Thursday, March 18th, Day 18: Ran - 2.75 miles/ Total so far 43miles/ Miles to go 957
Ran in the early morning at the treadmill at SMU. Honestly did not want to run. Was still tired from long Wednesday and from the run on Tuesday. Decided, mostly because of this blog and knowing I needed to write about it...thank you Catholic Guilt, that I would run two miles. Set the treadmill for 30 minutes, knowing I would be finished much sooner than that. Then it happened. Runner's high kicked in at about the one mile mark. I felt good. I kept increasing the speed. After two miles I still had a lot of time to go so I decided to see how much further and faster I could go in the remaining minutes. Each quarter of a mile I raised the speed. By the time I had finished I had run 2.75 miles. The rest of the day I felt much more energized. Although I wish I had not eaten the apricot almond cobbler with vanilla soft ice cream or the brownie at lunch at the SMU cafeteria. That is the problem with all you can eat cafeteria. You each too much and often the wrong things. My dad used to call people who ate at all you can eat restaurants "Trough Feeders". Usually the food is so bad that they should be called "All you don't want to eat" restaurants. But the food at SMU really is good, and way too tempting. Especially the desserts. Hot cookies seem to appear all the time begging to be washed down with cold milk. I avoided the cookies this time, but my lunch complanion/co-worker ate four hot chocolate chocalte chip cookies and complained all afternoon. I did drink the green organic apply and wheat grass juice they make fresh in front of your eyes. Muching on her cookies my friend rolled her eyes and said "That can't taste good." I would like to have been able to say it tasted good. But it didn't. it tasted like grass flavored with apple. But I felt better anyway after the sugar binge earlier.
The other reason I had to run in the morning was because I was meeting some friends for beer at an Irish Pub after work to discuss some committee work we were doing for the Dallas Bar Association (lawyers, not tavern owners...) As I was waiting for them, I ran into a guy in a Soccer Jersey - literally, by accident opening the men's room door. After the mutual "excuse me" moment , I commented to him that there must be a game on that night. I had been to this pub before when rabid fans were watching soccer on a big screen, Ihoped I was wrong because I knew it would not be possible to have a conversation over the sports crowd noise. Strangly, he said, "no game....I just have to support my team". I did not ask him why and moved on.
With my friends I had a couple of black and tans and some mussels with soda bread. I learned that true Irish don't eat corn beef and cabbage, at least not in Ireland. This habit and association developed in New York among the Irish immigrants who got the corn beef from their Jewish friends. Another piece of cocktail party trivia. We told some bawdy Irish jokes (or actually I told them and they laughed). It was a nice evening.
After the light supper and beer buzz, I decided to sweat it out at King Spa. King Spa is a Koren chain of mega spas. I had seen them advertised on TV in New York. I heard that they had recently opened one in Dallas and decided to try it out a few weeks ago. It has become a part of my routine every other week or so since.
King Spa is located in Korea Town...a part of Dallas at Royal Lane and Interstate 35 where there are lots of Korean stores, shopping centers and restaurants. Many of the store signs are in Korean. I understand that there are more the 80,000 people of Korean background in Dallas. Some of the Koren international students have taken me to Korean Town for wonderful Korean Barbecue on various occasions.
King Spa is located in a gigantic warehouse reached by driving under this large entry feature with 10 ft statues of giraffes standing on the top. I wish I knew where the giraffes came from or why they are there, but driving down Royal you cannot miss them. I guess that is good advertising for King Spa.
Entry to the spa costs $18 for a day pass. You must remove your shoes and are issued a key with a bar code key chain. You can use the key chain to charge other spa services and food. You lock your shoes in one locker and your clothes in another (why two lockers? I do not know, but when in Rome....) There are stacks of shorts and t-shirts of various sizes for customers to use when they exit the Men's area and use the common areas. There are also stacks of incredibly small towels for the wet area. Free tooth brushes, tooth paste and aftershave and razors are also provided.
The wet area in the Men's section contains four hot water Jacuzzi pools where the water flows in from pipes attached to frog statutes' mouths. There are large signs in English and Korean saying to stay away from the frogs....hot water. At least I assume they say the same thing in Korean, since I don't read or understand that language. It would actually be funny if all the Korean signs made fun of the funny americans, but I am sure the commercial motivation for opening the spa prevents such tomfollery. Still, for a moment I started wondering what clever warnings I could give in Korean instead of "Stay away from the Frogs". Problem was, I was not very clever that night and nothing came to mind.
There is an ice cold pool with wall of water and a ring you can pull to be drenched in 60 degree water. Other options include a steam sauna and dry sauna. The entire area is surrounded by walls with showers and a wet area where a Korean man for 20 or so dollars will give you an incredible salt body scrub. In one area there are low level showers and men can scrub each other while sitting on step stools. It is the polar opposite of the LA Fitness in Richardson where people in the suanas are often clothed. Must just be cultural but I will say that this spa is decadence incarnate, but a good decadence.
In the common areas there are 8 or so special spas including a gold pyramid room, a salt crystal room, an infrared room, an ice room, etc., where people can sit and receive all kinds of alternative medicine remedies. There is a large restaurant, (Korean, of course) and rooms for watching movies and singing karaoke. There is also an area set aside for acupressure massage, foot massage and chair massage.
Last night I wanted the acupressure massage. I was assigned to the only male massage therapist, Kevin. He is from South Korea but has lived here many years. In his 40s, he looks much younger and his massage is one of the best I have ever had. Energetic, he pushes and pulls you like taffy. He also uses smooth hot stones that really work tired muscles. At the end, feeling more like a limp noodle than a 55 year old man, I went back to the wet area for a little more time in the steam. Slept like a baby when I got home....
Today, if the weather holds, may need to try Katy Trail again. Life is Good.
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