Cotton Candy, Sweet-n-Low, Let Me See That FOAM ROLL!

This weekend I spent some quality time FOAM ROLLING after my long run.  It was yet another treadmill jaunt, due to the insane heat.  Not too shabby, though - I completed 10 miles in 1:33:00 which I was happy with.  I have to say, 10 was tougher for me than 9 was last week.  I don't know what the cause, but I DO know that my secret sauce once again saved me from cramping, which was a great feeling!

I had never used the foam roller before, but after that 10 miler Saturday, I was SORE!  So Sunday, I spent some time rolling around, probably making the most unattractive faces possible - that thing is PAINFUL!  But I must say, I felt surprisingly better afterwards.

Today, I found some tips from an article in Runner's World, called "On a Roll" and I definitely will be using some of these moves in the near future:

 
- CALVES Put the roller under a calf. Rest your other foot on the floor. Roll from the ankle to below the knee. Rotate the leg in, then out. Stack ankles to add pressure.  





 

- ILIOTIBIAL BAND Lie on your side with the roller near your hip, rest your other leg's foot on the floor. Move along your outer thigh. Increase pressure by stacking your legs.
  



 
 

- PIRIFORMIS Sit on the roller and place one foot on the opposite knee. Lean into one buttock and roll forward and back, using your supporting leg to control the pressure.

 - HAMSTRINGS Place the roller under your thighs. Roll from the knees to the buttocks. To increase the pressure, roll one leg at time, turning your leg in and out.  




 

- ADDUCTORS Lie on your stomach with one leg extended slightly to the side, knee bent. Place the roller in the groin area of the extended leg and roll the inner thigh.  

- QUADRICEPS Lie on your stomach with a roller placed under the front of your thigh and slowly roll up and down from the bottom of your hip to the top of your knee.

SOURCE: "On a Roll" From the May 2010 issue of Runner's World 

HYDRATION BELT UPDATE: I bit the bullet and bought one of the hydration belts on my top 4 list but ended up being REALLY disappointed with it.  This weekend, I will be purchasing a new one and hope to have an update to share!