Le Trail Du Tour Des Fiz : Arguably The Most Beautiful Technical Trail Run Ever
Le Trail Du Tour Des Fiz, is now celebrating its 15th edition. The 3 races (15km; 25km; 5 Refuges 34km) take a journey through some of the most breathtaking landscapes the Alps have to offer.
The Tour des Fiz climbs are steep and physically demanding, and the long descents are often technically challenging. So, runners need to prioritize self-care! Incorporating an effective self-care routine (before, during and after your races) can significantly enhance your performance and wellbeing. That’s where Recovery Balm helps you!
Free Pre-Race Sports Massage with Recovery Balm™ @ Decathlon Mountain Store
On Friday 12 July 2024, 1430 – 1900, Recovery Balm are delighted to be showcasing our full range of Recovery products available to try and to buy in store and at our stand at the “Decathlon Mountain Store,” where the Trail du Tour des Fiz participants will collect their race packs.
Recovery Balm is collaborating for the second year with expert massage therapist Ruth Martin from Equilibrium Massage & Bien Être.
Equilibrium Massage will be offering 15-minute pre-race sports massage treatments, using your choice of Recovery Balms, to help runners prepare their bodies for the challenging trails ahead. All complementary!
“The balm was amazing, it helped me whilst running the UTMB.” Gary Lane, Ultre Runner
“Mostly used after big training sessions and/or before wearing a race number, it allows you to recover more quickly, to have lighter legs and to relieve aches and pains. A 100% natural French balm.” Clem Lebarre, Ultra runner
Win a 1hr Equilibrium Sports Massage with Recovery Balm
Equilibrium Massage & Bien Être and Recovery Balm are also running a free prize-draw at our Pre-Race Tour de Fiz stand @ Decathlon on Friday 12 July 2024 1430-1830! Enter for a chance to win a set of 4 Recovery Balm products and a one-hour Equilibrium Sports Massage session with Ruth Martin, Sports Massage and Myofascial Release Therapist.
This is a fantastic opportunity to receive expert care and top-quality, natural wellbeing products to support your body’s recovery and your future trail runs. Be sure to visit us at the Decathlon Mountain Store when you collect your race pack for your chance to win!
Trail Runner’s Guide to Self-care Massage Techniques
Recovery Balm and Equilibrium Massage have compiled a selection of self-care massage techniques for runners to use during the race, when tired or achey: to alleviate muscle tension and recalibrate your body to perform at your best during the race.
Massaging The Adductors Can Relieve Hips And Lower Back Tension
During a run, massaging the adductors, as well as the inner leg muscle complex, can help alleviate the tightness felt in hips and lower back. Essentially restoring fascia fluidity within the inner-leg muscles helps reduce the correlated tension patterns that occur through the fascial continuity in the pelvic girdle and lower back.
Ideally using heel of hand, with a well-aligned arm, sink in steadily to connect with the deeper tissues then push with mindful pressure along the length of the adductors, from the top of the leg, towards the knee, perhaps as if you are carefully rolling out pastry. You can use the Recovery Balm with a combination of long waves of pressure and more localised, cross-fibre strokes.
Massaging Lower Leg Muscles:
Soleus, Gastrocnemius, Tibialis Posterior and Peronei
Calf muscles prefer a softly-softly approach to massage, if you don’t want them to over-react. Quite often we don’t realise how tense they are, until someone squeezes the muscle. But it’s worth addressing the over-tense areas in the lower leg… as this improves freedom of movement globally through the body, and even can indirectly help relieve tension in the hip.
Gastrocnemius (Calf Muscle) Massage:
– Glide your hands up or down the back of your lower leg.
– Gradually increase the pressure, use your thumbs to apply deeper pressure.
– As you press into the calf muscle, search for any tender spots or knots, apply sustained pressure for 20-30 seconds, or until you feel a release or decrease in tension.
– Use a combination of long strokes and more focused pressure on specific areas of tension.
– Apply the Recovery Balm to help your finger glide, and for its anti inflammatory benefits.
Peroneus Longus Massage:
– The peroneus longus and other peronei muscles run along the outer side of the lower leg.
