Treat Yo Self

Today I had to take a personal day from work in order to take my daughter to the doctor.  That is possibly the first personal day I've taken in over seven years.  I get four days a year, and I never take them.  I almost never take sick days; in fact, the only times I am ever absent from school is for professional leave, so I'm still working when I'm not there.  It may be because of this:

Anyway, many people have pointed out to me that this isn't healthy or normal, and I totally agree.  I still wasn't happy about taking the day off, but it occurred to me that since I had to, I might as well enjoy myself.  So, today is (guilty) pleasure day.  Here is what I did to take care of myself after the doctor's appointment and dropping my daughter off at school:

1.  Starbucks Tall Java Chip Frappuccino.  Hey, my daughter got one, too, so it was really about the bonding.

Aaah, the Frappuccino.  330 calories of caffeine and deliciousness.

2.  Tempo run in a different than usual place.  I ran the Towpath in the Valley in an area that was relatively flat so that I couldn't wussy out on the tempo run.  1 mile warmup @ 10:00/mile, 3 miles between 8:50 and 9:00/mile, 2 miles cooldown.  I felt really good about this.  I think it was the frappuccino.

3.  Not blow-drying my hair.  Ladies, is it just me?  I'll do just about anything to get out of drying my hair.  Today I braided it right out of the shower.  Done!

4. Lunch!  Subway Footlong Veggie Delite on Honey Oat.  Give me ALL the vegetables, and don't skimp on the spinach! Don't look at me like that; YES, I said FOOTLONG.

Oh, Subway. How I love thee.

5.  Makeup.  I stopped by the Bare Minerals store because I needed some supplies.  I tried to look as desperate as possible (no makeup, hair in French braid and headband), but I didn't get a free makeover.  I did get a free sample of something, though.

6.  Massage.  This is a real guilty pleasure for me.  Massages are necessary for runners, but I rarely get them because of the time commitment and the price.  I have a secret, though.  I go to the relaxation station at the mall, and I am able to get my massage without an appointment.  Today I got a combination of reflexology and then a table massage.  Fully-clothed, Peeps, it was the mall after all.  Anyway, I forgot how much tension I carry in my back and neck until the masseur started kneading away and then HOLY GOD!  To broadly paraphrase (or maybe just reference) one of my favorite characters in Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City (Michael), it's gotta be really bad if you can name your knots.

I tried to look up my sore spots, but really, it was all sore.  I am a hot mess.

7.  Lastly, tea.  I am sitting here alone in a silent house with a mug of hot tea.  I have about ten more minutes until my daughter comes home, and then about fifteen minutes after that when my son gets home, and then my world will become chaos again.  Sigh.  It was fun while it lasted.

How do you treat yourself, Peeps?  Maybe you should consider signing up for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Challenge Series!  Join me, and we will treat ourselves to a fun time and beer.  Oh, yes.  There will be beer.

Until then, run happy, Peeps!

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