The situation
Peter (name changed), 41, had signed up for his first full marathon in Nairobi. Twelve weeks out, his weekly mileage was rising fast and he was struggling with tight calves, sore hamstrings and legs that felt heavy on every run. He had already skipped two long runs because of it.
What we did
We built sessions around his training calendar rather than booking at random:
- Fortnightly 60-minute recovery sessions the day after his long run, working through calves, hamstrings, quads, glutes and hip flexors
- Assisted stretching at the end of each session, with two stretches to repeat at home
- A lighter 45-minute pre-race session three days before the marathon to leave his legs loose, not tender
His therapist also noticed his left calf was consistently tighter than his right and suggested he get his running shoes checked. He did, and swapped to a pair with more support.
The results
Peter completed every long run in the rest of his plan and finished the marathon in 4 hours 22 minutes. He reported that his legs recovered much faster after sessions, usually feeling normal again within a day rather than three.
"The sessions were the one thing that made the long runs feel doable week after week."
He now books a sports massage the week after every race.
What made the difference
- Timing sessions around training, not around pain
- Spotting the imbalance between his legs early
- A pre-race session that was deliberately lighter
Individual results vary. Sports massage supports recovery but doesn't replace physiotherapy or medical advice for injuries.