recovery after sport

'Get the Edge'

Triathlete Recovery using the World Run Recovery System

Do you have any plans for a full recovery after an event?

Triathletes take their sport very seriously, they approach it with the right mind set, they train as often as they can, read all about it, live it breathe it.

They research the latest in running equipment, when the next event is, how to get there, discuss tactics, how to fix this, that and the other.

With all the information at their fingertips, it still comes down to them, the event on the day is and how they do is in their hands.

But they leave their recovery after the event in other people's hands without knowing whether they are doing the right thing by them.

While there are many people working in the recovery areas who know what they are doing there are also those who have more enthusiasm than experience and it is all in the luck of the draw as to which one you get.

To spend all that time aiming for a goal then leave the recovery to chance is not a good tactic to improve performance in subsequent events.

What happens on the recovery table can impact on recovery, training and performance by using 'enthusiasm' rather than knowledge.

If someone is considering massage, they should be aware of what is happening; using the example from Sandra Brown to stress how important the correct approach to muscles is.

“The second tear (at least I have matching legs with old tears on both sides) was caused, to my great annoyance at the time, by an overenthusiastic physio who was supposed to be helping me to warm up gently before a 24 hour race and got carried away. I am now more wary of having physio at any time, and make sure that I stay in control, by saying at the outset what I want and don’t want to be done to me. Having never had a persistent injury (my varied training pattern means that any niggles have the chance to heal quickly, rather than get hammered and go critical,) I have never had regular physio or a steady relationship of trust with any physiotherapist who knew me and my needs. The closest I have come to this was receiving massage from Michael Gillan during the Nanango (Queensland) 1000-mile race in 1996. I had no hesitation in having a massage from Michael again at the end of the Melbourne 100 miles walk in 1999. Michael’s approach is very gentle at all times, and always works with the athlete and puts the athlete in control, thus minimizing the risk of harm and maximizing the benefit.’

(Source:http://www.surreywalkingclub.org.uk/Training?Advice/Articles/training_for_ultras_by_sandra_br.htm#Training/forUltras_SB)


If someone you do not know is working on your muscles then you are at risk of injury!

Why?

When a triathlete crosses that finish line, no matter what position or physical shape, the endorphins are running and they on a high where the pain can't be felt.

If they go for a massage at this stage and the muscles are being worked on it is is impossible to feel what the recovery person is doing to the muscles; they are anaesthetized and do not feel any pain.

When the muscles have been involved in dynamic activity, they are already suffering from overuse and do not need any more trauma happening to them; too much pressure on the fibers can damage them, and the they will then have to wait longer for healing as well as their normal recovery time.

Whether I work at 6-12-24 hour events, I make it a point of never trying to fix problems because pain perception is not the same as after recovery has taken place; these problems should have been dealt with during the training period not immediately after the event.

If a problem has shown up while the muscles are under stress, it may just be that it was not caused by the competing, it could have been caused by the recovery work done from the last event.

The biggest obstacle to recovery is lack of knowledge and affordability

The 3 main obstacles to a fast recovery plan are

• Affordability

• Lack of information

• The confidence to take on responsibility for self management

Scene 1-Lack of information

A triathlete out on the road for hours struggling towards the finish line

Reaches it and needs some recovery work; slowly makes way towards the tables only to find there are lines of people waiting, all still in competition gear and waiting, waiting, waiting.

Their muscles are getting colder so are they, if it is a cold rainy day some are heading towards hypothermia, but still more are coming in, they line up behind for the services of the busy recovery team.

Eventually you get up towards the front when they say last one we are going home and all pack up (They have to draw the line somewhere and competitors can well out number the people in the recovery area so not all of them can take advantage of their work

Where does this leave the rest of the field who are usually in worse state than the front field?

After they reach the finish point there is no where to go except home to lick the wounds and recover as best they can.

Once there it is painfully into the recovery process knowing it could be a week or two before being able to get back into training for the next one.

Scene 2-With information

An athlete struggling towards the finish line-reaches it and needs some recovery work.

Goes and collects finishing clothes and puts them on to keep warm.

Scene 2a
Takes strap out of bag, finds somewhere to sit and starts own recovery work.

