Marathons to Bikeathon…?

It’s a well known fact that if you exercise in a particular way on a regular basis the body adapts very quickly. In order to get the results you want, whether that’s a specific body shape or fitness level it is important to mix things up every few weeks. Give your body an unexpected challenge; shock your muscle fibres and take your fitness to the next level!

Now, I’m as guilty as the next person when it comes to exercise repetition. I adore running and weirdly have a mental block over doing anything else before I run at least 10km. After the run is done I feel I can relax a bit and then turn my attention to other disciplines, such as free weight training, biking, whatever takes my fancy depending on what I want to achieve at the time. As part of this ‘running rut’ I tend to lean towards half and full marathons when it comes to racing, however, it’s time for me to get out of my comfort zone; properly and once and for all!

A couple of months ago my housemate highlighted the perfect opportunity to help me take advantage of my lush racing bike, that I only bought last year, which will also give my joints a small break from all the running (although I am wanting to get into ultra marathons but that was a previous blog) as well as forcing me out of the gym and into the fresh air (well…as fresh as London allows!). So, what have I gone and entered? A bikeathon…

For those of you who know me you won’t be surprised to hear that despite this being my first cycling race I didn’t want to enter the shorter routes but instead go for the longest distance on offer (if I’m committing to something there are no half hearted efforts, I’ll do it properly. That way I get to feel mildly like Rocky!). My housemate and I agreed we’d do the bikeathon together, all 75miles of it. A beautiful bike ride all round Surrey including some great hills (which I have no doubt I’ll be less enthusiastic about when I’m exhausted with a bad case of saddle soreness!).

Apart from the fact I’m a runner, not a cyclist, and I have no doubt this event is going to seriously hurt and result in DOMS* I have never experienced before, there is yet another fly in the ointment. Where my housemate entered the race pretty much immediately to secure her place on the 75mile course, I didn’t get round to entering until a couple of weeks later (maybe my subconscious was trying to tell me something?) so when I came to choosing the distance I wanted to cycle the 75mile route was full! Gutted (or am I?!). Needless to say my housemate was not impressed even when I tried to see the positive in that we’ll at least set off from the same starting point. Funnily enough that piece of information didn’t bring much comfort!

I have contacted the event organisers and placed my name on a reserve list should a spot become available (fingers crossed) but whatever distance I end up doing I shall still be attempting to raise some money for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research (do you see where this blog is going?)

If you do want to sponsor me it’ll certainly help with my motivation to hang up my trainers and get out on my bike to train properly, so please, if you can, visit www.justgiving.com/stephanieblakemassage it’s a great cause and I’ll even let you mock me as I’ve no doubt I’ll be walking around like John Wayne for at least a month afterwards!

 

*Delayed onset of muscle soreness

Marathons to Ultra-marathons: Is it time for the next level of long distance running?

May 2012 saw the completion of my sixth marathon in Prague. Over the last couple of years I have been entering races a little further afield to keep the excitement of running a marathon fresh: as amazing as the London Marathon is, after running it three times I feel there’s other amazing courses to be run all over the world but let’s start in Europe!

Entering a small marathon like Prague was just perfect. Only 9,000 runners and just over 4,000 of those were those running the relay race. The atmosphere was amazing with some awesome music not only at the start/finish point but also live music along the route* which really cranked up the whole vibe of the race. Apart from being colder than I would have liked, the course was picturesque, flat and pretty ideal for anyone hoping for a PB** and had I not had a knee injury that reared its ugly head at 28km I really think it would have been my fastest race to date. Sadly I was five minutes slower than my PB, achieved in Dublin back in 2010 which actually cast a cloud over race day for me but that’s another blog!

Anyway, I digress…

I am very lucky to have friends and family that always insist on coming along to support me during these events, whether I’m in the UK or not, and Prague was no different. My parents, and my sister, booked an apartment so they could cheer me on (and also enjoy a city break away I’m sure!) so come the morning of the marathon they stood with me at the start line, taking pics and making sure I was good to go: and when the race finally got underway they wished me luck, waved me off and I’m sure then went to find breakfast and coffee!

