Just an Average SKIRT

First things first…from now, today, Friday November 28th through the end of the year my Skirt discount code will be worth a whopping 25%.  Huge savings and just in time for the holidays!

Second, we arrived home Tuesday evening from AZ after one huge PR for the beej - 10:2o:51.  A fast day and stiff competition did not get him a slot for Kona but that’s coming in 2010 at IM CDA.   A hilly course really suits him better, so no Ironmans in the Gumkowski house for 2009.  We’re pretty psyched about that.  Racing mostly local with just one big trip in August to NH for Timberman 70.3.  Can’t wait for that, it’s such a great race and since it’s close to our stomping grounds our support crew is second to none.

Ah yes and there was a holiday yesterday, what an afterthought but it pulled together just fine and we had a lovely dinner.  The tiara ditcher, pizza luva and my sister susy celebrated with us.  5 people, 6 dogs, a cat and only one fight.  Not too bad!  Susy made us all extra full with her homemade ice cream sandwiches.  Yummas!

Today consisted of a few massages in the morning followed by a big left over lunch and a 2+ hour nap with the kids.   Off to a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner at our friends house this evening. I’m ready to strap the feed bag on again.  Tomorrow is our 6th wedding anniversary…hard to believe we were in Kauai last year at this time…..heading to the WP condo tomorrow night.   It’s BJ’s year so I’m not sure what is in store for celebration but if its WP then its low key and that’s exactly what I’m in the mood for.  Going on 12 years together, it’s been great so far.

Ok, ok so we’re in AZ – we arrived yesterday and that was simply a busy day.  Spotted our friends, Jackie and Gordon from across the pond almost immediately upon our arrival.  The IMAZ skirts got together last night for dinner but we just couldn’t make it.  By 4pm, I had been up for 12 hours and with a glass of wine at lunch was hovering below consciousness on the couch.

At 6pm I revived for a sticky, smoke stanked cab ride to Whole Foods.   But all that stank went by the wayside in less than a nano second when I stepped through the sliding doors and into the Gumkowski paradise of a grass fed organic loveliness.  It hit me hard last night just how paramount eating organic is to us.  It was like BJ and I just hit the lottery, or were stranded for the rest of our lives in Hanalei Bay or that we just found out the Harry and Lhasa would live forever….truly it was a livin’ the dream.

$230 dollars later we entered another nasty ass stanky cab and returned to our thin walled condo with a continued contentment of getting the food that we truly need to live a happy life.

Slept well and up early for a few cups of the legal stuff then off to the Gatorade swim.  It was choppy, an obstacle course of athletes and a ton of fun.  Love the swim can’t wait to get back in the water tomorrow. Picked up my 6-speed cruiser rental today so I can be the most memorable piece of support on the run course.  There are some lonely parts on the other side of Tempe town lake, I plan to cover those lonely spots with cheers for the athletes and enraging, uncompromised and off the cuff screams of support for #537.

He’s lookin’ good people, real good.

More tomorrow….

P.S. the wireless in the place SUCKS!  I can’t yell that loud enough.

Day 3, the final day of body masques, I will miss being at the spa everyday.  I will surely miss it.

Sunday a.m. started with morning sugar scrubs with essential oil followed by afternoon honey, rose petal and buttermilk body masques with hot stones then a 20 soak in a buttermilk bath.  At this point, my body is like a slip and slide beneath my clothes.  I’m smooth, rejuvenated and can’t wait for the next spa class.

I’ve created my spa wish list, my hope is to incorporate some of these treatments in my practice either as add-ons, spot treatments or full body.    Next stop, stone massage.

Today started with blue cornmeal and oat bran body exfoliation followed by a 20 minute soak in an essential oil bath.  It ended with a clay body masque and hydrotherapy treatment under the vichy shower.  Good Stuff!

I think I’m going to take the other two classes and finish up the spa program.  I’ve already taken two of the four.  The next two are Stone Massage and Aromatherapy.  More good stuff.

The treatments that I’ve been getting feel unbelievable and create a lovely long lasting effect.  I’m feeling pretty chill and smooth this weekend.

I’m taking a 3-day course at BCMT in Body Masques.  Today we gave and received seaweed wrap treatments.  It was luxurious.  A lovely woman painting clay and seaweed on me then wrapping me up like a beautiful rose.  She then applied a cool lavender compress to my face and hot stones along my spine, in my hands and on my belly following it all up with a scalp massage.  Did I mention the jacuzzi tub soak afterwards?  Hmmmmmm, I love school!

Now, any of my clients that are reading this need to know that this fu fu crap is not coming to a therapeutic practice near them anytime soon.  I’m so only kidding, this goodness is nature’s way to health.  It has countless health benefits;  major anti-free radical properties.   No question, an opportunity for healing.

