Maxin' and Relaxin'

We had a relaxing weekend around here. It was very nice to just take it easy for a change and not have to run the family all over town.

Saturday I got up early and ran my long run with the 1/2 and full marathon group, I ran an hour out and an hour back, about 13 or 14 miles. I felt really good the entire run and had a negative spilt. The negative split is my nemesis I try for it every race and usually I am backasswards. A negative split means you run the second half of your run faster than the first. I usually go out too fast and get fatigued half way through and I have to push to stay on pace at the end. Not Saturday, I did very well pacing myself. This is something I need to work on more to be more successful in races.

I went to work following my run and had a crazy busy day. The best part was after work Paul had made an appointment for me to see a rolfer that he has been seeing. Rolfing is a massage technique that involves working VERY deep with the muscles and the fascia that surrounds them. It was an hour and half apt and it was wonderful. He worked very deep and my legs were much more sore to work on than my upper body (no surprise there). It was very interesting, I could feel the changes in my muscles and the way I was lying on table as he worked on one side and then the other.

He did my neck and right arm first and when he was done with that he just stood back and looked at the changes in my posture. I felt my right shoulder had dropped down and was now laying flat on the table and my right arm laid down flat too. It was a strange sensation to feel so much change in my body with so little work. He did a lot of work on my legs and I had very little soreness on Sunday even after running 14 miles on Saturday. Normally I would be a bit stiff after such a long run but I am not at all today. I am hooked and I will try to get in and see him once a month. Paul goes every 3 weeks and has been feeling much less stiff and muscle sore since he started going. It was very sweet of him to just book an appointment me. He is very thoughtful. Oh, yes I also noticed I was very hot for the rest of the day, my circulation was just pumping so well following the massage that I was warm all day. I also had the best sleep that night of my life. I feel asleep at 10:30 and slept right through until 7:00 Sunday morning.

Sunday we got up went for a 'drive', Paul has been nagging me to go for a drive with him to Paul Lake. He just wanted to drive around the lake and look at houses and see what there was to see. Now with no kids I wouldn't mind this so much, but packing up three kids to go for a drive is incredibly booooring to me. The kids, "where are we going?" "Where is the lake?" "Can we get out now?" "Where is the park?"

Our kids travel well and I don't mind taking them places at all. But to just drive them around for 3 hours and end up back at home kind of sucks. To drive for a few hours and end up somewhere fun where they can get out and run around, or visit people, or see new things, I think that is great. I don't see the sense of piling them all in the car for a 'drive'. They did well, I told them we were going on a special mission and everyone had to stay awake and count boats and campers. That kept them entertained for a long time. We had no tears and no sleeping so all in all it was a nice day. I hope that Paul's 'driving' craving is all satiated and we don't have to go again for another year or two.

After we got home Paul went for a bike ride, and I stayed home with the kids. When he got back he played with th ekids while I had a nap on the couch. I really have nothing at all to complain about drive or no drive, it was relaxing family time. Priceless.