants look to be in better shape than I thought they would be, but I’ve still got a fair amount of work to do!

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that while this week started off a bit hectic, that seeing my son start to feel better, a massage and spending the afternoon doing a little retail therapy with a friend helped to turn things around!

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that I’m actually looking forward to my appointment this week with the orthopedist, cause I need someone to help me get to the bottom of what’s going on with my left knee. Running continues to be a real challenge and I’m not feeling good about my two spring races.

If we were having coffee together, I’d tell you that believe it or not my blog turned 5 this past week! It’s really hard to believe that I have been running, and writing about it, for five years! I so appreciate all of you who have been hanging out with me during this ride 🙂

If we were having coffee together, what would you tell me? What have you got planned for this weekend?

Filed Under: gardening, left knee, massage, milestones, Ultimate coffee date

Thursday Thoughts

October 24, 2013 by Michelle 12 Comments

Small Changes — I’m a couple of days behind on my #OneSmallChange update. So I was on a roll with Week 1‘s daily planks and then Week 2‘s keeping my coffee table clutter free, but I hit a bump in the road with Week 3’s change to up my daily water intake. Don’t know why I have such a tough time with this one, but I’ve decided to re-commit to this change for week 4 and see if I have better luck.

Race Debate — I’ve done very little running in the past week and half – in fact I’ve run exactly 3 times. I’ve been trying to give my bum foot and knee as much TLC as possible. And while the knee feels pretty good, my foot was sore after Tuesday’s run. I saw my massage therapist and she treated it and gave me the hairy eyeball when I floated the idea of running in this Sunday’s 5k. The Canton Fall Classic is one of my favorite races – it’s local so I get to see and catch up with a lot of friendly faces – I’d really hate to miss running it. I may hold off till Sunday morning to make the final call on this one.

And speaking of races... I did register for one more half for this year – it’s December 8. Yes I recognize that living in New England the first weekend of December can bring everything from freakishly mild temps to snow, but I’m going to cross my fingers and dig out my Yak-Traks just in case 🙂 My half marathon performance this year has left me underwhelmed to say the least and I’d like to take one last shot at putting together a good race before closing the book on 2013.

So tell me — what’s your best trick for making sure you get enough water? Would you run on Sunday?

Filed Under: #13in2013, Canton Fall Classic, foot pain, hydration, massage, Small changes, to race or not

Thursday Thoughts (aka 3 things)

July 19, 2012 by Michelle 7 Comments

The humidity finally broke last night following some crazy thunderstorms so this morning’s run was the first really pleasant run of the week – a 3 mile Fartlek, run #3 in the Merrell Pace Gloves…I’m still very happy with them!

I’ve got a massage scheduled for later today. As I mentioned in a post about acupuncture earlier this year, one of my big goals for 2012 is to stay injury-free, and one of my “proactive self care” steps is to try to get regular massages. Obviously my wallet will dictate how often I can go, but I’m going to do my best to make them a consistent part of my fall training plan.

64 days until the ZOOMA Cape Cod Half Marathon & 10k! I’m so psyched that my friend E has signed up to run the 10k so we’ll be Cape-bound together! The course map is now up on the ZOOMA website and it looks like this course will offer a little bit of everything…great ocean views, tree-lined streets and rolling hills. You can checkout the course HERE. Registration is capped at 1,000 for the two races so don’t wait to register – you can still use the code CCAMB3 and receive $10 off the half marathon or $5 off the 10k.