The Pre-Mitchell Massage

This year I have really come to understand and appreciate the benefits of athletic massage. I started when I was having hamstring troubles, and found the perfect fit in Debbie Lipski. She has worked with cycling teams on race events and understands the pain that we put our muscles through. She alleviated the hamstring tightness immediately, allowing me to recover and continue training. Without her help, I probably would not have completed the climbing challenge.

Yesterday was my pre-Mitchell massage. It felt amazing. The more I abuse my muscles, the better the massage feels. I hurt them pretty thoroughly this past Saturday. My left side was particularly tight, both the quads and the hamstrings. That probably means I favor that side and could use work on my form. That comes later. It was painful when she put pressure on my left quad, but felt so good at the same time. All the soreness was slowly leaving my body.

I have been supplementing that massage with foam rolling. When I was doing the hard work, I would practically be on the rollers nightly. I even pulled out a rolling pin and would roll my quads as if they were pizza dough. It still hurt, but in a refreshing way and would allow me to bounce back quicker.

Now that I’m finished with the massage, I feel like a new, relaxed person. Since I’m only tapering this week, my muscles should be more than ready to tackle the big mountain.