Finished a 15K Race!

Four months ago on the post “Started Running!,” I said I started training for the Gate River Run 15K race in March.  Yes, I finished the race a couple of weekends ago.  I diligently followed my own schedule, 30-minute run twice a week and one long run once a week, except for a few weeks.  Luckily, I didn’t get injured during the training, and even finished the race faster than I expected. 

Among all the races I ran, the Gate River Run was one of the most fun races.  The participation of the people in the neighborhoods along the course was the best I’d ever seen.  They played their own music, sprayed mist for the runners (the morning was already hot and muggy), and put out “unofficial” tables of all kinds of food, from donuts, homemade snacks, sausages to beer!  

Another thing I was happy about was a lot of runners were using Jeff Galloway’s Run Walk Run method that I’ve been using and mentioned in the earlier post.  I heard their watches beeping everywhere to alert the runners to start or stop running.  I also used to use a watch as a timer, but I found a new way.  I use an app called IntervalTimer on my smartphone, so I can listen to music and the timer beeping at the same time.  During a few long runs (like one in Savannah), I also used another app called RunKeepr to keep track of mileage and pace.  (Years ago when I was training for marathons, smartphones and apps were not available, so I had to buy a GPS watch!)  I set it up to tell me the distance every mile and the pace every half a mile so I can run consistently on my training pace.  The route is also tracked on the map, so even if you are running in a city you never visited, you won’t get lost.    

After I finished the race, I got a massage at the finish line from one of the volunteer massage students.  I had to wait in a long line, but I was determined to get a massage, mainly for a personal reason, but partially for a professional one.  The students were giving sports massage consisting of mostly compressions and stretching.  Woo, how nice it felt!  I didn’t realize that simple long, deep compressions felt so good.  Because of the massage, I didn’t get sore at all next day!  

Fascia (Connective Tissue)

Fascia was most talked about at massage school, and has been a hot topic in the bodywork field.  Fascia is connective tissue forming a continuous, three-dimensional matrix, and has different forms and many functions.  It surrounds all organs, nerves, blood vessels, muscles and bones.  It also supports the body against gravity, protects, separates and connects structures of the body, enables all movement to happen, communicates, delivers nutrients, and eliminates waste.  Here is a video showing how fascia looks like.  

When you have chronic contraction, repetitive use, emotional distress or poor nutrition, fascia becomes restricted, adhered, or dehydrated.  Since the whole body is connected with fascia, one part of the body may affect other parts as well.  It is like pulling one section of a knitted sweater changes the balance and tension of the threads of yarn of the whole sweater.  The notion of fascia is important for massage therapists because it brings your attention, not only to specific muscles, but to a whole body.

To understand what fascia feels like, we had an experiment at massage school using cornstarch.  You need a small paper cup (for mouthwash), water, and cornstarch.  Put cornstarch in the cup and add enough water to cover the cornstarch.  Wait until the cornstarch is settled at the bottom of the cup.  Then, stick your finger into the cornstarch quickly with force.  The cornstarch gets hardened, so your finger stops on the surface and cannot get it through.  Next, try to stick your finger into the cornstarch slowly and gently without resisting.  This time, your finger can get through the cornstarch and touch the bottom of the cup.  Cornstarch is the fascia.  You can sink into the fascia slowly and gently, but not with force. 

Fascia is the fundamental component in the Connective Tissue Therapy I learned in school.  It touches into the whole person through addressing fascia and the connections to the entire body.  Continue to read “FAQ: Is Deep Tissue Massage painful?”

Exercise as Part of Your Travel Plans

It is halfway through my training for the 15K race in March, so here is a little update. 

I recently had a wonderful 6-mile run in the National Historic Landmark District of Downtown Savannah, Georgia.  Savannah is a little, charming town in the South, and it is one of my favorite cities in the U.S.  Walking in the streets is a must-to-do.  The District is also known for 24 neat squares, so I decided to run through all of them.  It was in the weekend morning before the stores opened, so there were only some locals walking their dogs and city employees cleaning the squares.  It was very peaceful.  I relished every square and street, especially the pretty Jones Street, and the 6 miles felt very short.  As I exchanged greetings with the locals (Southerners are very courteous),  I felt as if I was living in the city.

Monterey Square 

This experience reminded me of how much I enjoyed the runs in other cities and countries while on vacation.  I ran in New York City, Vancouver in Canada, Paris in France, Cologne, Stuttgart, and Göttingen in Germany, and Japan.  I was able to grasp the vibe of the cities, so the experience became more distinctive and personal.

If you want to keep your exercise routine, don’t let it get in your way while on vacation or traveling on business.  Instead, incorporate it in your travel plans, and use it as a new way of exploring the place and people.  It is definitely more fun than using the gym at your hotel.  There are many ways; visiting an affiliated gym of yours, dropping by a yoga class, joining a running/walking group for a day (use Meetup.com), swimming in a public pool, cycling on bike trails and etc. 

*If you run in a new place, make sure to run during the day and ask locals which street and neighborhood should be avoided.

Power of Touch with a UFO Ball

At massage school, we had an experiment using a UFO Ball. It was a very simple demonstration, but it made a profound impression on me.  The instructor didn’t tell us what was for, so I’m also going to explain the procedures first and the point later.

The UFO Ball is a size of a ping-pong ball, and it has two metal strips embedded.  The instructor held the ball touching one metal strip and asked one of the students to touch the other metal strip with a finger.  Nothing happened.  Then, they held the other hands together while still holding the ball.  Voila!  It lit up and started beeping.  The electricity (or electrons) encircles the two people through their hands, which closed the circuit and activated the battery-operated device in the ball.  

Next, about 20 of us sat in circle on the floor and held hands with the people sitting next to us.  Two of them sitting next to each other in the circle release their hands (still the other hands held) and held the UFO Ball.  One person held the ball touching one metal strip and the other one touch the other metal strip with a finger.  Can you guess what happened?  Yes, it lit up and started beeping.  Why?  Because the electricity traveled through everybody’s hands in the circle and closed the circuit.  And, suddenly, the beeping stopped. The circuit was broken. Somebody in the circle let the hand go. We played with holding and letting go of hands so that light and beeping turned on and off.  

I was excited like a kid.  This can be just a science tool to teach electronic circuits, but it did show that we were connected by touch.  I knew that touch had power to influence the body and mind, but it is easier for me to really “get it” when I can actually see or visualize it. To me, it was amazing to even imagine that electrons were traveling through everybody’s body in a circle and united us. Other than electrons, you never know what else touch facilitates to transfer to other people.  I am re-visiting the power of touch now that I am interested in Craniosacral Therapy.