So far so good this week. I had a great run on Tuesday, and then I actually went out for another one on Wednesday. (I’m trying to increase up to four runs per week.) My legs felt pretty sore afterwards, so I decided it was time to call in a specialist. I did a Google search for recommended massage therapists for runners in Sydney and turned up This CoolRunning messageboard thread. On the basis of that, I rang Coby at Muscle Medicine and booked in for a session this morning. After he heard the history of my aches and pains, he had a look at my running shoes and my posture. The verdict is that I have a slight twist when I stand and run, tilting my left hip towards the front. This in turn caused my left quad injury, and my dodgy hamstrings, and my tense shoulders, and all kinds of stuff I never suspected. “So what do we do to fix it?” I asked. Coby just flexed his fingers ominously. Oops. He gave me the massage of my life. He actually spent most of the time on my back, telling me that it’s no good focusing on my legs if I’m just going to re-injure them again. Fair enough. He warned me that my back is going to be covered in bruises, and that his patients’ spouses are often surprised when they see them! The real pain came when he moved onto my hamstrings. Ow. Ow. Ow. I felt pretty good afterwards though, and I’m hoping to be recovered enough tomorrow to go for a run. I also asked him about the whole stretching issue, since – after reading Galloway – I haven’t been doing it. He agrees with that course of action for me, saying that I seem to have a decent amount of mobility, and what would benefit me more is core strengthening. I guess it’s time to book in those swim lessons, right?