The Beginning
Passion is the key to success, so they say. If you find something in life you can make a living at and are passionate about, you are one of the fortunate few. Terrel Hale, massage therapist extraordinaire, is one of these rare and fortunate human beings.

Terrel, a resident of Rockville, MD, was born in Blackfoot, Idaho some 50 years ago. Terrel, like many of us, has enjoyed several different occupations prior to becoming a massage therapist. On his journey through life, he picked up advanced educational degrees in the fields of international relations and library science, in addition to his certifications in massage therapy.

While working in stressful policymaking arenas at institutions such as the U.S. Department of State, Terrel learned firsthand about the stressful and sometimes physically unhealthy lifestyle of office work. Often, very bright and capable people developed poor physical conditions and health problems due to lack of exercise and jobs that made their bodies less flexible. While training for his first marathon, he read an article in Runners World about the importance of massage therapy for marathon training. As a result and probably suffering though tightness and soreness himself, Terrel got his first massage. Elliot Greene told him about the Potomac Massage Training Institute. Terrel enrolled after his first session with Elliot. He received his certification and has been fine-tuning his craft ever since with a certificate as a Running Coach with RRCA and certificates as a personal trainer from NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) and NSPA (National Strength Professionals Association). He also studied Active Isolated Stretching with Aaron Mattes.

Due to his love of running, Terrel has tailored his massage therapy to address the needs of the runner's body. Runners, as we all know, take punishment and pounding. Many runners often avoid taking care of themselves the way they should. For example, a runner often runs injured, through pain, or avoids doing necessary body maintenance such as eating right, stretching, taking rest days, etc.

Terrel has made it a mission to not only massage runners when they are banged up or have suffered through an injury, but to try to establish a training method with them so they see massage as part of a planned methodological approach. Doing this takes time and a great deal of explanation and education about anatomy and kinesiology. Thus, someone like Terrel might have all of the right answers, suggestions, etc. but alas, we want to go our own way until OUCH!, an injury happens. It is when this happens that we visit a Mr. Hale and want him to massage the injured area and make the pain and the reason for the pain somehow just go away. Unfortunately, this does not happen, as injury is a result of some faulty biomechanics, overuse, tight muscles, lack of elasticity in the muscle group, etc.

Terrel preaches the art of regular body maintenance as a way a runner MUST live. Without regular massage, stretching, weight training, and proper nutrition, the legs of a runner will suffer. He is absolutely right.

I, along with many distance runners in the DC area, work with Terrel on a regular and irregular basis. Speaking from firsthand experience, I can say that Terrel is absolutely right is his counsel about incorporating regular and high quality body maintenance into runners' regular training. I cannot count the times I have gone to see him with some ache or pain that came about because of over training, not enough stretching, not training properly, and just plain not incorporating a balanced training methodology into my running.

Family Support Makes For Success
Initially, taking the leap from a relatively high paying office job to a more risky private business venture, such as massage therapy, was not an easy choice to make. Terrel attributes much of the confidence he had in making this effort to his wife and family. His wife, Agnes, completely supported his initial decision to quit his job and attend massage therapy school. Furthermore, somewhere along the way, his passion for massage rubbed off on her and she attained her certification and is now a therapist herself. Both his son, Luc, and daughter, Margo, support running and massage. Luc recently completed his second JFK 50 mile race in Maryland and his second Marine Corps Marathon. Margo works as an office assistant for his massage therapy practice. Without this support network, Terrel might not have been able to embark on this career changing journey.

Summary
I suppose one might compare getting a sports massage to bringing one's car into the shop for maintenance, going to the dentist, etc. The more one brings the car in for an oil change, tire alignment, and overall tune-up, the greater the chance the car will run smoothly, break down less, etc. Ditto for the dentist. Go to the dentist and get the regular checkups and avoid cavities and gum disease down the road.

At present, Terrel is finishing his certification in Active Release Techniques. His long-term goal is to study and work at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. His next step after that is to get to London to be an official therapist for one of the many Olympic runners. As for his commitment to DC runners, he works with non-elite and elite runners in the area. Regardless of the status of the athlete, he takes the relationship very seriously and insists that the runners he work with make a commitment to him and themselves that they make an attempt to fulfill their potential as runners.

(Editor's Note: Terrel Hale can be reached at (301) 943-8738.)