New Balls: Foot Rubz and The Orb

I had to go pick up my race number for the Hollis Fast 5K at Runner's Alley in Nashua and I remembered to bring along a gift certificate I had received for winning my age division at the Freeze Your Buns series this winter. I really don't need any more foam rollers, massage balls, sticks, or other tools for sore muscles, but I found two new balls to add to my very large collection. The Foot Rubz is a small massage ball with "stimulating fingers" that hit the acupressure points on your feet. I have used golf balls, lacrosse balls, tennis balls, and other products but this was the best feeling of anything I have yet tried in past. I used them for about 5 minutes on each foot using the techniques in The MELT Method book and it felt really good. The bottoms of my feet were not overstressed and they felt more loose afterwards. I even got a few nice clicks of the tight bones around my toes as things settled into place. I am pleased with this one and now just have to remember where I put it last.

 I also got The Orb Deep Tissue High Density Massage Ball in the 5"size which was perfect for hitting the really tight adductor magnus muscle that the Neuro Kinetic Therapist said I needed to work on earlier in the week. A roller or a lacrosse ball would not get deep enough into that muscle and I was advised to try a softball. The Orb is about the right size, but I wasn't sure if it would be hard enough to hit the muscle where it needed it. The orb was not spongy and does a great job, I also enjoyed using in on other muscles like the calf and soleus as you can direct the pressure right where you want it. I am pleased with this one too, now I just have to find out where my daughter last kicked it.

Speaking of which, there are two things that can happen when you get aggressive and go for it in a race. What happens in an Olympic final when someone show this aggressiveness. Check out the video of the 1988 Olympic final for the 5000 meters held in Seoul, South Korea. One runner, the great Kenyan cross-county runner from Kenya John Ngugi goes all out early in the race in an attempt to steal the race. Only one runner, Portugal's Castro Dominguez eventually decides to give chase. Both men deserved a shot at the gold medal. One would be victorious and the other would be outkicked for a medal so close to the finish. Watch the full youtube video here as it cannot be embedded. If you don't know who wins, wait for the finish to find out.

Here is another view of the final lap and finish showing the battle for the remaining two medals. Oh, the agony for the fourth place finisher.