Quote Originally Posted by katluvr View Post
As for the massage...I almost started a new thread... it really was my first (yep, just never spent the time and not sure that I would enjoy it). Well I didn't love it. And trust me, I have friends and this guy is the best/awesome. You pay for 1 hour and get almost 2. He works on you till he is satisfied his work is done. So first off I could not relax. I could not stop thinking (about what he was doing, where did he keep his massage oil dispenser, etc. etc.) Then I found out that laying face down for that long and my nose/sinuses totally filled up and I could not breathe. I went to mouth breathing, but that really didn't work either.
He spent most of the time on my back (yep a few knots that he will never get out!) and not as much leg work as I wanted.
So I am determined to give it another go (and soon). I feel like am a "massage failure"!
Are you seeing a sports massage person, or just a regular relaxation massage person? It might make a difference. You might also try something like active release, or a massage therapist with a different technique that isn't direct deep tissue. In an hour, my massage guy (who is more active release than relaxation) can get through my whole body (with no massage oil, 90% face up, and clothes on) - granted, if I am a mess, it's not everything 100%, but it's definite progress.

You might also want to encourage a dialog - sometimes the work on your back/core WILL help your legs, because your hamstrings/hip flexors do connect in the middle of your body, and relaxing those is the key to a lot of upper and lower body relaxation too. But, if he never explains to you that, it just feels like you're getting nowhere.

And, finally, give it 24-48 hours. Just like soreness, sometimes the opposite takes a little while to really help. Even if I continue running and going about my business as usual, I usually notice the biggest difference after 2 nights sleep.

You may have to revise your goals, but give yourself time (no pun intended). One way to test and ensure success down the road would be to take the last 1-2 miles of your long run and try running at your goal pace, definitely within 30 seconds of your goal pace. If you can sustain it, great, and keep that as a part of your long run (you'll want to increase it as your distance increases). If you can't, maybe you need to revise your goal. Related active.com article - see #2 http://www.active.com/running/Articl...n_mistakes.htm (take all of that with a grain of salt, I read a lot of articles and never take all of the advice from every single one )

Sometimes you have a down week. That's fine. Marathoners weren't made overnight. Mentally put the day or week behind you and move forward. If you keep feeling drained, you may be better off taking a couple days of rest (or easy workouts).