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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Comeback?

So, I have been whining about my summer from hell.  In a nutshell, it involved an unwelcome guest in my house (for a month!), my father's heart transplant and death, my son's emergency appendectomy, my sickness (antibiotics!), and my son's sickness (no antibiotics, just worry).  There actually have been lots of good things that happened this summer (Boston vacation, welcome changes at work), but I have a difficult time being thankful for the good when I feel so overwhelmed with the bad.

Anyway.  This crap in my head has interfered big time with my training.  You know; you've read the posts.  I've done what I could to counteract the negativity in my life: I've set mini-goals in running, I've done some speed and hill work, I've eaten healthily, I've done the strength training and yoga.  These past two weeks I considered getting some outside help, so I saw two different holistic health practitioners.

The first session I had was reflexology, and I got it through Groupon.  Lately, many therapists have used the term to simply mean "foot massage," and while I LOVE a good foot massage, that isn't really what reflexology is supposed to be.

This is a typical "foot map" for a reflexology session.

I was pleasantly surprised that the session I had purchased was a true reflexology session combined with chakra balancing and tuning forks.  I didn't learn anything new--my heart chakra (and almost every other chakra) is blocked; welcome to my life--but if nothing else, the session was relaxing and full of affirmations.

The next week I went to a tuning fork and color therapist.





This therapist also told me that my heart chakra is blocked.  She gave me six different pairs of colored glasses to wear (since then I have learned that many practitioners use colored silks instead of glasses), and she waved tuning forks over me.  I had rushed to this session after work, and I was exhausted, so I kept nodding off and then jerking myself awake because I was in a sitting position.  The therapist told me that she had three images that came from me during the session, and she looked them up in a book, briefly explained each one, and said she would send me more information by email.  I didn't really feel relaxed or positive after this session (lack of sleep, antibiotics, still recovering from throat infection), and I never did receive that email.

Since then, the antibiotics are out of my system, I am no longer nursing a sick child, and the weather has cooled down in the mornings, making my runs a bit more pleasant.  I noticed that on Friday I finally had a run where I felt I could have continued beyond four miles without wanting to die.  My pace has quickened, but I'm definitely not where I used to be.  Today I ran ten miles with Mandy and Shelby, and I had a great time while running at an average pace of 10:20 without really struggling.

So, did anything work?  The answer is. . . I don't know.  There are so many factors involved here that it is difficult to pinpoint one thing that is helping me.

Here is one thing I know:  Visualization techniques are key to success for me.  When I have a goal, I visualize the achievement of that goal.  The reflexology session involved a lot of visualization combined with affirmations, and I liked that.  Sometimes it's good to sharpen your focus when you are going after a goal or dream.

I have some time until the Akron Half Marathon.  Next week is the Blue Line Practice Run, and I plan to enjoy it.  Then I will have three weeks until the race.  I know that last year at this time I was not feeling very positive about my chances of hitting a sub-2 half, and I came VERY CLOSE, so really, anything can happen at this point.  I have some supportive friends, and I am in good health.  This could be a great race!

How do you feel about your next race?  Do you have a time goal?

Until next week, run happy, Peeps!

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