The Trail Du Tour Des Fiz, the trail runner's guide to self-care – Recovery Balm

The Tour des Fiz Trail: Without doubt one of the most beautiful technical trail races

The Tour des Fiz Trail celebrates its 15th edition. The 3 races (15km; 25km; 5 Refuges 34km) cross some of the most magnificent landscapes the Alps have to offer.

The climbs of the Tour des Fiz are steep and physically demanding, and the long descents are very technical. Runners must therefore prioritize their well-being! Practicing an effective self-care routine (before, during, and after races) can significantly improve performance and well-being… This is where Recovery Balm helps you!

Free pre-race sports massage with Recovery Balm @ Decathlon Mountain Store

On Friday, July 12, 2024 at the “ Decathlon Mountain Store, ” where participants of the Tour des Fiz Trail will collect their race bags, from 2:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Recovery Balm will be delighted to present its full range of recovery products available for testing and purchase in store and at the stand.

Recovery Balm is collaborating for the second year with Ruth Martin of Equilibrium Massage & Well-Being .
For the Tour des Fiz Trail, Equilibrium Massage will be offering 15-minute pre-race sports massage sessions, performed with the balm of your choice. This is the perfect preparation to help runners prepare their bodies for the demanding trails ahead.
And good news: these treatments are completely free!

“The balm is amazing, it helped me run the UTMB.” Gary Lane, Ultra Runner

“Used more after big training blocks and/or before wearing a bib, it allows for faster recovery, lighter legs and relieves pain. A French and 100% natural balm.” Clem Lebarre, Ultra runner

Win a one-hour Equilibrium sports massage with Recovery Balm

Equilibrium Massage & Well-being and Recovery Balm are also organizing a competition at our Pre-Race Tour des Fiz @ Decathlon stand, Friday, July 12, 2024 from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.!

To win:

A set of 4 Recovery Balm products
A one-hour sports massage session with Ruth Martin, who is a sports massage and myofascial release specialist

This is a great opportunity to benefit from expert care and high-end natural products, designed to support your recovery and your next trail adventures.

Visit us at Decathlon Mountain Store when you collect your bib and take part in our competition!

A Trail Runner's Guide to Massage Techniques for Self-Care

Equilibrium Massage selected simple massage techniques that runners can do themselves, with Recovery Balm , during the race in case of fatigue or pain.
These movements help relieve muscle tension, massage techniques to use with recovery balm products for runners to use during the race, when tired or achey: to alleviate muscle tension and recalibrate your body to perform at your best during the race.

Adductor massage can relieve tension in the hips and lower back.

During a run, massaging the adductors, as well as the inner leg muscle complex, can help alleviate the tightness felt in hips and lower back. Essentially restoring fascia fluidity within the inner-leg muscles helps reduce the correlated tension patterns that occur through the fascial continuity in the pelvic girdle and lower back.

Ideally using heel of hand, with a well-aligned arm, sink in steadily to connect with the deeper tissues then push with mindful pressure along the length of the adductors, from the top of the leg, towards the knee, perhaps as if you are carefully rolling out pastry. You can use the Recovery Balm with a combination of long waves of pressure and more localised, cross-fibre strokes.

Massage the muscles of the lower leg:

Soleus, Gastrocnemius, Tibialis Posterior and Peronei

Calf muscles prefer a softly-softly approach to massage, if you don’t want them to over-react. Quite often we don’t realise how tense they are, until someone squeezes the muscle. But it’s worth addressing the over-tense areas in the lower leg… as this improves freedom of movement globally through the body, and even can indirectly help relieve tension in the hip.

Gastrocnemius (Calf Muscle) Massage:

– Glide your hands up or down the back of your lower leg.

– Gradually increase the pressure, use your thumbs to apply deeper pressure.

– As you press into the calf muscle, search for any tender spots or knots, apply sustained pressure for 20-30 seconds, or until you feel a release or decrease in tension.

– Use a combination of long strokes and more focused pressure on specific areas of tension.

– Apply the Recovery Balm to help your finger glide, and for its anti inflammatory benefits.

Peroneus Longus Massage:

– The peroneus longus and other peronei muscles run along the outer side of the lower leg.

– Use the same techniques as with the gastrocnemius

– Gradually delve into deeper tissue work, being mindful NOT to push against or through any resistance from the tissue. The peroneus longus is closer to the surface, so you might feel tenderness more quickly.

Tibialis Posterior:

Note that this muscle, running down the inside of the tibia bone, towards the ankle, and part of the “posterior compartment”, ends up working hard as an ankle stabiliser. Give the posterior compartment some steady TLC with your Recovery Balm. Steady downward strokes, e.g. with reinforced fingers are best.

Oscillation

Oscillation techniques

Oscillation techniques in massage involve rhythmic rocking or shaking movements.

It affects the para-sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) so we are mimicking what happens to a mammal or our body’s system post flight or fight.

Oscillating the thighs is a great way to relax and recalibrate the quadriceps and hamstrings, that are heavily used during running. The rhythmic movement can release tightness, to improve overall muscle function.

Relieve a tense chest to relieve shoulder tension

Release tension in the pectorals and front of the neck

As a runner, your pectoral muscles can become tense when you use poles, carry a backpack, or tackle a climb. These tensions also impact posture and breathing.

How to do it?

Stand up straight with your glutes engaged for stability.
Place your hands just below your collarbone and apply firm but comfortable pressure from your sternum outward toward your arms.
Gently pull your shoulders back to help your pecs relax.

Don't forget the front of the neck: Muscles like the platysma and sternocleidomastoid also accumulate tension, which can affect the shoulders.
With gentle, open movements, you can relax this area and regain more freedom in your upper body.

Knee tension

Gluteal Complex

The gluteus muscles are the power houses of the human body. They mobilise and stabilise. When they are tight or not functioning optimally, it can affect the alignment and mechanics throughout the body, including an effect of lower back pain and even knee pain.

With heel of hand, apply gentle pressure on the butt muscles, gradually sink deeper to feel the resistance of the tissues until they start to soften. Through this pressure you may be addressing the tension of deep gluteal muscles, including piriformis.

Massaging the Tensor Fasciae Latae

When you experience knee pain, it’s sometimes linked to tightness in a hip muscle called the Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL) is at the top of the deep fascial thickening known as the IT Band and is continuous with the lateral thigh muscle, Vastus Lateralis.

This line of functional force can pull on the area below the patella (kneecap). By addressing and massaging the TFL, gluteus, and hip area, you can relieve this tightness, which can in turn help alleviate the knee pain.

When you are running, and suffering with knee pain you can even just hold and support the gluteus maximus or the top of the hamstrings to help you during the race. Or give yourself a little massage into the hamstring attachments.

To relieve triceps when using poles

Position your feet apart and squat down. Open up your legs with your knees apart and extend your arms, nestling your knees into your upper arms (base of deltoids and top of triceps).

You can roll your arms feeling the pressure from your knees in your upper arm msucles while stretching your adductors in your legs at same time.

You can move your arms back and forth and side to side so the pressure is where you need it, right up to the deltoids.

You can also move and put your elbows into your adductors to address fascial tension there too.

You can apply Recovery Balm onto your legs too, so that your elbows glide smoothly and allowing a really restorative massage on the trail to take place.

The Shoulders

Relieve shoulder tension

To relieve shoulder pain and tension, you can stand upright and stretch one arm around your body (like a hug) which will bring your shoulder forward.

Bring the other arm up over the opposite shoulder and use your hands to apply pressure to the sides of your shoulder blade (scapula), making a gentle upward wave motion toward the top of your shoulder. This technique helps alleviate tension and promote relaxation in your shoulder area.