I always ask supporters who want to cheer me on to stand anywhere between 19miles and 23miles as, for me, these are always the toughest. I feel that I’m nearly there and yet, the miles always seem to go incredibly slowly! Sure enough though I managed to spot my folks about mile 20 (and when I say ‘spot’ I mean nearly get knocked over as my mum enthusiastically waves in front of me for fear I won’t hear her over the music playing in my ears!)

Race over, medal round neck, back aching and disappointment seeping throughout my entire body as I realise I had not achieved a PB I blindly follow all the other runners as we were herded in the same direction. I was searching the crowds for my friends and family but couldn’t see any familiar faces. I then realised I was in an area of Prague unfamiliar to me and I had no idea where I was! This was also the first time I didn’t put a kit bag in (usually containing a phone) so I had no way of contacting anyone to see where they were. Exhausted, aching and, I’ll be honest, a little panicked, I decided to follow signs displaying the word ‘START’. At least then I could get my bearings and navigate my way back to my apartment if nothing else!

Needless to say with so many spectators and runners it took me a while to reach that point from which I’d started a few hours before. However, suddenly I heard my name being called and turned to see my mum waving frantically. Where had my family been waiting? They were chilling out with lunch and beer in a restaurant!

Bearing in mind I had been considerably longer than expected I was a little alarmed at the lack of concern! Let’s keep in mind that it’s extremely strenuous on the body to do this sort of long distance runnning and anything could have gone wrong. But I’m guessing when you’ve done a few marathons those close to you maybe think it’s all taken in your stride.

It dawned on me that I need to up my game. I look back at the first couple of marathons I did and believe me, there was no sitting in pubs just waiting for me to rock up after the race! There was lots of standing at the finish waiting with open arms to make me feel a little bit like a winner (despite the fact that I was simply one of thousands to finish the race!). So what to do? Clearly number of marathons isn’t that impressive so that only really leaves increasing the distance***…

With that in mind, I’m thinking it’s time to see how my body copes with ultra marathon distances. From what I can gather ‘ultra marathons’ seem to be any distance longer than a marathon (and I’m guessing from 50km plus). But, as some of you may know, I’m an ‘all or nothing’ kind of person so I’m hoping to give a 50mile ultra marathon a go at the end of next year.

To my delight a friend sent me the weblink to a competition for free entry into an ultra marathon this autumn. Now, there’s no way I’d be ready for 50miles by this September, however, one of the races is 50km (31.25miles) running round five of the eight Royal Parks in London. Not only that but it finishes in Bushy Park, which is about 10mins from where I live! It couldn’t be more perfect.

Fingers crossed I’m awarded a place. Not only is it only another 8km further than a marathon (I’m sure it’ll feel a lot longer when I’m running it) but mentally that’s an achievable goal but, moreover, I’m hoping to win back my ‘winner’ status that I seem to have lost from running the same distance multiple times!

Needless to say I’ll keep you posted as to whether it works!

 

*even though I always need to listen to my own music when running these races, I still think it’s fantastic not only for the runners without headphones but also all the lovely supporters.

**personal best

***please don’t think I am not grateful for my family travelling all over Europe to support me. They are all amazing for their continued support for any crazy venture I undertake!

Racing ‘Abroad’. Pack a Buddy!

Despite the hundreds of races that are available to get involved with in my own country, and even in the locality, there’s definitely something a little special about entering a race in another country.

My first experience of this was the Dublin Marathon back in 2010. After completing the London Marathon three times I was in desperate need of a change of scenery (not to detract from the awesomeness that is the London Marathon: it’s one of the biggest races in the world and for good reason!) so keeping things still fairly local, I dipped my toe into racing abroad (and clearly by ‘abroad’ I mean there was an actual flight and change in country involved despite the fact I was technically still in the UK!)

Needless to say that I had to actually incorporate more organisation into my race prep. If you know me, you’ll appreciate I have a nasty habit of literally rocking up on the day, putting one foot in front of the other and breathing in and out! If I’m feeling good I speed up, if I’m a bit knackered I’ll slow down: all VERY technical! But this ‘casual’ approach to marathons has served me pretty well so far pulling out times I never thought I’d ever be able to achieve.

