Massage Envy: Check It Out!

If you've recently gotten back into a solid workout routine and are suffering through the pains, or merely need a little stress relief from being crammed in a cubicle for 9+ hours a day laboring away in Excel spreadsheets, I highly recommend checking out Massage Envy. Last night I received a full hour massage for $49. Pretty decent, especially for a downtown La Jolla location. A membership costs $59 a month and comes with one massage and afterwards each additional one-hour massage is $39. It's a pretty good deal and the massage I received was actually good. My body is slowly coming back to life....

Week 2 With Archaic Spin Instructor

Yes, I am a glutton for punishment. I went back for week two with the joker spin class instructor and this week was actually worse. A whopping five people showed up for class this week and apparently this particular spin class is typically more of a social event than an actual workout. However, I learned during class that the spin instructor does not own an iPod, nor does he have health insurance. Due to the latter factoid, he couldn't go to the doctor to ask about his leg injury which occurred when he fell out of his grandfather's apricot tree. I wanted to ask him if he bumped his head also but managed to refrain.

Throughout class as we were "hitting the beat" to 80s classics from the likes of Berlin (not 90s music as I suggested last week), I learned more about the tragic death of MJ and how his doctor didn't have an AED on-site, which was appalling to the other people in the class. Wow. If I make it back to another class, it will be a miracle. It was quite ridiculous.

Fiesta Island

This weekend, Reggie had a ball at Fiesta Island with Gracie and new-found friend Shiloh. We are really blessed to have so many fun, furry friends that like to get out and have a good time. Above is the best pic from the day. Reg is turning out to be a bit of a playful bully. At six months old and 51 pounds, we'll see how she behaves when she's fully grown.

LJSC Adds Insult to Injury with 6am Spin Class Instructor

Monday morning’s spin class at La Jolla Sports Club (“LJSC”) was a quite a trip, with a whopping three people showing up for the 6am class. This was a welcome change from the evening classes, which pack the room full of sweaty people toiling away on their spin bikes. Usually by the time I get there for the evening classes, I’m stuck with a pretty crappy bike. For the 6am class, no crappy bike for me, but the instructor was possibly the most annoying spin class instructor I’ve ever had. Okay, I was already irritated based on the Monday morning 6am spin class time, but he was pretty bad.

The music selection was not favorable, with selections from Protégé, Crystal Waters and other 90’s tunes. Plus, he actually used CDs and had to get up and change music in the middle of class. What other spin instructor at a nice sporting club doesn’t have an iPod? I think he’s stuck in the 90’s. He wore a tight yellow Under Armor-like sleeveless shirt, which he tucked into his bike shorts. Yuck. And we constantly had to hear, “Hit the beat” during our sprints.

Although I’m a fan of morning workouts, I can’t decide if I’ll be going back to the 6am spin class at LJSC. More to come…

The Hill at Torrey Pines State Park Kicks My Butt (Again)

This Saturday afternoon, I took off for my long run from the intersection of Torrey Pines and La Jolla Village Drive roads with the goal of running north toward Del Mar through Torrey Pines State Reserve Park. I was hoping to get to see the golf course and some of the park but maybe not make it all the way down the hill. I ended up making it all the way down the hill and then part of the way up the hill in Del Mar. Running back up that hill more than six miles into a long run is a challenge. Yikes. That hill just keeps on going...

I have to say that the views from some of the trails in Torrey Pines State Reserve are amazing. You're basically running along the cliffs overlooking the ocean, which tends to re-energize you after the hill has been kicking your butt. If you live in the San Diego area and haven't done a run through these trails, I highly recommend it!

I ended up running the 10.5 mile loop at just about a nine minute mile pace. Not too shabby but I'm hoping to get closer to 8:20-8:30/mile pace for the AFC half. Still have some work to do.

Happy 50th Birthday, Mark!

Last night I had the pleasure of driving up to Newport Beach to have dinner with my old Cincinnati family, the Bodnars, in honor of Mark's 50th birthday. We had a great meal at a seafood place call Wildfish, one of the restaurants in the chain of Eddie V's. For those of you that choose to venture up to Newport Beach, I highly recommend it. I had a seafood salad with shrimp and crab and it was delicious. We also shared some fabulous desserts, with the pineapple upsidedown cake winning the award for most delicious. I found that kind of surprising and am not sure I've ever actually had pineapple upsidedown cake (other than as a shot).

Marissa is finishing up her internship with the Ellen DeGeneres show and Bo is on break from college in Minnesota. Marissa and Julie are driving cross-country back to Cincinnati on Monday and then Marissa is flying to Greece with a group of kids from her school later next week.

It was great to catch up with them. What a fun bunch. Happy birthday, Mark! You don't look a day over 48....

The E.N.D. of Boring Music

Last night on my drive up to Newport Beach, I finally listened to the Black Eyed Peas' new album, The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies). As with all previous BEP albums, I have to say I'm very excited about it. It's a bit more techno-y than their prior albums but it is GREAT for running to and working out to. As a matter of fact, I listened to it this morning during my run. Hopefully when my legs are a little less tired (from the 10.5 mile run yesterday), it will make me run faster...

In a sign of just how bad the economic times have been lately, one of the songs actually refers to Lehman Brothers' collapse. In "Imma Be," the song says, "Imma be a broker but my name ain't Lehman." Hilarious. Clever and a great for dancing, running, etc. Check it out! Two of my favorite songs are "I Gotta Feeling" and "Rockin to the Beat."