(Mis)adventures in Foam Rolling

I have a new toy.

Well, not so much a toy as an instrument of torture.

A foam roller.

I bought it a week ago, but it’s only just made it out of the packaging. And within a minute (no word of a lie – literally less than 60 seconds had passed) I had managed to get peanut butter on it.

Note to self – don’t eat peanut butter and unpack fitness equipment at the same time.

Anyway, the foam roller. I’ve had a niggle in my calf. Sore enough to stop me running, and sore enough to drag me into the dark and masochistic world of foam rolling.

The foam roller is a piece of kit of which I have little experience. And by very little I mean none. I’ve heard plenty about it though, and most of these stories involve reports of self-inflicted pain.

The foam roller is used to relieve tension and tightness in muscles, and acts as a dynamic form of stretching. As running is a repetitive movement it’s easy for the muscles to feel sore afterwards, so anything that eases the tightness and soothes the soreness has to be worth a try. Even if it does hurt in the short-term.

After a bit of research I purchased a Pro-Fitness 3-in-1 Foam Roller. A fairly cheap and cheerful (pfft!) option from Argos.

Now as far as using the roller itself goes, I’m reasonably satisfied.

However.

The instruction leaflet directed me to the “included DVD” which “shows a variety of exercises that you can perform with the 3-in-1 Foam Roller”.

There is no DVD.

And the 3-in-1 roller? Well the centre roller doesn’t actually come out from the rest of the damn thing. As I write this my husband is battling with the little pull handle, trying to free the innermost roller from its captor. So essentially, it’s 2-in-1.

And as an aside – the quality of the instructions is… poor. Espercially* the spelling.

*If you have noticed the extra R, I have lifted this spelling directly from the instructions.

Ahem. I’ll put my inner-pedant back in her box.

Back to the roller.

I have rolled. It wasn’t too painful. I shall roll again.

Tomorrow I’ll attempt to run again. Fingers crossed!

PS. As ever, every penny helps. If you forgo a coffee from a high street barista this week and donate the money to VICTA instead, they'll be able to continue the excellent work they do supporting blind and partially sighted children. In the words of Mrs. Doyle, "Go on, go on, go on, go on, GO ON!" :) 

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Ready, set, fundraise!

Happy New Year!

Am I still allowed to say that? Seeing as we’re half way through January… Anyway, the sentiment is there J

Since I last wrote I’ve been busy. Several races, continued training, and my first official fundraising event.

November was 10km race month. Three weekends in a row, and three 10km races. My last post was about the Coventry War Memorial 10k. After that came the MoRun.

Mo Running is a charity event supporting Movember (raising the profile of men’s health issues). This race involved donning a ‘tache and running 10km through a park in Milton Keynes. I do like a bit of silliness, so I decided to run as Hulk Hogan, a wrestling favourite from my childhood. Clearly as a petite, five foot tall woman, this was an obvious choice and I was almost indistinguishable from the man himself.

Race day saw torrential rain, and my moustache (fashioned for me by my lovely Mum from mohair and attached with elastic – Blue Peter could learn a thing or two from my Mum) – hung beneath my nose like a soggy, dead albino rat. I can’t say I’d recommend it to supplement comfortable running. Still – a week after the Coventry run, and another PB. Oh yes J  

A week later, at the end of November, I did a Pudding Run. This lovely race around Chasewater Country Park was pretty cold, pretty muddy, and very, very enjoyable. 

All finishers were rewarded with a Christmas Pudding (which my husband ate) and for the second time in two weeks, I managed a lovely new PB. Did I mention that training actually works?

In December I did just the one race. The Stockport 10 is an iconic event. I’m not quite sure why, but there is something a little bit special about this run. Most of it is through various housing estates, and it most definitely is not flat. But the atmosphere is just fantastic. And finishing to a steaming bowl of hotpot and a race bag complete with mealworms, well… what can you say? My first ever race of this distance, so a guaranteed PB*

*(I also finished 10 minutes before my husband, but I won’t mention that…)

Asides from the running, my fundraising efforts finally got underway with a charity bake sale.

I spent every evening for a week leading up to the day baking. Cakes, biscuits, marshmallow crispy Christmas trees… Birmingham was in the midst of a Sarah-induced sugar shortage.

The fair was held in the grounds of a village pub and – I can’t stress this enough – it was the coldest place on earth. Who on earth thought that doing a craft fair OUTSIDE, in mid-December, was a good idea? Part way through the morning I was contemplating writing a eulogy to my feet, I was convinced they had succumbed to frostbite. I spent the day jogging on the spot (fundraising and training – how’s that for an efficient use of time?) and dancing like a loon, trying to keep warm. The Christmas tunes wafting from Santa’s grotto just about helped see me and my long-suffering husband through the morning, but boy was I glad to pack up and head home.

Since then – more training, and the discovery of a local Parkrun. I went along last week for the first time, and it was the windiest run I have ever done. Gales have been battering the country all week, and the gusts were strong enough to literally have me fighting against them to try and move. With the wind behind me I felt like I was flying. With it hitting me head on – I honestly thought I was going to vomit. It was one of the most uncomfortable races I’ve ever done. I’ll go back though, just might check the weather forecast first.

I’m currently in the process of plotting and planning. My training is going well, but the fundraising needs a bit of a kick up the bum. If anyone has any bright ideas, or a few pennies they can spare, I’d be eternally grateful.

Pretty please with a cherry on top!

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=SarahMartinRD