– Use the same techniques as with the gastrocnemius
– Gradually delve into deeper tissue work, being mindful NOT to push against or through any resistance from the tissue. The peroneus longus is closer to the surface, so you might feel tenderness more quickly.
Tibialis Posterior:
Note that this muscle, running down the inside of the tibia bone, towards the ankle, and part of the “posterior compartment”, ends up working hard as an ankle stabiliser. Give the posterior compartment some steady TLC with your Recovery Balm. Steady downward strokes, e.g. with reinforced fingers are best.
Oscillation
Oscillation techniques in massage involve rhythmic rocking or shaking movements.
It affects the para-sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) so we are mimicking what happens to a mammal or our body’s system post flight or fight.
Oscillating the thighs is a great way to relax and recalibrate the quadriceps and hamstrings, that are heavily used during running. The rhythmic movement can release tightness, to improve overall muscle function.
Relieving A Tight Chest to Help Shoulder Tension
As a runner, you can relieve tension in your pectoral (chest) muscles, which often contract from using poles, running with rucksacks, or tackling hill climbs—not to mention mobile phone postures and desk hunching.
To do this, stand upright and ensure your gluteus muscles are engaged to maintain stability. Place your hands just under your collarbone and apply sweeping pressure across your pectoral muscles, moving from the sternum to your arms. You can also gently pull your shoulders back to release pectoral tension.
Additionally, the front of your neck muscles (including the platysma and sternocleidomastoid) can hold a lot of tension that affects your shoulders. Use gentle, sweeping strokes to open up this area and alleviate tension.
Knee tension
Gluteal Complex
The gluteus muscles are the power houses of the human body. They mobilise and stabilise. When they are tight or not functioning optimally, it can affect the alignment and mechanics throughout the body, including an effect of lower back pain and even knee pain.
With heel of hand, apply gentle pressure on the butt muscles, gradually sink deeper to feel the resistance of the tissues until they start to soften. Through this pressure you may be addressing the tension of deep gluteal muscles, including piriformis.
Massaging the Tensor Fasciae Latae
When you experience knee pain, it’s sometimes linked to tightness in a hip muscle called the Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL) is at the top of the deep fascial thickening known as the IT Band and is continuous with the lateral thigh muscle, Vastus Lateralis.
This line of functional force can pull on the area below the patella (kneecap). By addressing and massaging the TFL, gluteus, and hip area, you can relieve this tightness, which can in turn help alleviate the knee pain.
When you are running, and suffering with knee pain you can even just hold and support the gluteus maximus or the top of the hamstrings to help you during the race. Or give yourself a little massage into the hamstring attachments.
For Easing The Triceps From Using Poles
Position your feet apart and squat down. Open up your legs with your knees apart and extend your arms, nestling your knees into your upper arms (base of deltoids and top of triceps).
You can roll your arms feeling the pressure from your knees in your upper arm msucles while stretching your adductors in your legs at same time.
You can move your arms back and forth and side to side so the pressure is where you need it, right up to the deltoids.
You can also move and put your elbows into your adductors to address fascial tension there too.
You can apply Recovery Balm onto your legs too, so that your elbows glide smoothly and allowing a really restorative massage on the trail to take place.
Shoulders
To relieve shoulder pain and tension, you can stand upright and stretch one arm around your body (like a hug) which will bring your shoulder forward.
Bring the other arm up over the opposite shoulder and use your hands to apply pressure to the sides of your shoulder blade (scapula), making a gentle upward wave motion toward the top of your shoulder. This technique helps alleviate tension and promote relaxation in your shoulder area.
Conclusion
Understanding and implementing a few these massage techniques could perhaps be a game-changer for both seasoned and novice runners.
Equilibrium Massage (@equilibrium.massage.fitness), in collaboration with Recovery Balm, has made it simple to learn these techniques, to help runners maintain form throughout the course.
Don’t miss out on learning more at the Tour du Fiz dossard collection day at the “Decathlon Mountain Store.“
toutes les commandes sont expédiées le même jour ouvrable 🚚
