Roll Recovery

Recently I stumbled across the roll recovery onlinehttp://www.rollrecovery.com/R8/  It looked interesting but very expensive; could I really justify the price when I already have quite a few massage type things?  I read a  fair few reviews which were saying it was much better than the stick/foam roller and nearly as good as a real massage so I decided to give it a go.  If it can reduce the need for massage then it would pay for itself quite quickly.



rumble roller, two sticks and orb ball

I've been using it for a few weeks and am so glad I bought it; the reviews were correct, it is much better than my rumble roller and marathon stick.

My main problem with the rumble roller is that you have to get on a hard floor to use it as it puts dents in the carpet! When tired after a run getting onto the floor is not that appealing and then trying to balance makes it all too much like hard work meaning it doesn't happen as much as it should. ( I have tried a normal foam roller which I find is not much use compared to the rumble roller).  The massage stick is quite good post hard run but doesn't get very deep.






 



comparing the size of roll recovery and rumble roller

The roll recovery is the best of both.... It gets deep like the rumble roller yet you can do it sitting on the sofa (or standing up to get to some parts) like the massage stick.  You can get to areas the rumble roller can't get eg inner thighs.  The only downside is that it is heavier than both (jut over 1km) so I won't be taking it on holiday as I struggle to keep below 20kg! 










Inner thigh and ITB

The roll recovery has rollers on both sides so whilst you are massaging your IT band your inner thigh also gets a massage.  If you want less pressure you can pull the roller apart a bit, more and you add pressure.  So you can ease off on your inner thigh and put more pressure on your IT band if desired.  An area which is tricky with the foam roller is the hamstrings.  With the roll recovery the hamstrings are done at the same time as the quads.





quad and hamstring

If you find a tight spot/ trigger point you can stop to work on that bit putting more pressure on and kind of wiggling it around much like you would with the rumble roller.



Calves are a bit tricky as you don't want the roller to go over the shin bone although I read you could put a towel over the shin.  However, you can still get a good massage by working the sides and nearly round the back of the calf so you don't miss too much.  I found a couple of very tight spots at the top of my calf which my other toys hadn't picked up so have been working on those but it hurts quite a lot so I can only do a few minutes.



lower leg

It is possible to get at the hip flexors and glutes but it doesn't get into the glutes particularly well - still use my blue ball for glute.

When I started using this it hurt a lot (in a good way) but that is probably because I was quite tight from lack of massage and rolling.  Now I have been using it for a few weeks the pain is less but that is not to say I can't feel anything; I still feel plenty of tight spots which need work.

In conclusion; this is defiantly worth getting.  It is better than a rumble roller in that you can get to places the rumble roller doesn't reach; it is easier as you don't have to roll around on the floor I do feel I get a better massage than with the rumble roller.  However, I don't think anything will replace a proper massage.  Using this will likely reduce the frequency of proper massage and as you can do it at home 10 minutes a day helps keep on top of tight spots before they get too bad.  The downside is that it is not as easy to put in your kit bag as the stick and is quite heavy if travelling with a tight luggage allowance - no problem if going in the car to races though. 

Skechers Gorun Forza

The Gorun Forza is the first supportive shoe from Skechers which came out a few months ago.  I think they are a great addition to an already excellent range as they now have something for everyone. As a bit of background; I have been running in Skechers for about 4 years.  My go to shoe is the Gorun ride but for races/speedwork I use the lighter Gorun. 

I have always worn a neutral shoe but was interested in trying the Forza so here are a few thoughts having now run around 100 miles in them.  Full details can be found here  https://www.skechers.com/en-us/style/14105/skechers-gorun-forza/hpbl





Like  a lot of skechers shoes they are very pretty and have a good selection of colours.  It was the colours that first attracted me to them - pink and blue; what's not to like?! The heel drop is 8mm which is more than the 4mm I am used to but less than a lot of standard shoes (the sort I used to wear!).  They weigh in at 280g for ladies size 7 (the gorun ride is 230g) which is about average for a non racing shoe. Apart from the heel which has a looser more cushioned fit the rest is very similar to the gorun ride with a nice wide toes box (which I think is the reason I hardly ever get blisters).   Gorun ride 5 is on the left of this picture for comparison.

As I have quite narrow feet I had to use the extra lace hole as they were too loose (more so than the other models) around the heel - using the extra hole solved that issue.  I found them comfy to walk around in as the material is very soft but initially did not like them as much to run in - I think this is due to the extra weight and higher heel but also because they are quite different to my ususl show.  I could certainly feel that there was some support offered which felt a bit strange to begin with but now I am used to it.  It was a bit like when you drive a new car for the first time; some things take some getting used to.

Having worn them for a number of different sessions I am liking them but still prefer the Gorun ride for training.   I would not use them for speedwork/racing as they feel too heavy for me.  However, for easy recovery runs I prefer them to the Go run ultra as they are not as big so I don't kick my ankle bone when tired like with the ultras!

If you are looking for a supportive shoe then I would recommend them for sure.  If you don't need a supportive shoe but find the other models a bit too light then again I would defiantly recommend them.  I was a bit worried about wearing them to begin with as many years ago I bought a pair of supportive shoes because they were pretty but after an hour I had a really painful knee because I didn't need the support.  That did not happen with the Forza which suggests the support is not too much for those who don't really need it and they could be a good marathon/ultra shoe if you need more cushioning.