Obviously I’ll never win such an event but I’m also confident I won’t come last, therefore the pressure’s off! So, why then do the nerves kick in at least a week before race day and the anxiety dreams always involve me running the wrong route or getting to the start line late and desperately trying to catch up with the rest of the runners?!

No matter whether I feel I’ve done adequate training or actually fallen a little short on some of the longer distances it’s always the same, but come race day I have everything I need close to hand to get ready and set off to the start line. However, when the start line is a plane ride away from your home one has to think about what to take in case of every eventuality.

This doesn’t sit well with me. I’m more of a ‘small backpack for a weekend away’ kinda girl so whilst sat on the plane with my racing buddy talking about what we’d each packed I had a minor meltdown.

It turns out that wash bag, running kit and pjs wasn’t satisfactory race packing! Thankfully, my mate had everything you could possibly imagine, including the kitchen sink: different running kit (depending on what the weather would be doing come race day); heat pads; anti-inflammatory gels/pills; blister pads; Vaseline; nailclippers….in fact the list goes on and on. He even packs exactly what he likes to eat for pre-marathon breakfast as well as the coffee he likes to drink!

At first, I couldn’t help but mock (just a little!). Surely this was all going a bit OCD? However, he was the one to have the last laugh…

I think I used pretty much all the first aid kit he’d packed! It seemed I was asking for something every five minutes, and it didn’t seem to matter what it was I needed, he had EVERYTHING! Since that race, it’s now an ongoing joke that his pre-marathon shopping includes ‘Steph’s first aid/race kit’ but hey, saves me the weight in my own bag!

I will admit though, it’s lovely having a racing buddy I can travel with, share the race with and then recover with. If you’re venturing a little further afield for your next race I would highly recommend a pal who can at least share the baggage with as well as the experience…next race for me is the Prague Marathon this Sunday 13^th May. I better get on the phone and make sure my mate has got ‘my kit’ packed already    

Keeping Post-Event Massage in ‘Mind’

The London Marathon. Originally an idea concocted by two guys having a drink in Richmond after one of their own runs and now one of the biggest races in the world. Crowds lined the streets to cheer on nearly 37, 500 runners this year so you can imagine how many people were involved in all the ‘behind the scenes’ work: from marshalling and drinks’ stations to the baggage truck drivers and banner and balloon decorators. The scale of the event is really off the chart and so it’s understandable that the number of people actually involved in one way or another isn’t fully comprehended.

As a runner myself, I admit that it can be slightly taken for granted. However, this year for the first time I was privileged to be volunteering with the mental health charity Mind. The amount of money raised for charity is phenomenal and accounts for the sheer mental determination to keep going at mile 22 when every fibre in your body wants you to stop!

After offering post event massage for Mind runners last year at the Royal Parks half marathon, and having such a fantastic day, I was really excited to get my elbows stuck into those completing London 2012. Having completed a few marathons myself, I know exactly how runners can be feeling: whether it’s a combination of elation and muscle pain from achieving a certain time (or the actual race itself), or a combination of disappointment and muscle pain from missing a time target.

I find these mixed emotions, also influenced by adrenaline, cortisol, sugar (from all the gels, jelly beans etc available on the course) and possible dehydration, have a massive effect on the body. Not to mention the amount of lactic acid that has built up over the 26.2miles and muscle fibre tears that are all part and parcel of running such a distance!

Before too long the first runners appeared in need of a massage. Hobbling into the room one by one runners plonked themselves down onto the massage tables absolutely exhausted. To be fair who could blame them? They’d just complete 26.2miles and trust me, if you’ve never done distance running before suddenly even a mile seems like a very long way after you’ve already completed 20!

One of the best aspects of massage though is the immediacy of it. You may question how effective a 10/15minute massage can be but increasing blood flow (and therefore oxygen, warmth etc) to tired, torn muscles, displacing all that lactic acid build up will have a massive effect on muscle recovery. By no means am I saying runners collapsed onto the couch and then 15minutes later hopped off ready for another run but that initial immediate treatment will mean that the days that follow the race will be lot easier!