All of the other weekend classes I have taken over the last few years have included building muscles, nerves, lymph vessels in clay on a 2 foot plastic human, long lectures on venous return and spinal pathologies, endangerment sites and orthopedic protocols.

So walking into Body Masques today was like a day at the spa.  Tomorrow is a honey blue cornmeal and oatmeal masque and a sugar scrub…oh yes and a soak in the tub.  Yummas!

I’m officially weening off the boot.  What does this mean?  It means that if I go to the mall then I have to wear it, if I go to Home Depot I have to wear it, if I take the dogs for a walk I have to wear it.  Basically places where I’ll be walking on concrete for an extended period.

So seeing as I loathe the mall and was mildly traumatized at Home Depot a few weeks ago those two boot wearing events are out of the picture.  Walking the dogs…no problem, Miss Lhasa only goes a mile before stopping in the middle of the street to rest so those walks are not so long.  Other than that, I’m back in my Dansko’s….both of them.  I’m wearing matching socks!  Life is beautiful!

What else? What else?  Oh yes, increased activity.  I get to kick in the pool and do yoga this week.  Next week I can spin on the bike.  In 2 weeks I can use the rowing machine and in 3 weeks I can saddle up on the elliptical.  I’ve rented a bike for IMAZ so I can tool around without compromising my healing, it’s too long of a day to be on my feet and the boot is not invited.

Running, not in the near future…probably not in 2008.  I’m planning my first run on January 1, 2009.  This may be a bit conservative but after this experience I don’t think I can be conservative enough.  It’s not about running a 5k next month, it’s about long term healing and longevity in sport.

I have 4 more Ironmans and 17 more marathons to complete before I die.  I have a lot to be healthy for.

An acupuncturist friend of mine filled me in on the medicinal benefits of bone soup with healing fractures - they are profound and I’m committed to healing.

This was about 5 weeks ago.  It took me 3 weeks to buy the bones from the butcher and then another 2 to actually make the soup.  I understand that the best soup stocks are made right from the bone but for this delicacy, the bone is main course so I think that gave me a mental block. As an anatomical and physiological geek I know that pouring bone down the throat is only going to offer great strength to my structure. I had to go for it.

Today was the day, bone soup.  Popped a few marrow bones in some water and boiled away.  I kept adding water as the cooking continued and when the broth was a white as a bone, I figured ‘ok, this is done’.  I threw in some vegetable broth at the end, scooped out some questionables, poured a cup and down the hatch.  Not so bad - I plan to finish it up tomorrow.

Back to the doc on Tuesday, hoping to be released from the boot.  We’ll see.

Lately I feel like I’ve just been doing things the right way….  I had to move my office last weekend and realizing that moving is always more than it seems I took three days to do it.  Afterwards, I thought, ‘wow, that was smart Jessica, you took your time and you didn’t really even know it’.  Everything got done and nothing was sacrificed.

Realization #2 of doing things right quickly followed.  Wednesday was my last night of class for Trauma and the Body.  Between Sunday and Wednesday I had to give two session, write two papers and complete a comprehensive take home final.  Again, I found myself working it in when I could and never rushing.  I was thoughtful with my assignments and never stressed.  Didn’t realize I had done this until Wednesday at 1pm when I was done with everything and off to the gym for a workout.  Job well done, again.

Granted I was a little shy on sleep but the fact that my days were not filled with hectic, rushed energy made all the difference.  Never in my life have I taken extra time for extra things.  I’ve always taken on too much and managed to get it done.  Being an overachiever at heart I always put 150% into everything but not necessarily taken extra time to manage the increase load.  So I’ve been trying to track this new found ‘doing things right’ pattern and I think I’ve figured it out.

It was Ironman.  Training for Ironman, running a business, working a 2nd job while balancing life as a wife and dog-mom taught me how to let things go.  It taught me to say ‘no’ more often and limit what I was able to take on.   I learned that if everything didn’t get done, all the secondary things, that life would go on.  I’d still be a good person and a happier one for it if the house went one more day without a vaccumm. At the same time, Ironman training was so completely all consuming that really I had no choice but to learn these new lessons.

I like this change and I hope it sticks.  I’m a type A and will continue to manage a full schedule but I don’t need to take on too much.  I don’t like that rushed, hectic feeling so I think I will continue to do things right and let the other things go.

I’m proud, I’m excited, I’m hopeful and I believe in this man.

Barack Obama is our 44th president.   Woo Hoo!

P.S. I think he’s hot.

Sorry Dad but really, you should rue the day that was my 18th birthday when you stormed into my room and announced, “you are registering to vote Republican today”.