The Stick

Such a simple device but man I love this thing.

I actually remember when it first came out and a bunch of Kenyan runners came to the US and lived on the inventors floor and raced all over as Team Stick. Low budget but it got the product some good exposure.

The Stick is made of plastic and you use it to massage your legs, back, neck, or other sore spots. It has some flex and man you can get in deep if you choose to.

Since I have messed up calves with tons of knots I've taken to using the 17" Stick before every run. I work the device over the muscles and get the knots to loosen up and to get blood flowing. What a difference it makes.

Post run I like to use it again to help with recovery and work out any tender spots. I'll work the calves, thighs, hamstrings and around the front of my shins.

Here's some more info direct from The Stick

General Tips for Use

Keep muscles relaxed during rollout
Use on skin or through light clothing.
The Stick is waterproof and designed to bend without fear of breaking.
It is not necessary to hurt the muscle in order to help the muscle.
Most effective when used before, during and after periods of activity.
For pin-point rollout, slide hands onto spindles.
Excessive use may cause muscle soreness.

General Instructions

A typical warm-up for healthy muscle tissue is about 20 progressively deeper passes over each muscle group (about 30 seconds per area).
Discomfort or pain is experienced when the spindles locate a bump or tender knot in the muscle - this is known as a trigger point.
Muscles containing trigger points are often weak, stiff and sore. They are frequently tight, easily tire and often hurt.
Muscles containing chronic trigger points need 20 additional passes over the involved area, and may require attention several times daily.

So if you want to improve performance and have a nice mini massage at your instant disposal check out The Stick, You won't be dissapointed

1, 2, 3

That would be the race the team just did. The Highland Forest 1, 2, 3 in Syracuse. 7 of us from the Salomon - Fleet Feet Sports Endurance Team headed east last weekend and took on a tough course.

1 did the 10 mile, 5 of us did the 20 mile and Kim did the 30 miler as prep for her upcoming 100 mile race. I'm not in shape to go so far but figured it would be a good day. This is a very low key event in one of my favorite parks in upstate NY. We actually produced an off road duathlon there a bunch of years back. Lots of nice trails and lots of hills.

I took the first loop fairly easy but at times ran a little faster then I should have. I knew that would bite me in the ass at some point. I also knew I'd run out of steam sooner or later but I needed the long day to test my hydration and nutrition which is a weak spot of mine.

Half way through lap one Mark M caught up with me and we started running together along with a few other runners. It was nice to be able to talk a bit and try and ignore the hills. And since Mark is one of my Lab Rats I like to see how he responds to things out on the course. I'll pick up the pace for a bit and see what he does, 9 out of 10 times he'll go too fast and pay for it later. I still like making others break.

We headed out for lap two and I knew it was gonna hurt. A little before half way into lap two Mark started to suffer and I was trying to run with a few other runners. I made it to 16 miles before my legs said no more up hills and my ankle said no more down hills. Oh well I'll have to go easy/death march from here. I was just hoping Mark (or Laura for that matter) didn't catch me.

Moral of the story.
1. If you go long train for it and it will be much easier
2. If you don't train be ready to suffer.
3. If you try and keep up with someone early be ready to sac up later when it really hurts

Overall the team did great. Second overall in the 10 mile, all of us feeling fairly good in the 20 mile and Kim doing great in the 30 mile while taking 5 minutes off her time from last year.

Not a bad way to spend a few hours with friends.