Runners are resourceful. Have a blister? Slap some duct tape on it and run long. In the era before Body Glide, Vaseline was the best thing to prevent chafing–and is still used for “old school” marathoners. A few weeks ago a good friend introduced me to a fancy muscle roller she had purchased. I looked like a dumb bell but had bearings and a block that allowed you to work over sore muscles. I loved it and wanted one. But I just couldn’t pull the trigger on 60 dollars. I had used foam rollers and before yoga class, I usually go over my Achilles and calves with my Yogi’s foam roller. Still, 17 dollars for a three foot rod of foam was still a bit much. Then I had it–a brain storm. I was in Target yesterday and bought my new muscle roller for less than 5 dollars.
Voila! a common kitchen dough roller!
This Running Life 
Smart!So what is next for you, race-wise?
I am not sure. Birmingham and Austin have marathons and half-marathons in the late winter, early spring. I think Dallas does, too. Next week, I will run a mile (without stopping) for the first time since my forced rest. If that goes well, I should be on my way. My new slogan is at the top of the blog and I came to realize it while recovering. Plus, I realized that my old slogan was basically an imitation of yours! I needed something original
Concerning pacing bands:Clif will generally sponsor “pacers” for the marathon – who will run the marathon to finish at a particular time. Anywhere from 3:30 to 5:30 pace groups. When you go to the expo they have bands that you can wear around your wrist that indicate by mile what your race time should be so far – so you know if you are on pace or not. They are great if you have a goal time in mind.