Talk about Relaxing...

Oh my...I certainly had a relaxing day! Though I did have to wake up to call the community center about spin class, I was able to crawl back into bed and slip right back into slumber. Aaaaahhh.
I didn't get out of bed until shortly before 8 - yes, that's 8! It's been a while since that's happened. It sure was nice just lounging around, rather than bolting out of the house. Steve called to see how things were going. (since you're not keeping up with your blog, Steve, I'll write about you on this one!) He went to Masters swim this morning and sounded pretty spent. He said his arms were so tired he could barely turn the steering wheel. I believe one question was, "how far are you guys swimming - 3800-4000 yds?...yeah, that's a long way..." I guess we inspired coach to hit the pool again. :-) Good work, Steve!
Anyway, we discussed the fatigue and possible adjustments to the training schedule. We really don't have much longer before the taper begins. Though I want to be excited about that, it just means the race is that much CLOSER. AAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

So, today is all about resting and recovering. I booked an appointment at a local spa - they have this salt water float, which is supposed to do exactly that. 1 hr in the float should feel like 4 hrs of sleep. I worried that I wouldn't be able to relax, rather I'd be thinking of all the other things I should/could be doing. I'm not a big spa person - I mean, don't get me wrong - the whole premise is fabulous, but to spend the time and money pampering myself? it's just not the norm for me. At any rate, this spa was gorgeous. The staff was very helpful and nice, and it made for a really pleasant experience. For the salt water float, you are shown into the small room. You walk up a couple steps into what looks like a bathroom shower - double door entrance - they give you all the instructions and leave. Basically, you walk up these steps into the shower area, close the doors behind you to "lock" in the warmth of the salt water bath. Just to the right of the shower area is the tub with about 10" of salt water in it. You just sit down and immediately feel yourself floating - of course you lay back so your entire body is just floating in this water. It really just reminded me of the ocean - minus the motion of the waves. Once you're ready, you push a button, and they turn off the lights and start your ocean waves or music of some kind. At first, I thought - I'm not gonna be able to relax in here, but after just a few minutes, I was very relaxed. It reminded me of sitting on the beach or by a pool, you know when you almost drift off to sleep. It was nice. Before I knew it, the light came back on and the music stopped...it had been an hour! I felt extremely relaxed as I got out of the float.
After that, I headed to the locker room to shower off. Well, there was another gal waiting for the shower, so I went to the lounge area and had some water. There was another woman in there who I chatted with. She was asking what I had done and how I liked it. She doesn't even live here, but had discovered the spa on a visit and was now returning for more pampering.
Finally, I was able to shower off and headed for this European Bath Ritual room. It's pretty cool - there are 3 spa-type tubs, with jets and waterfalls - each of the three pools is a different temperature. I tried all of them...from very hot to cooler. Not sure if there's a proper order, but I liked the order I chose. That was it for my pampering. I went back to the locker room, changed and left the spa. :-(

After a few more relaxing hours at home, I headed out to my massage at TKMT. I had several spots in my legs that were bugging me. It's always a catch 22 - do you tell Kent what's bothering you? 'Cause you know it's gonna really hurt when he works on it! I think I actually asked him at one point, "did I do something to make you mad today?" It's just one of those things that hurts, but it's worth it in the end.

My day was done. Now I just needed to find food, pack up my stuff for tomorrow and hit the hay!