Massage Special for Runners 4/28-5/10

I joined my high school cross country team as a freshman, not because running was my passion, but because I have zero hand eye coordination (seriously, none!) and wanted to be involved in sports. It was on that team that I learned basic knowledge such as proper form, how to pace and how to kick (sprint in the last 400-100 meters of the race). As I graduated high school, started to pursue my career in massage therapy, tried to figure out how to be an adult (mmh still working on this) and dealt with the struggle of coping with trauma through substances, I fell out of running. At age 22, only a few weeks into my new found sobriety, I had my first panic attack. Unsure of how to release tension in my chest that was about to explode, I put on my running shoes and walked out the door at 9pm. That night was the first time I ran after dark, the first time I ran 12 miles and the first time I felt the wind, that I was creating through quick feet, slough off the tiny particles of anxiety that had imbedded themselves in my skin. As I ran that night, my shoulders squared up with my hips, my bent arms moved parallel to one another, my feet rolled from heel, to ball, and back again, and as the miles eased by, I felt my stride open. My body moved back into the proper form in learned eight years prior. Since that night I have ran by myself, with groups of amazing women (thank you to Brynn Cunningham for starting the trail run tribe) and in multiple races. I am eternally grateful, not just to have found my love for running, but to share a connection with those who loves it just as much.

As we enter into race season and our training increases, I urge all of my running lovers to invest in themselves and the wellbeing of their body. Regular massage, along with stretching and hydration, is one of the best ways to prevent injury, improve training and shorten recovery time.

As a way of giving back to all that running and the community has given me, OmBody is offering a free sauna to anyone that comes in with a pre-race registration, bib, metal or proof of participation. Furthermore, I am also offering 15% off my specialty, athletic massage, to anyone with proof of race participation. This special will run from Thursday, April 25th (right before the summit challenge) to Thursday, June 13th (right after the Laurel Highlands Ultra).

Go fast. Take chances. Have fun!

• Leah Staley, Co-Owner