It's NYC Marathon Weekend! In celebration of Runner's Christmas and in honor of the 50,000 runners who race 26.2 miles tomorrow, here's an entire blog post on my favorite tip for foot health (runners + non-runners!) and a few mile trip down memory lane on my NYC Marathons.
These little buggers will change your life
OK, maybe not your entire life, but IF your feet had a life, then yes. I've recommended the Foot Rubz little green balls to countless clients and they swear by them too. Here's why YOU need to go to Amazon Prime NOW at link below and add them to your cart.
We all have a thick lining of connective tissue that runs along the bottom of our feet - think of it like our ancient natural sneakers. This tissue can get inflamed by: uncomfortable footwear, ladies - heels!, men = dress shoes!, lots and lots of running, anything jumpy like dance, basketball or quick bursts where you clench up your foot arch, flip flops, standing for long periods of time or weight gain.
This tender area is under a lot of pressure each and every day. It needs some loving! Self-massage is great, but rolling your feet on these little balls is way easier and helps relieve some of the clenching, stimulates nerve endings and can help relieve related muscle tightness, like calf pain or foot cramps.
I often have my personal training clients deadlift and squat barefoot to build up foot strength and have them roll their feet prior to their lifts to stimulate the nerve endings along their legs, increase muscle activation and BOOM lift heavier. Plus, it just feels SO good.
Plantar Fasciitis, (groan).
Why did the scientists and docs have to pick such an ugly name? It sounds like a case of purple warts with little unicorns coming out of your feet. Here's my "PF story:" During the summer of 2011, I discovered "foldable flats." Remember those great little cheapie ballet flats you could throw in your bag and change in to heels when you got to work? I had four pairs and would commute in them to my desk, 20 minute walk each way = 40 minutes a day. I also fell in love with a dance class at Equinox and was doing lots of quick jumpy movements for my workouts. Combine that with running and I was a classic target for Plantar Fasciitis. What did I have for my Thanksgiving dinner that year? Three days of lying on my couch with frozen water bottles on my feet. OUCH.
Avoid the nagging pain, buy these ballz, and try to roll two or three minutes each day. I always brought mine on business trips and vacations too. Here's a 25 second video clip to get you started. Bonus points if you can spot my boyfriend's Rubix Cube.
Now let's run 26.2 Miles
I'm proud to say I checked the NYC Marathon off my bucket-list in 2007 while still in college. It was perfect running weather = cloudy, low 50's and little wind. Just like tomorrow's forecast. I ran a steady race, didn't hit the wall and started passing hundreds of people with 3 miles to go. I finished in 3:54:12 and was thrilled to run sub-4 hours. I told myself I'd never run another marathon. It's not so good for your body. However, as the years went on and I became stronger, faster, and even more a part of the fabric of New York City and the local running community, I am craving my second race and a faster time. But that's a story for 2016.
My little brother crushed the race in 2013, I helped him train and was his #1 Fan. He also beat my time by two minutes. Sense some sibling rivalry here?
This year I'm planning on cheering on my friends and clients on 105th and 1st Avenue. I'm making my 2015 sign today and will be sure to post it for you all. Until then, happy running, Happy Halloween and enjoy this beautiful weekend!