Just an Average SKIRT

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”.

That’s what the Beej and I looked like when we left for our errands.  Four hours later we returned haggard, hungry and broke.  Voting, The Puddle, watch BJ try on jeans…

Quick aside: the beej in a store trying on clothes = system shutdown. 

...bought a garage door, vacuum, and a mini fridge.

I’d much rather be training.

I’m starting to hate my boot.  I’m 4 weeks and 2 days into it….I’m getting to the end of my rope, my calf has atrophied and my body is completely misaligned.  It’s not just my foot, this freaking boot is wrecking the rest of me.  I’m so pissed at the company that made the stupid boot because they should have recognized that this will give the patient a lateral pelvic tilt and screw up their posture…so give them an insert for their other shoe.  Balance them out a bit.  I mean help a sister out.  Lateral pelvic tilt is a nasty postural anomaly and now I’ve got it.

Not to fret, I can see the light, just had to rant a bit.

Headed to Cape Cod last week for a visit home, originally planned because I was to participate in the Cape Cod marathon.  Sidelined by my stress fracture I ended up volunteering as a course monitor.  My mom, dad and sister joined me at my assigned location on Water St. in Woods Hole, a quintessential Cape Cod town.  Up the hill came 1200 runners towards us amidst the red, orange and yellows from the trees above.  The salt air was thick and the ocean breeze perfectly chilling the runners as they ran into the bright, warm sun.  It was the perfect day for running and a great day to support.

I have to admit there were a few times where I had to breath deep and regroup as I would realize ‘I am supposed to be one of these guys’, I had a few moments where the tears filled my eyes but I was able to refocus my energies and legitimize the smile on my face.  My mom rocks out the support, screaming and yelling, full body gestures and shouts of ‘you can do this man!’, ‘go girl’, ‘21 down, 5 to go!’.  There’s no question where I get my positive outlook and my competiveness - it’s all from her.

I can’t wait to go back and participate, it was as beautiful as I had imagined.  I will run that marathon, it just wasn’t in the stars this year.

So looking at the picture of the Cape above - think of it as an arm, Provincetown (the outter most tip) is the fist and the Cape Cod canal (you can just see the canal cutting off the land to the left and making the Cape an island).  I grew up in the upper bicep, just left of that spit of land you can see before the ‘elbow’.  It was an incredible place to grow up - I’m so lucky to still have roots there so I can go back and visit.  BJ have talked about buying property there someday and spending time there in the summer.  We are very mobile with our jobs…maybe someday.  I can see up splitting time between Colorado and somewhere else equally as beautiful.

Spent time with my handsome nephew, Vincent or Vinny Louis as he’s known on the streets.  As soon as my sis sends the photos, I’ll post some, he’s a cutie.  Back in the swing of things, finishing up my Trauma and the Body class next week and then just 5 weeks of Craniosacral.  Graduation is coming up in December and then my testing certification for Ortho/Sports in May.  Looking forward to finishing this chapter and on to more learning ops.

As always I find myself very busy but having so much fun, learning a ton and truly loving another great stint in life.   The Gumkowski household is full of commitment right now.   BJ and I are totally and completely engrossed in his very attainable Hawaii slot and my complete obsession with getting perfect grades in school.   Even though school is demanding, it doesn’t hold a candle to what BJ’s doing.  He’s putting in the time and  I have plenty of time to support him. Now that I’ve experienced what an Ironman feels like I have way more compassion for his commitment.

Oh yeah, he’s got what it takes.  Watch out 35-39 males, IMAZ 11/23/08.  Oh yeah, I’m starting the trash talk.  My man is such a humble soul, it’s clearly my role to start the intimidation.  My man is a silent competitor and he’s bringing it!

I’m so proud of him.  This is a perfect time in our life to be selfish and live our dream.  Although I feel that we will always live our dream, it’s just something that I can tell about my life with the beej.