Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone!  I celebrated this morning by getting a 3.78 mile run in.  It's quite warm in this area, so I took it easy and just got it done.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to exercise since Thursday.  On Thursday I was having horrible muscle spasms in my neck.  Every time I tried to turn my head to the left, the muscle would seize.  It sort of felt like a charlie-horse in my neck.  And let me tell you, it was really painful.  So much so that I had to go to the doctor.  This, unfortunately, is not the first time this has happened.  I had to get a prescription for stronger muscle relaxants, use moist heat, take ibuprofen, and stretch a lot.  Taking muscle relaxants is a little scary because they make me a little drowsy and I need to do things a bit slower.  I decided that exercising while on muscle relaxants would not be a good choice.  I'm feeling much better, however, and I'm off the meds.  Can I just say I really hate having to take a pill to fix things?

While I was laid up, I did get the chance to purchase a foam roller.  I got the smaller one.  Like this:

Previously, I was just using the one at the gym at school.  The gym here at home doesn't them.  I was definitely noticing an increase in knee pain from my ITB band since I've stopped rolling.  Foam rolling is painful, but it works.

Well, we're hitting up a cookout later with Patrick's family to celebrate the 4th properly.  What's everyone else up to?  Hopefully you're out enjoying the gorgeous weather instead of reading this crap!

The Dreaded Foam Roller

I have met the devil, and it looks like this:

Back in October, I first heard about foam rolling from Kelly.  She was doing this as part of a physical therapy routine for a knee injury.  However, foam rolling is really recommended for all runners.  Kelly recommended this article from Runner's World.  Since I've been having some tightness and soreness, I figured it was about time that I tried it out.  And the best part is that my gym has these torture devices so I don't have to buy one yet.

So this is one of the most painful things I've ever inflicted upon myself.  It makes running seem painless.  My understanding is that foam rolling is supposed to simulate deep tissue message.  Now I've had a deep tissue massage and it was painful, but not like this!  All that aside, it does feel good after.  I've noticed a difference especially when I do the IT band exercise and the one for the gluteal muscles, which are areas that are especially tight after a run.  You are supposed to run, then roll, then stretch.  I've been rolling at the end of any workout that I do at the gym since I don't have my own roller.  As much as this is painful, I do think it's beneficial to my running routine and I plan on keeping it up!

Have you tried foam rolling?  Any tips or favorite areas to stretch out using the roller?