What to expect when getting a foot massage

I have felt great benefits as a runner from getting massages. Some runners may feel hesitant to get a massage because they do not know what will happen. Here is a video from the Center for Natural Wellness in Albany, NY that shows the massage techniques used in a foot massage: http://youtu.be/qEM6IoV5jdI




I like the idea that massage strokes move blood to the massaged area, and that massaging the foot will help move fluids in the foot back to the heart.

Do you recommend foot massage as a part of your running practice?

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Help - I am feeling discouraged because other runners are faster than me!

Michael Jordan to the rescue:



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How I Improved My Running By Reading 'Mindset' by Carol Dweck

The book 'Mindset, The New Psychology of Success, How We Can Learn To Fulfill Our Potential,' was a great read because it gave me a deeper insight on the theory of fixed mindset and growth mindset. For more detail on her research, please check out my post, 'Six Valuable Running Lessons I Learned from Bounce by Matthew Syed.'

I thought that the chapter on fixed mindset versus growth mindset coaches would be the most valuable, but the chapter that really opened my eyes was Chapter 8: Changing Mindsets.

Sometimes I Am Scared of the Unfamiliar

Dweck shares some anecdotes of children that are "paralyzed by setbacks." These young children have a fixed mindset and, "when things go wrong, they feel powerless and incapable."

In the Video 'Teaching Growth Mindsets,' http://youtu.be/OhLJPhxuvGM, Dr. Christine Carter and Kelly Coorigan talk about parenting with the growth mindset versus the fixed mindset. This conversation applies directly to how I want to think about my running.

I think that research on children is valuable for my running, because I usually encounter my obstacles when I am at the end of a race or during a high mileage week in my training. I will be tired, thirsty, low on carbohydrates, and my emotions can spiral out of control as easily as a two year old's do if I do not know how to put myself into the right mindset with the right attitude. When I am comfortable, I can easily use a growth mindset to make life's decisions, but when I feel stressed, it seems like the little voice inside my head adopts a fixed mindset.

Do you ever feel paralyzed when faced with a setback in a race? How do you get yourself back on track?


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