Not many triathletes can afford to get a decent massage daily or even weekly. Not to mention getting it after each training.
Living in different places and traveling makes it even more challenging to find the right person, place, price and time for a refreshing, recovery massage. Having a masseur girlfriend could be a good solution, but that is also a question of luck.
So I had to look for another solution. After buying all the self-massage tools, such as the muscle roller stick or spikey recovery ball I finally met Recovery Systems that became my best friend since.
Why is recovery and resting so critical and what is the difference between them?
Resting is the time that you spend sleeping or not training. Recovery on the other hand is the actions you take to repair your body. With Recovery Systems you can do both at the same time. I sometimes fall asleep or meditate while sitting in the blue boots.
During recovery your body adapts to the stress caused by training. As well as refills your energy stores, repairs damaged tissues, rebuilds muscle fibers, restores fluids and protein synthesis occurs.
Short-term recovery takes place immediately after each training. I compose my recovery time depending on the length, intensity and frequency of the training. It usually consists of a drink or food containing protein, aminos, salts. Stretching 10-25 min and Recovery Systems 10-30 min follow. Then I eat a bigger meal.
The blue boots press your feet and leg in a pre-set mode, leading to increased circulation. The quicker blood flow helps remove waste products, decrease inflammation and restore the delivery of nutrients to the muscles.
The first thing that comes to your mind after an Ironman race is “Thanks God it’s over and never again.” However the second thought is more conscious “I killed my body again. How can I recover the fastest with the least pain?” So stepping over the finish line I usually drink a protein shake if provided by the organizers, eat whatever seems to be the best choice for recovery or drink my pre-packed Ambronite portion. Then limp into the massage tent and try to relax hoping that I will feel better after the treatment.
After Ironman 70.3 Bintan some years ago, my legs were just as exhausted as always. Then a guy came up to me and let me try his weird machine. I always saw athletes sitting in the big blue boots, and wished to test them, but never really had the chance. I got out of the as a new person. I can not explain the difference it made to my legs.
Since I have my Recovery Systems, I do not worry as much about recovery as before. I believe it can help in avoiding overtraining in the long term. And it gets me back on my feet in 30 min after a tough training. I get much more relaxing sleeps at night when I do a 20-30 min session after going to bed.
The only problem is that it is another extra baggage traveling along with me next to my bike bag and backpack. I usually take it to the airplane cabin and use it immediately after long flights.