Before I started this ballet journey, I was a Serious Runner. Although I still run short distances regularly, I no longer train at half-marathon levels. Partly because I grew a little bored with it and partly because the heat index is around 90 degrees by 9 am. While a Serious Runner, I loved nothing better than to pound out ten to twelve miles on Sunday mornings. I always felt great after running, and so I never really stretched. This has come back to bite me in my aspiring ballerina ass.
My most troublesome areas right now are my calves and my hips. My calves are very tight and tend to cramp when I relevé at the barre. My hips snap (but do not hurt) when I close fifth.
I’m going to go see a PT about the snapping hips later this week. In the meantime, I’m trying to release some tension in my calves. To that end, I performed the calf massage in this video demonstrated by Lisa Howell. And I realized something that maybe everyone else already knows? When performing a massage, you can give your thumbs a break by using your pisiform bone instead! This is exciting news that I had to share with my husband:
Me (sticking my feet in my husband’s face): “Hey lover, what’s up?”
Him (waving my feet away): “I know you want a foot massage and I really wish I could help, but I’ve been typing all day and am feeling rather carpal tunnelish.”
Me: “But you can use your pisiform bone!”
Him: “What…”
Me: “Let me show you this awesome video! Wait! Come back!”
Hip Hip Bourrée! 