Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Mary Massage Lady


I thought it was about time that Mary got a mention on here because she helps keep me injury-free. She may look all sweet and innocent here but she has the boniest fingers in the world, which she uses to great effect in torturing me!

You see, Mary provides me with what's known as a Sports Massage, aka soft tissue massage. Now don't be mislead by the word 'massage' which implies something gentle and soothing - it's anything but, as anyone who has experienced it will attest. However, what Mary does is find any stiff bits in my muscles and works deep down in the tissue to loosen them off. I first met her nearly 3 years ago when I was having terrible trouble with running related injuries and she worked miracles on my tight ITB, or Illiotibial Band (which is like an elastic band running from the hip to the knee). It was the most painful treatment I have ever had but it worked really well and now I trust Mary to spot any problems before they get too bad.

Yesterday I went to see her for a general pre-marathon loosening session. She did some work on my neck and back, both of which have been very stiff lately (probably pre-race tension) and just worked all over my legs to make sure I'm in good shape for the big day. I'd recommend it to anyone and would hate to miss my sessions.

Thanks Mary, you're a star for keeping me mobile (even though I squeal and grumble when you dig deep into my muscles)!

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