I'm a marathoner, and this $7 accessory is my secret to faster recovery after runs

The most important thing you can do to boost your recovery in between runs is to simply rest, something that’s often not as easy to do as you’d hope when you have other responsibilities to attend to.

Along with resting, taking an active approach to your recovery can also help, and there are different ways you can go about this, from getting sports massages or doing yoga to using a massage gun or foam roller at home.

Even as a very keen runner who’s usually marathon training, I’m often guilty of neglecting most of the above, and judging by my conversations with other runners, I’m far from alone in this.

I have a lot of recovery accessories and gadgets at home, and most of them are gathering dust in a corner, but one tool that I do use almost every day is a massage ball for my feet.

Gaiam Restore Ultimate Foot Massage Roller: $6 at Amazon

I wouldn't overthink which massage ball to get, since they're such a simple tool, and any small ball with little spikes will work. This is one of the cheaper options on Amazon.

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A cheap tool for treating foot pain

Massage balls are one of the cheaper tools you can use to support your body as a runner, and actually, you don’t even need to invest in a specialist ball if you have golf balls at home already, because I’ve used those in the past.

The ball I use now is part of a set of three from Lululemon that costs $28, but since I don’t use the larger balls at all, I’d probably get a small one with spikes, which seems to increase the benefits of rolling.

Lululemon Release and Recover Ball Set: $28 at lululemon (US)

If you want a set of three massage balls, this trio from Lululemon is what I use myself, and the larger balls are good for rolling bigger muscles around the body.

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Compared with the price you pay for a massage gun or even a foam roller, a massage ball is a relatively affordable purchase that I’ve used a lot more than any gun or roller I’ve had, and it’s also more portable and easier to store.

Benefits of massage balls

Just like foam rollers, massage balls provide self-myofascial release, just in a more targeted manner.

They can be used to ease the symptoms of plantar fasciitis, a common running injury I have suffered with in the past, but I use them now to reduce the painful foot cramps I get after runs when I’m doing a lot of mileage, especially when marathon training.

If I forget to roll my feet, these cramps often come on late in the day, but if I roll my feet for 60 seconds on each, I rarely get the cramps.

Massage balls relieve tension in the arch of the foot and increase circulation to that area as well. They’re a cheap and effective tool and easy to use — just stand on the ball and roll it around the arch of your foot.

It might not be the solution to all your problems, and if you’re suffering from severe plantar fasciitis, a physio visit will certainly be more useful than a massage ball. But if you’re a keen runner, it’s an accessory worth having, given the low investment and high potential upside.

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