Smelling the Roses

As Monday morning approached under wet, windy weather, I was thankful to have the day off. Not completely off, mind you, as I was anxiously anticipating my first chiropractor/massage therapy session of my new training program, but the first day in seven without some form of swim and/or bike workout.

In order to facilitate a life that includes a business, a wife who puts in significant hours, and two small children, it's imperative that at the beginning of each week I analyze my schedule and find space for six workouts (preferably without pulling double duty), a day off, and, if I'm lucky, a date with the chiropractor and massage table -- in a perfect world, and this first week did go pretty much according to plan, the day off and the massage are the same day so I can heal up fully for the next six workouts.

Today, the massage was typically wonderful. My fantastic doctor, "Dr. B.," worked through my set of goals for this new six month period, as always gave me a clean bill of health (not to mention confidence) to go ahead and do the race in August, and helped stretch and loosen me up. All with the Pea sitting right there in his stroller sipping a bottle. Actually, the Pea was at his absolute best for this hour-long visit, even wooing Junior Seau (my doctor co-owns a sports medicine clinic commonly used by NFL players) by crawling up to him and smiling at him.

Then I hit the massage table and my absolute favorite massage therapist, "Mel." Mel was thorough, as always, talking through my goals with me, working on my problem areas (hamstrings, trapezius/rhomboid connectors, and lower back). For anyone interested in a prolonged training regimen, if you can afford a weekly or twice monthly sports massage, it's absolutely irreplaceable. It's essentially preventative maintenance for your body and I can attest to the fact that it works.

It does leave you sore, however -- especially at the beginning of a training schedule. My neck, which gets abused both when I'm upright on a bike for hours AND when I rotate to breathe while swimming, will be sore for a day or two. My lower trapezius muscles (above the shoulder blades) are sore as if I lifted weights for an hour. Nonetheless, it's all worth it for the restorative effect it has on tired and sore muscles, which are as constant in my world as the sunrise and sunset. Come morning, I will be able to do things again pain-free which had become uncomfortable by the end of my last week of training. Magic!