Archives for Injury

M80 Roller Review

A little over a month ago the recovery fairy delivered this amazing M80 Roller to me.

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Ok ok, there is no recovery fairy — but wouldn’t it be cool if there was?! She/He could just wave a magic wand and POOF your muscles are magically ready for the next workout! Well, I may not have received it from a magical fairy, but when things are provided to me from my connection with Run Eat Tweet AZ, it certainly feels like I’m winning something! I could not WAIT to try it out! And guess what?!Ā YOU could win one of your very own as well… keep reading to find out how. šŸ™‚

Let me start out by giving a brief history of my experience with foam rolling. Very brief. I’ve been using a foam roller pretty consistently for the past 3 years. It became a necessary tool in my arsenal of recovery tactics. But after a while, it started to lose it’s impact. I think you can see why in the photo below… a little misshapen.IMG_5907

So I “upgraded” to thisĀ medievalĀ tortureĀ device rumble roller. Which was OK, but honestly since it got SO deep it was a little hard to talk myself into rolling on that sucker. So, you guessed it, I didn’t end up foam rolling at all. That’s a running NO-NO.

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(Here is a side-by-side comparison of all 3 for size, shape, etc.)

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But the M80 Roller seems to be JUUUUUST right! (Zucchini Runner and the ThreeĀ Rollers… new book title?)

So, over the past few months I’ve been adjusting to my orthotics, which have completely alleviated my plantar fasciitis, but seem to have created a new problem — a tight left hamstring. Rolling on the M80 Roller gave me IMMEDIATE relief! It was painful, but the right kind of painful and I could easily reduce the pressure like my orangeĀ foam roller. Their website describes it perfectly: “M80 Roller goes back to the basics of what Self Myofascial Release (Deep Tissue Stimulation) really is.”

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Due to the firmness of the roller and the overall design, it didn’t give way under my weight or smoosh into the carpet either.

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It took less time to get relief and when I stood up to walk around, my hamstring didn’t feel tight! WIN!! You can see the amount of foam padding on the very firm cylinder.Ā IMG_4600

Needless to say, I’ve been using it QUITE a bit over the last month… šŸ™‚

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So, how can YOU win one of your very own? It’s SO EASY to enter! Just head on over to the Run Eat Tweet AZ’s Facebook pageĀ and comment on the latest M80 Roller giveawayĀ post of the day! We are picking ONE winner each day until this Friday, so don’t hesitate to enter! I already missed out on ONE of the days for you guys sorry — I’ve been really sick. šŸ™ Go enter. Now. Check it out. This is an awesome opportunity you won’t want to miss. (USA residents only please.)

 

 

 

Injured

As I am lying here doing my physical therapy at home, I look up and see posters that remind me of my running accomplishments: A poster my friend Sarah made me, to cheer me on at mile 5, of a half marathon last November.

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And a cloth tapestry my sister made for me when I completed my very first marathon. She surprised me, all the way from northern Nevada at the race finish in San Diego.

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Not to mention the numerous metals hanging on the wall; mostly just finishers medals but some were for placements.

I see these works of art every day, but for some reason today they “spoke” to me. They simply said, you will run pain-free again. Your running days aren’t over.

It also reminded me of where I was 3 years ago, and 5 years ago; withĀ injuries that prevented me from running. I got through those times and I became a stronger runner. I can only look at the past and see where it brought me and assume this path will be the same. It may take longer, but I will get there. Until then I will have to be happy riding my bike and finding other ways to stay in shape, burn calories and sweat!! This too shall pass.