Scene 2b
Finds his running mate, a spare bit of ground to lie down on and they start doing pair recovery.

Scene 2c
Finds a spare chair with his running mate and starts doing assisted recovery

Scene 2d
Goes home where pre-trained partner waits to do after recovery

True Story-When I went to look after the Danish team at the 2007 24 hour world championships in Montreal, the airline mislaid all all my clothes, tent and everything else, except for the few things I carried on board with me.

My equipment for the whole event consisted of a chair (above) for eating sleeping and working on.

Self confidence to take responsibility for your own recovery

Scientific knowledge has improved over the years with much money gone into research on sports recovery; much of this knowledge is aimed at the higher echelons of sport, and really not too much of it is available for the not so gifted athlete who cannot afford their own recovery specialist or attend a sports institute.

Ask any what their times were for their given distance over the runs they have done, and they will tell you down to the last second; they are constantly in competition with themselves to better the time they did before.

Most triathletes take their sport seriously enough to go out training as often as they can; how seriously they take it shows at start time when everyone is at the start line waiting for the gun to go off; they are all checking their watches to mark the start time and finish time.

To themselves they are all elite athletes, they cannot win against the best ones but they can win against themeselves!

When an athlete does improve their time and does a personal best, they are confident that the next one will be better; the confidence level rises and they are on a high, and they deserve the best care and recovery they can get; the body needs to recover from the pounding it has just had, but unfortunately they do not have the support of an institute to provide this.

They are too low down the order to warrant using the full resources of higher institutes and learning centers on helping them to recover; but there is one institute that is interested in helping them achieve the best they can.

That is the 'Sports Institute of Hard Knocks'

The objectives of the Institute

To help the athlete achieve the sports person within them to achieve the greatnes within themselves they know is there

To assist them to do this by using the World Run Recovery System

To provide them with the best Do It Yourself Recovery System possible

Quote

"I finally found my hero in life, and it was me!"

Kevin Saunders Ultra Marathoner

Kevin was on a Sydney to Melbourne (Australia) run and was going neck to neck with a great runner Yiannis Kouros; after a few hundred kilometers, he had done the best he could, and reaching the top of a hard to run up hill he had given it everything he had.

In doing so he discovered the greatness within himself; he had discovered that instead of looking for heroes elsewhere outside his own self, the biggest hero was within!

The self confidence for the athlete comes from knowing the recovery system they will be using has been developed, tested, and endorsed (not paid-earned in blood sweat and tears) by some of the best runners in the distance world.

It comes from knowing that the system it is exactly the same as the elite runners recieve and will be recieving even on the round the world run www.worldrun.org

The World Run Recovery System only uses the hands and the knowledge of using them effectively to work with the muscles

Below is a result sheet of the 1995 Colac 6 day event and it gives a figurative value to recovery

Conventional forms of recovery for ultra athletes are too inflexible and cumbersome to use in this sport-they need lots of equipment such as

• lotions

• potions

• creams,

• table to work on

• towels

If the athlete is on a long road run with a vehicles these can take up too much room.

If like Jesper Olsen who was self supporting most of the way around the world and pushed all his stuff in a baby jogger he would not have any room for food and water to be carried.

The World Run Recovery System does not need all this equipment,or even much training to use because it works with the muscles and gets them to contribute to their own recovery

The advantages of this is that it is fully portable and flexible enough to do anywhere at anytime by anyone.

Active recovery for fatigued legs
Active Recovery means taking a pro-active role in helping the calf muscles to work the pump at moving the fluid up the legs.

This is where the legs are helped to recover using a system that is directed at increasing the circulation so that fresh blood can flood the muscle tissues

The secret to a faster recovery is to reduce input/output required through-

• Simplicity

• Predictability

• Consistency

This is applied using

The latest in non-technical, non-invasive 'cutting edge' solutions to fatigued legs relief-the World Run Recovery System

It is Do It Yourself recovery

• No disrobing

• Works with the muscles not on them

• No oil used

• Non invasive

• User friendly

• Easy to learn

Some References

Michael’s methods of massage and blister care helped me to stay mobile throughout the race and to recover quickly afterwards. His techniques are safe and gentle.
Unlike some treatments, which put the runners and walkers at risk of muscle tears or infection, Michael’s techniques are gentle, safe, reassuring, and highly effective. They enhance comfort and flexibility, build confidence, and promote success.