Therefore, it goes without saying that those clients I have treated for a full hour will receive even greater benefits. Muscle soreness will ease so much more quickly, but still don’t underestimate how simply tired one can be after such a gruelling distance! Only gentle exercise for about a month after a marathon (depending on your fitness levels!) should ensure injury prevention as well as effective muscle recovery, so let me get my elbows stuck in and feel the results for yourself!

For details on how to get involved with the charity Mind or make a donation please visit their website www.mind.org.uk

A Social Media Intervention

As a massage therapist it may seem a little strange that I should be so keen to be part of the online social media scene. However, as a sole trader, running her own business it makes perfect sense.

I often get approached by other health practitioners asking for help with their social media marketing as more and more individuals realise the importance of using applications, such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and how it can positively affect their business. But where something can have a positive effect on your business it’s important that it can easily have the opposite effect so it’s crucial to learn the correct ways in using these marketing tools.

After over five years of trial and error with these things, as well as a heavy dose of common sense, these social media sites are really coming into their own for my business, and I wouldn’t be without them. To remove my online presence would be a catastrophic mistake as it is would be to refuse getting involved with social media at all!

There is so much competition out there one cannot afford not to ‘tweet’, create a Facebook page or have a profile on LinkedIn (I mention these three as they are the major players of the social media world and are the very minimum you can get away with!). So popular are these sites that it has now become clear that simply having a website has become secondary when attracting new clients to your business!

I could go on and on about how to use social media for business, rather than personal use, but I want to keep this short, sharp and to the point. So  I’m also writing a book on all the ins and outs of setting up your business and social media marketing for the health practitioner (although really, for the most part all the principles can be applied to any small business start up!)

A word of caution though…like with any marketing tool it needs time, effort and consistency. Don’t expect to sign up to a twitter account today and be inundated with new clients tomorrow. It’s a social media site after all! Build relationships, establish your business (and personality) and therefore your USP*. It took me about a year of tweeting etc before I really started to see an influx of new clients contacting me through my social media accounts rather than finding my website first. However, there has definitely been a snowball effect and the last year has seen a dramatic increase in business for me all thanks to getting online and being online everyday!

 

So, on that note:

• Follow me on Twitter
• Find me on Facebook
• Connect with me on LinkedIn

 

*Unique Selling Point

It’s Not Business, It’s Personal

As a self employed massage therapist it’s inevitable that some weeks will be extraordinarily busy and others…well…not! After five years of enduring this roller coaster ride of peaks and troughs you’d think I’d be used to the quiet days (or weeks!) safe in the knowledge that another busy period was just round the corner.

However, given the fact there is never any certainty that busy weeks will always follow quiet ones, it’s always a rather stressful time for me. But what I’ve really come to understand about myself is the fact I have a nasty habit of taking it all a bit personally.

Whether it’s the nature of my business, or my own human nature, I think the ever old saying ‘it’s not personal, it’s business’ came from someone who never had their own business and, if they did, certainly wasn’t in the health industry!

Every interaction I have with a client is absolutely 100% personal, so how can I separate my therapist role from my business owner role? And furthermore do I even want to?

With that question in mind I realised that, actually I think it’s great to embrace the personal aspect of business in order to help convey passion for what I do and how I work. That way, you will always succeed in being individual and your USP* will easily be identified by you and the consumer, boosting your marketing means before you’ve even started!

I often get approached by other therapists and small businesses that need a little help or guidance with their marketing and there are a couple of questions I like to ask before we even get to first base:

• Do you really want your own business, with all the other roles it entails to run a business, as well as being a practitioner**?

and

• How badly to you want it?

Needless to say the first question comes from a very practical angle. Some individuals may simply not fully understand all the ins and outs of running a business, what the time commitments are and all the ‘behind the scenes’ work that is involved on a daily basis.

