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Massage at Total Health

I had a one-hour massage yesterday at Total Health. Total Health is "a complete medical fitness center and physical rehabilitation program" as well as a decent gym. The facilities are nice, clean, and new (especially compared to my current gym) and the people are nice.

Holly was my massage therapist. She asked me why I was there and when I told her it was cycling she knew just what to do. My lower back was hurting, and she found my lower back and hip flexors very tight. Getting those muscles to release was uncomfortable and was pretty sore the rest of the day and this morning, but I can tell it's better. It still hurts but the tension is gone. I still tossed and turned all night and woke up several times but I feel rested this morning for the first time in a few weeks.

I am going to change my gym membership to Total Health from the YMCA. It's very close to work and doesn't smell funny. I'll have to quit swimming, but the city 50m pool is almost open and I'll make do there.

http://www.stillwater-medical.org/th/Default.aspx?tabid=130

Garmin Forerunner 50

I got a Garmin Forerunner 50 for Father's Day. It's pretty slick. It's a watch that monitors heart rate and running speed. It can display heart rate, pace, speed, cadence, time, split time, or a two-level countdown timer. After the workout it gives time, calories (based on the weight I enter), average speed, average cadence, total steps taken, etc.

The Kit

  • watch
  • heart rate strap
  • foot pod
  • I will be getting the speed/cadence option for my bike
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    Positive

  • all the components link up quickly and easily
  • heart rate is as accurate as the Polar HRM I used before this one
  • the watch stores every pretty much automatically
  • accelerometer-based foot pod is very accurate - 95-99% for me without calibration
  • web software makes cool charts for each workout
  • all parts use standard CR-2023 lithium cell

    Negative

  • data seems to be deleted from the watch without verifying that it made it to the web site, so I lost a couple of workouts
  • Garmin stuff is not very water resistant
  • no way (apparently) to edit the raw data before it gets uploaded, so spurious data can junk up the graphs (ex: a workout had one heart rate data point at 240, so the graph compressed the range)
  • foot pod snaps around laces with a strong double-snap but it's not meant to move to a new pair of shoes very often

    Link:
    http://www8.garmin.com/buzz/fr50/
    http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-00679-25-Forerunner-50-Monitor/dp/B000U...

    • Oklahoma Joe smoker moves on to new home

    I've wanted a "real" smoker for several years, so when I found a genuine Oklahoma Joe smoker for sale a couple of years ago I jumped on it. But I only used it once, we don't eat a lot of meat, I'm trying to simplify, and I needed the money to buy triathlon gear. So I took some pictures with the idea of putting it on craigslist. I was talking about this at work and within ten minutes word spread and someone bought it. I will miss having it but I'll probably get more meat from it now that it's with a friend.

    These have a great reputation because they are so well built. This one is made from 1/4-inch thick pipe, so it won't lose heat to the wind. That's vital out here on the open prairie. It's a 16-inch, meaning it's made from a 16-inch diameter pipe. The firebox is 16 inches long, and the main cooking area is 32 inches long, giving 512 square inches of cook area on the stock expanded steel racks. Everything seals pretty well, and it has a mason jar lid tacked onto the bottom, so you can screw on a jar to catch your grease and drippings. It also has a propane connection for starting, if you're into that sort of thing.

    This smoker is heavy. Four feet of 16" x 1/4" pipe weights 168 pounds! Add the ends, legs, and shelves and it's over 200 pounds.

    More pictures here: http://sharpcraft.com/gallery/v/garden/smoker/

    You can still buy one of these new. After going through a few owners they are for sale here as the "classic 16" backyard smoker": http://www.horizonbbqsmokersstore.com/servlet/the-373/16%22-Classic-Back...

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