Advice on Massage before race

Aimman

With the Connemara Ultra coming up in April, I have heard that getting a sports massage a few weeks before a race helps the muscles on the day, but because its a deep invigorating massage, it can be harsh on the muscles and if you havent got one before and can take a little time to recover from it.

I'm just wondering if anyone has had experience with getting a sports massage before a long race and would you recommend it, or is it a big no-no.

If it is a good idea, is there a particular time to get it done before the race, and could the training schedule suffer for a few days recovering from the massage?

So in summary,
Massage - Yes/No
When?
Will the training be set back a while after it?:D

The Rook

Had a sports massage there just before the Barcelona Marathon and it seems to have had the desired effect. Legs weren't heavy, felt up to the challenge and all went well for me.

The race was on the Sunday and I got it done on the Thursday of the week before (10 days before) to allow my legs time to recover. Others might tell you differently but that's what worked for me !

ecoli

I got one myself the Wed before Half Marathon (on the Sunday) depends on the type of massage they give you to if you say it to the physio/massuse what day the race is they can advise you. My one wasnt really deep tissue but it did the job

Krusty_Clown

Same race as The Rook, I got a calf massage on the Thursday (for the race on Sunday). I wouldn't like to have had to run that day as calf muscles were quite sore afterwards, but did 5 miles the next day (Friday), four the day after (with hours of sightseeing on foot after that!) and the marathon on the Sunday. No problems. A couple of days beforehand and you should be fine.

Aimman

Cheers All, thanks for the info. I'll get in touch with someone and see what date they would recommend. Think there is a place in Kimmage that does deep tissue massage. If anyone can recommend somewhere reasonably priced on the Dublin Southside, I'd be grateful

misty floyd

What about after a race? Is it wise? I'm booked in to get one this Monday, a day after a 10m race.

Krusty_Clown

One thing to avoid is getting a massage right after the race, unless it's a very light one. Anything more than a gentle, superficial rubdown could actually increase the inflammation and muscle tissue breakdown you've incurred through the race and from which you now must recover. The best time for a proper sports massage is 24 to 48 hours after the race.

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RacoonQueen

Aimman wrote: »

Cheers All, thanks for the info. I'll get in touch with someone and see what date they would recommend. Think there is a place in Kimmage that does deep tissue massage. If anyone can recommend somewhere reasonably priced on the Dublin Southside, I'd be grateful

I'd self promote but my insurance is long up now.

Sports Med Ireland have a really good sports massuese and there's one in the dublin holistic centre on dame street aswell although I'm not sure on pricing.