The Importance of Massage in Triathlon Training, pt. 2

I received my second massage with Brad at the Cafe of Life. In addition to trading a lot of damage to his arms to repair the damage I’ve been doing to my tired, overworked hamstrings, he also did some energy work. Lindsay Brust

Now, I’ve lived in Boulder, Colorado (one of the crunchier places on Earth) since August of 2006 and I still don’t completely understand the concept of energy work. I have noticed that the phrase “energy work” is commonly used in the same sentences as words like “chakras” and “meridians.” I have only a loose grasp on what those mean as well. I do like the idea of it though.

What I can tell you is that energy work with Brad will get you free soy milk and $3 bottles of wine. Hear me out.

I wandered across the parking lot to Whole Foods after my massage because we are out of almond milk and I absolutely can’t live without smoothies. The almond milk I usually get for smoothies was $4 for a half gallon at Whole Paycheck (er, Whole Foods) so I tried to find something a little more affordable.

While I was gazing at the milk case in my massage induced haze, one of my favorite Whole Foods employees approached and asked if he could help me. Assuming he couldn’t get me out of my triathlon or suddenly make me an effortlessly awesome endurance swimmer I asked for a suggestion on milk for smoothies. He handed me a carton of Earth Balance Soy Milk and told me it was so awesome and he was so sure I would love it that he put a sticker over the bar code and gave it to me for free as a sample. Score.

Then I wandered next door to the liquor store to grab a bottle of wine to enjoy this evening with (or for) dinner and I noticed a sign for Three Wishes for $2.99 a bottle. This is almost certainly Whole Food’s answer to the popular “3 buck chuck” made famous by Trader Joe’s. I asked an associate working there how it was and they said that the cabernet is “pretty good.” So I got two of those and one Chardonnay just to balance it out. For $9. Double Score.

Next time I go get a massage from Brad, I’m going to have to tip him more.

The Importance of Massage in Triathlon Training

My apologies for my lack of posts over the past week. I bet after my last post you thought that I threw in the towel and went back to sitting around, drinking wine, and reading nonfiction.

While that sounds tempting, what actually happened is my boyfriend and I bought a house, packed, painted, moved, unpacked, cleaned, ran errands and tried to put some order back in our lives. My training suffered. I felt like it was too indulgent for me to go for a run or a ride while my dad and my friends were helping me move. At least I got in some strength training lifting boxes and going up and down stairs. Even though I’m emotionally exhausted, I’m physically feeling pretty good. As a treat to myself for my hard work I booked a massage at Cafe of Life. (The first time you book online it’s $35 for an hour) I requested a deep tissue massage and they recommended Brad.

Though I still think that triathletes are a little crazy (seriously, one sport isn’t enough?), I understand their insanity a little better if it validates spending a fairly obscene amount of money for massage. Nothing feels better then someone rubbing your achy feet. Nothing.

My shoulders, which are usually pretty tight, are now ridiculous. Especially where my muscles connect to my shoulder blades. I almost screamed when he dug his thumb into my back. My hamstrings and quads are also pretty tender. I’m shocked that I’m actually not sore today.

Brad said that I need much more then an hour to do a full body massage – and at 5’3″ my body isn’t that big! Apparently, triathlon training is causing me to have a lot of kinks to work out. If only I could afford it more often. Now, I am assuming Brad is a master salesperson because that’s the only explanation for it, but at one point during my massage, he asked me if I was a professional triathlete. Note to salespeople everywhere, I will buy anything from you if you ask me if I’m a professional athlete and then act surprised when I tell you I have a full time job.