We posed your question to , a massage therapist who has worked on elite Boston marathoners since 2004 and who treated the U.S. Olympic team in London. She鈥檚 also a runner herself, having completed the Boston Marathon. Here鈥檚 what she had to say:
鈥淔ive to six days before your race, you can get a deep tissue massage鈥攐nly if you鈥檝e been getting massages all along during training.鈥 (That would be you.) Or, she says, you can pop in for a pre-race massage without having been a regular as long as you know your therapist and your therapist knows your body. Every athlete鈥檚 body responds differently to massage; you don鈥檛 want to find out the week before your race that deep tissue work makes you uncomfortably sore.
If you鈥檙e traveling to your event and want to get a massage in a new city, Gammal suggests researching therapists before you leave. 鈥淎sk about experience. What is the primary clientele? How many years have they been in the business? What鈥檚 their specialty?鈥 she says. That last question is a must. 鈥淢assage therapists want to help, but they also don鈥檛 want to turn away business,鈥 Gammal says. Often, if the person on the other line asks, 鈥淲hat are you looking for?鈥 they鈥檒l then give you the answer you want to hear. Look for offices with therapists who specialize in sports, clinical, and rehabilitation massage.
If you must get a massage within a few days of your race, Gammal says to keep it light鈥攁s in 鈥淪wedish relaxation therapeutic massage鈥濃攖o avoid any debilitating post-rubdown soreness. And don鈥檛 expect a therapist to work miracles right before a race. 鈥淒on鈥檛 decide to get a massage the day before thinking it will fix any issue you may have created in the previous week,鈥 Gammal says. Time face down on the table that close to competition is mostly for calming nerves, not for fixing serious problems.
That鈥檚 the advice for you, the athlete who鈥檚 already pro-massage. Research, however, is still ambivalent about the performance benefits of a good rubdown. Study after study has found that pre-race massage doesn鈥檛 necessarily help increase muscle strength or flexibility, but that the psychological benefits alone might be worth the investment. found that athletes with a regular massage routine were twice as likely to finish their goal race than athletes who had no bodywork done. This may be because from intense efforts, like long runs, and significantly increase perceived performance, even if no actual performance boost was found.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Go for a deep tissue massage five to six days before your event if you鈥檙e used to getting regular massages. If you get one any closer to your race, make it a light, relaxing Swedish massage with a therapist experienced in treating athletes.聽