The second question is, without doubt, a personal one. And sometimes not so easy to answer! I always ask people to really think about this one because it really determines the level of commitment sat in front of me and will therefore help me tailor my marketing tips etc to be most effective for the individual. Of course, it’s all proportional…the more time, effort and energy you put into your business the more you will get out of it in the long term, however, what you deem as ‘success’ is hugely personal anyway!

I will never forget a consultation I had with Christina Jackson, from Actioncoach, years ago where she asked me if I had a business or a job. Given my self-employment status I replied I had a business, at which point she highlighted that if I went on holiday or became ill I wouldn’t actually earn any money. ‘You have a job’ she said, ‘A business keeps on running even when you’re not actually there!’

This conversation has stayed with me ever since and so my ultimate, long term goal is to have a business.

Over the last five years I’ve certainly learnt a lot. I’ve made a truck load of mistakes but have also made some great decisions through the simple process of trial and error (and I like to think a healthy amount of common sense!) As a result, my next step is to launch a new consulting business: It’s Not Business, It’s Personal.

Because when it’s your business, it’s always personal!

*unique selling point

**or whatever the chosen profession may be

Massage: part of your daily grind…

A lot of my marketing targets those of you who regularly exercise, whether you’re a gym user, marathon runner or circuits enthusiast, but here I really want to emphasise how massage can help those of you who work long hours sitting behind a desk and have at least an hours’ commute to and from work each day.

Deep Tissue Massage is usually associated with helping muscles recovery from DOMS* usually stemming from some rigorous workout the day before, however, it is then assumed that sitting for lengthy periods throughout each day equals rest-WRONG! We forget that our back, neck and stomach muscles are working constantly to keep ourselves upright (not to mention glutes and legs here, aside from the fact that we are probably also typing, using a mouse or, at the very least, lifting a mug of coffee from desk to mouth periodically!). Strenuous hardly springs to mind but we are still making demands on our bodies to accommodate the daily routine we have chosen for it.

These demands sooner or later, if we don’t look after ourselves, quickly result in everyday aches and pains. It’s unsurprising that we have such easy access to painkillers, such as ibuprofen, as we assume this discomfort or ‘dis-ease’ is simply just part and parcel of everyday life (or my favourite excuse ‘getting older’!). Quite frankly I think it’s total rubbish…and trust me I wanted to use much stronger language here but wouldn’t want to offend anyone so I shall keep the content PG!

All of us have come across, if not know directly, people that are well into their senior years (really don’t want to offend here but I appreciate sometimes age is a sensitive subject!) and they’re still pottering about and going to dance classes or playing golf or even running races and most of us assume it’s purely down to ‘good genes’. Now I don’t deny genes do play an important part in respect to how well we age, where we put on weight etc but really we need to address our own lifestyles and take responsibility for our bodies. If we want to feel (and look) great, and want to be that person in their 90s who looks like they’re still in their 60s, we have to want to do it for ourselves and we all can.

 I digress…I apologise, it’s this damn soap box under my feet…

As most of you are aware massage is excellent to help speed the recovery of damaged muscle fibres. What do you think causes your aches and pains after days upon months upon years of commuting and desk work? Not mention the toxins released into the body when we get stressed! Tension headaches anyone?! Massage is, in no uncertain terms, just as beneficial to the desk dweller as it is to the bootcamp blitzer (?!) (I struggled to find a better adjective here that fulfilled the alliteration required to make the sentence work!)

So, I’d like you to reconsider the cocktail of painkillers that you may have stashed in the bathroom cabinet and instead, consider a far more therapeutic hands-on approach to your wellbeing. I often say my ideal client is ‘anyone who has a body!’ And it’s true. What you do with it on a daily basis is entirely up to you but half the time we don’t really register we have a body until something somewhere goes a bit wrong (enter pain etc). Why even allow your body to get to that stage? Prevent the trauma from even occurring…what a novel thought! What are the words I’m looking for? Oh yes, my own tagline J

 Ease the discomfort, Speed the recovery, Restore the balance…

 

There…you’ve been told!

 

*Delayed onset of muscle soreness