This booklet will help others to learn and practice Michael’s methods. It is recommended reading for everyone who walks and runs and who wants to go further, go faster, or just to enjoy life more!!'

SANDRA BROWN 1996 Ladies 1000 Mile World Record Holder 1999 Ladies 100 mile Race walking World Record Holder

“I know that your massage kept a number of competitors in the event. The cold weather of Saturday afternoon and night certainly got to many of the walkers and your prompt action had them back in the race after a short stop.
In years past, that would have ended up as a non-finish. A number of walkers were able to keep going for the full 24 hours on the basis of your expert help.”

Tim Ericson Secretary Australian Centurions Club

'I have known Michael Gillan for many years and have always got quick relief for my aches and pains from the stretching he performs'.
CLIFF YOUNG-75-80 24 Hour World Record Holder (150.07 kilometers)

A word from Jesper Olsen World Runner about Light Manual Muscle Relaxation
“If I hadn't had the qualified help from the excellent masseur Michael Gillan, taking several thousands of km out of my legs, I could spare myself the effort!”

“My crew for the current stages, Michael Gillan, has proven to have other talents than the quite taxing job of taking care of all the requirements of a really tired ultra runner!
He has since years back been working on a new approach to stretching and muscle-rebuilding for ultra runners. I have the last two days tried his careful stretch and massage, and a bit to my surprise the muscles are beginning to feel like before the start back in Greenwich, London!!

Usually I doesn’t take massage as the legs of an ultra runner will often be quite sore during the long time events (and especially in an multi-year event like this...), and getting a massage can at times cause more injury and cramping up than good. For example my last massage was some 12 000km ago when I ran the 12-hour competition in Finland. And so far that has been the only one.

But Gillan came with best recommendations from my main contact in Australia, Phil Essam, who besides being vice president in the Australian Ultra runners Association has heaps of good knowledge to share. And this new kind of mild massage for ultra runners is definitely one of the good tips! There should be a fair chance that I actually get fresh enough to do some decent running at the 6 Day Race that I have coming up in Colac from the 21.November. I quite look forward to that, even though I can’t expect to make a top class result :-)”

He won! 756.2 kilometers (Jesper holds the record for the longest run in history over 26000 kilometers and the first person to run around the world Taken from www.worldrun.org


Affordability

To do a full recovery course will cost hundreds of dollars in course fees, there is also the time needed to study physiology, anatomy, and the hand skills needed to do it.

Been there done that
There is no way of knowing that what you are using is effective enough another problem is that everyone else wants you to work on them and no one works on you, this defeats the object of the exercise.

The triathlete is still left with the fatigued legs they started with after working on everyone else because there is no one to work on them!

It would be and more effective and cheaper to pay someone!

It would be even cheaper and more effective to pay me for the knowledge I have because I am the one who developed and tested the World Run Recovery System over many years at the Sports Institute of Hard Knocks.

Unfortunately this is impossible because I will not be here-

In 2008 the World Run Project starts and I am on it

I am the Muscle Recovery Specialist and expected to be on the road with the 2 runners for a fair part of the distance. www.worldrun.org

Win Win!


The Athlete needs help in relieving those fatigued legs and the 'Sports Institute of Hard Knocks' World Run Recovery Specialist is going on the road-but having problems with the financial issues of being away so long.

In Australia it is very difficult to get sponsors unless you already have a big name as a star-for support crew who do cannot supply glamor it is impossible.

Buying a manual form me will defray my costs of being involved in the world run project, and at the same time as I am looking after the world runners the accidental athlete can share the experience of a recovery similar to that of the world runners at a very affordable price.

Not only that, the Marathoner can follow my route through the world run site and if you are anywhere near me come and say hello and I will even give you a first hand workshop on recovery!

US$20.00 ebook PDF format

Win Win!


With your support I get to on the World Run and the triathlete gets the very same recovery system I will be using on World Run 2! www.worldrun.org


Win Win!

Triathlon Recovery System-lite

contact Michael

michael@aching-legs-relief.com