THE LEFT SIDE

No, not a political post don't worry. I am talking about the left side of my body. That side has been plagued forever. Let's back up . . .

Yesterday was a fun filled packed day for me. It began with a lunch time "date" with Dr. Lau from Elite Spinal and Sports Care. Dr. Lau confirmed my IT band suscpicions. At one point he pushed on a spot on my left knee and I about jumped 10 feet off the table in pain, "Yup, that's an IT issue" he said . . . gee, thanks! He then asked me if I had recently switched shoes . . . I immediately started with a "nooo, oh wait! Yea, I did, about a month ago!" DOH! How could I have forgotten!? I switched shoes (Asics to Brooks) because the Asics were bothering my ankle. Well, the Brooks Casscadias solved my ankle problem but apparently brought on a new one. Dr. Lau said a lot of times, IT band issues stem from a shoe switch, however minor it is, it's enough to throw off your stride ever so slightly causing the IT band to hurt. Great. He also said my left hip does.not.move . . . mmm, that can't be good.

He worked for a long time on my IT band area and I left feeling about 10 to 15% better than when I had arrived. I'll take it. Generally with Dr. Lau you feel "the magic" in a day or so anyway.

Next up, was our final group workout before the Way Too Cool 50K on Saturday. Just an easy 45 minute run as a group chatting about pre-race, mid-race and post race stuff along with random musical choices and preferences. Coach Nikon gave me some garter belt advice, basically positioning and tightness which really made a huge difference compared to when I ran with it on Monday.

After the run, I stalked followed Coach Nikon to his home. I followed him because I had scheduled a massage with his amazingly awesome wife Lily. Lily is a Certified Massage Therapist specializing in Swedish Massage, Sports Therapy, Stress Relief, Deep Tissue, Soft Tissue and Hot Stones. This was my first ever massage by her and oh.my.goodness! I don't even have the words to describe the heaven I was in! She is absolutely fantastic. She, by far, gave one of the best massages I have ever had (and trust me, I've had a lot). Before we began, I explained to her my problem areas and she discussed with me how she goes about treating the IT band area. She's also a runner herself. She's running the Shamrock Half Marathon this Sunday in addition to coming out and being race support for our team on Saturday. She knows what she's talking about and she knows where to massage. Because I am 3 days out from a big race she explained that the pressure should not be too deep. It was perfect. I'll share Lily's information at the end of this post and strongly urge everyone to run, not walk to her immediately!

Interestingly, Lily also noted that my left hip was tight and my left shoulder was jacked up (my words, not hers). Like I said, my left side has plagued me my entire life. I am extremely bow legged. It's bad. So bad that when I was in the 5th grade and was (gasp) a cheerleader, my coach used to hide me behind the squad because you could see right through my bow legs to the other side of the arena . . . apparently a team loses points for stuff like that. Nice huh? When I delivered the Peanut she got "stuck" in my left hip area and it required two nurses to um, assist with that. Not fun. My dad, who also has bow legs, had a hip replacement in his early 60s which is not old by any means. He also had to stop running in his early 30s due to hip and knee problems. So it is probably okay to say that some of my IT issues are not entirely caused by new shoes and the fact that I can't cross my left leg over my right because my hip doesn't move that way is partially to blame as well. Sigh. Yoga anyone?

While I was out getting pampered last night, the Peanut and Vans were off doing their own thing. Van's mountain bike racing season is approaching so he brought his bike to REI for a tune-up. Sure enough, our friend Mr. REI was working.  He happens to be one of the Peanut's most favorite people in the world right now. She literally starts squealing the minute we enter the REI parking lot and then races to the front door screaming Mr. REI's name! It's adorable. Mr. REI took the Peanut on her own little adventure last night.

First up, a tandem canoe ride!

Followed by chilling out on the bike repair counter.

Finally, the Peanut was off on her own canoe ride.

If you would like to schedule a massage with Lily (highly recommended, you won't regret it) you can reach her by calling: 916.390.1035 or emailing her at: Brantley.Lily@yahoo.com

Her rates are as follows:   
$55 for an hour in her office; $75 for 90 minutes in her office.

$75 for an hour at YOUR HOUSE!; $100 for 90 minute AT YOUR HOUSE!

Finally, Coach Nikon, if you're still reading my blog . . . this is for you!