Rolfing

When I was still in DC, I was often in so much pain from training that I started getting sports massages. Eventually the cost started adding up, so I joined Massage Envy. The membership is only only $60 a month, and you get one "free" massage each month. After that you have to pay per session, but it's still a lot cheaper than most massages.

I kept the membership when I came back to Colorado, but I really didn't need it anymore. I mostly did it to relax, but once I stopped training last year I was planning on getting rid of my remaining credits and quitting. So I made an appointment for a facial and a long massage to eat up some of the credits last February.

That was when I met Kyle, who works at Massage Envy. I told him I'm a triathlete and that I just generally get really stiff from training, which is what I tell all massage therapists. It turns out he's a specialist in Rolfing, which is pretty rare for someone at Massage Envy. In fact, I have never experienced it before, despite the fact that I constantly request "deep tissue" or "sports massages" when I made appointments.

No, Rolfing is not another way of saying "rotflmao" or something more fun like that. Rolfing was actually developed here in Colorado at the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration (RISI). This is what their website says about Rolfing: 

"More than fifty years ago, Dr. Rolf recognized that the body is inherently a system of seamless networks of tissues rather than a collection of separate parts. These connective tissues surround, support and penetrate all of the muscles, bones, nerves and organs. Rolfing Structural Integration works on this web-like complex of connective tissues to release, realign and balance the whole body, thus potentially resolving discomfort, reducing compensations and alleviating pain. Rolfing SI aims to restore flexibility, revitalize your energy and leave you feeling more comfortable in your body."

What does that even mean? Well, basically, it hurts. A lot. Kyle and those who are trained in Rolfing actually put a ton of pressure in the parts of your body that hurt most, which releases the tension at a muscular-skeletal level. He is so knowledgeable about the integrated aspects of the muscles and tendons of the body that I'm constantly surprised he's not a physical therapist or something. If I tell him that a certain spot on my foot hurts when I run, he works on my shin. If I tell him my right shoulder hurts when I swim, he works on the muscle under my arm. It's amazing, and fascinating, and it works unbelievably well. He works on parts of my body that no one else ever has, and it's gotten to the point where he knows me so well that he knows exactly what to do when I give him a two-second summary of what's been hurting during training that week. I always feel mountains better after I leave the ninety-minute or two-hour sessions, and they are worth EVERY penny.