Deep Tissue Massage...To My Groin!?

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you this brief story about the benefits of deep tissue massage. I'm still busily working on my race report from the Rio Del Lago 100 Mile Run and hope to post it in the next couple of days. Meanwhile, the folks from the Brooks Inspire Daily Team asked me to write about my experiences with overcoming an injury. I truly believe that while very painful, deep tissue massage has helped me run farther in the last 52 weeks than I have in my life! But not to worry, I'm still able to successfully mention my recent 100 mile finish...and yes, I've already been in for a deep tissue massage post race. Let me just say that deep tissue massage plus two days post-100 miler equals a bit of pain.

After successfully running a dozen marathons, as well as numerous other 5 and 10k races over the past 15 years, 2006 found me in new territory…injured! I had developed a groin injury that wasn’t only putting a damper on my running, it was also leaking into other activities from mowing the lawn to wrestling with my 4 kids. I tried to stay active, spending a lot of time on various elliptical machines, but nothing quite helped me escape like running.

In June of 2007 I was beginning to settle into my newfound role of master of the elliptical machine, and ex-runner packing on an extra 10 lbs. I had tried a variety of what I thought were traditional approaches to healing a groin. I had tried rest, ice, and stretching. I had gone to medical doctors wondering if I had some type of hernia. I completed weeks of physical therapy that included ultra sound machines, TENS units and every type of stretching exercise one could imagine. I found myself hooked up to an electro-accuscope, my groin played the role of a pin cushion to many accu-pressure needles but at the end of the day, no relief.

At the suggestion of a friend, I decided to volunteer at an aid station at the 2007 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run from Lake Tahoe to Auburn, CA. I had decided that if I couldn’t run myself, I might as well live vicariously through others. I worked the mile 78 aid station. While there I noticed a number of runners who came through gave high-fives to a deep tissue massage therapist who had set up a small table at the aid station. The massage therapist, VeLoyce Shackleton, aka “the Monster” owned Monsters of Massage in Auburn, CA. The Monster had built quite a business working on endurance athletes, with a large percentage of his clientele ultra runners. A friend at the aid station, who heard of my groin trouble, suggested I chat with VeLoyce and ask him if there was anything that he could do to help. To be honest, the idea of a deep tissue massage to the groin sounded more like a form of punishment than relief. But in speaking with the Monster, he said he had treated many runners with the exact same injury. I had tried everything else, why not give deep tissue massage a try?

When I first booked with VeLoyce he recommended a half hour appointment. I thought all massages lasted an hour. I had never been to a massage therapist. In my mind, a massage was something you did if you were at the beach, and wanted to fall asleep while having someone gently rub your cares away. VeLoyce assured me that I couldn’t handle an hour of his deep tissue massage. As a matter of fact he figured I couldn’t handle 10 minutes of his deep tissue massage. He was right.

The theory behind deep tissue massage, I learned, was to cause trauma to the area a) to increase the amount of blood flow to the injury and b) to release toxins and other symptoms found in a muscle-tissue injury. After the first session I was bruised. The second session was worse. But by the 6^th session I was beginning to notice relief. I continued to see VeLoyce for several more weeks just to be safe. I started running again and I was pain free.

Shortly after I started running again I decided that I could become a trail runner, much like those inspirational runners from Western States. Over the next 12 months I went on to run 6 50k ultramarathons, 1 50 mile run and last Saturday I completed the Rio Del Lago 100 Mile Endurance Run in 25 hours and 12 minutes, good for 24^th place overall.

My routine now consists of regular deep tissue massage in the Monster’s Den, at least 3 weeks prior to a race and 2 weeks post-race. I’ve run more miles than I ever have in my life and I’ve been completely injury free!