If you’ve been reading this blog or following me on Twitter for any time you’ll probably know about he-who-looks-after-my-legs. When I started running again I had a few problems and biomechanical issues as my mileage got a bit thick, and he was key to working out what was going on, working on my legs and pushing me towards a strength and conditioning program, and in keeping my running mileage increasing through the year. The end result of that was a 2:46 for my first marathon. I think its fair to say that I wouldn’t have managed to get the training done that I needed to develop my fitness to that level without his help. Gareth is the guy that keeps me going.
Since then Gareth has worked with me very regularly, and with triathlon things got more complicated. He looks after my upper back, my shoulders, my lower back, my hips, my legs and my feet. My calves are an area of constant work. When I’m healthy I see him for massage, mostly for calf work, probably mostly because I hate him working on my quadriceps. Ouch! The day after a deep tissue massage running feels easy and loose again. You don’t realise how tight you get sometimes.
When I injure myself Gareth helps me heal and recover as quickly as possible. He works on the damage, he advises me on what else to do, and he’s someone to talk to about training loads, injury and recovery. He’s also been very helpful in developing my post-race recovery routine that gets me back to normal training as quickly as possible, minimises soreness and gets me ready for the next race. On those occasions when I’ve hurt myself and have not been able to get to see him, my recovery has taken longer.
Gareth also points me towards what needs to be stretched, and links up parts of my body to problem areas that I, as an anatomist, don’t make the connections too. Having to lie on a firm foam roller in my living room of an evening is all his fault. He knows his stuff, and he’s about to finish his osteopathy training so his knowledge and experience is fresh.
Gareth is about to set up a new business in Gowerton, in Swansea. He’s preparing a new clinic, happily just around the corner from my house! His new Swansea Health Solutions practice will provide a single location for sports massage, soft tissue therapy, physiotherapy, osteopathy, acupuncture, and so on. And with me looking for sponsors to help me fund my 2012 triathlon racing season we’ve agreed to extend our relationship and add a professional element to it. So Swansea Health Solutions will sponsor me for my 2012 racing season. Thanks Gareth!
I’ve been recommending Gareth to students and friends ever since I met him, and I’m continuing to do this. I’ll have his logo on my website, and on my racing kit, and I’ll include updates in my blog through 2012. He has a bunch of photos of his new clinic before and during construction, which I’m hoping to share from my blog.
You will be able to find the Swansea Health Solutions Pain Relief Centre here:
View Larger Map
I’ve labelled Station Road, but the clinic will be on the corner of Station Road and Gorwydd Road. You’ll see it.
If you want to contact Gareth you can email him at gareth@swanseahealthsolutions.co.uk. His new website has a placeholder at the moment, but there’s more contact information there:
www.swanseahealthsolutions.co.uk
Coming soon:
