Stretching Benefits

Looks like the ride today was better than the stammering ride done yesterday. Although it was only a 35km short ride, the moment I mounted the bike, I could feel the difference. With more sessions of training, I could tell the difference between a good day and a not so good day. From the moment I get onto the bike. And yes, today, the legs fired very well. Maybe the mindset was positive because the body knew it was a short ride?


The 4 sets of 5km started really humid during the 1st set. Had to slow down to prevent the HR from shooting  up. Managed pace of 6:13/km, 5:48/km, 5:16/km and 4:44/km. Coach wanted me to go all out for the last set and it was a 5km worth of anaerobic set for me. By the last 2km, my lungs felt as if they were going to burst and my mind was telling me to stop. Funny that my glutes were the ones aching away thereafter. Was I using the glutes to run? Or was that the remnants from the bike session yesterday?


On the 2nd and 3rd set, my left knee started to ache a bit. During the 500m walk before the 4th set, I stopped to stretch the quads and hammies. I remember Coach telling me that his problems was sometimes due to different tensions in the muscle group near the knee cap. And voila! The pain went off for me!


After having read about how stretching may or may not help and that it was an age old theory never been proven right, about how deep tissue massage may do more harm than good, I think for all that they are worth, stretching and deep tissue massage must have their merits. As for me, besides the sports massage I get, I use the foam roller. Frankly, the foam roller is a good compliment to all of that. Take for example, today after the run, the legs felt so jelly but after the roller session, the muscles felt more at ease. It just takes a bit more discipline to roll them up instead of resting in front of the TV. Not too expensive an investment I must say? And with WA around the corner, I will really have to take care of my legs and health as well.