No Cavity And More Redeeming Runs

Good news! I don't have a cavity! Turns out it was just a particularly pesky piece of food. Gross.

Thus my first ever New Year's resolution: FLOSS EVERY DAY.

So far, so good. I have flossed every day this year! WOOHOO!

On to a quick running update. I've had one not-so-hot and two good runs (including this evening) since my last post. It's hugely helpful that we got a bit of a heat wave here in Cincy. The rain and heat got rid of all the stupid snow just in time for a few days off after Christmas and for the New Year's holiday. Tonight was the first nighttime run I've had in a long while. I kind of missed it, in a strange way. When it's dark, it's easy to not get wrapped up in how much distance you have left to cover. It's easier to stay focused on what's right in front of you. Step by step by step.

I was battling some sore feet tonight, but the discomfort lifted somewhere around mile 1.5 (out of about 2 total). I wish that would have gone away earlier, but oh well.

Let's see ...

Oh, I may have been talked back into signing up for the half-Pig. And I may have, in turn, talked that person into doing it as well. It'll be a huge step for both of us. I'm still scared though. I don't like being so close to the possibility of failing. I just need to come up with a race-day plan. A good, solid plan and not a semi-winging-it plan. Any help you can offer on that kind of plan would be greatly appreciated.

And now, I'm going to try to ward off my post-run-shivers with a hot shower. Brrrr!

Oops, almost forgot ... Congrats to my pal, Matt, for completing the first day of Couch to 5K (and hopefully the second day tonight)! Yay Matt!

A Cavity, A Redemption Run, And New-To-Me Running Gear

My tooth hurts. I believe, at the ripe old age of 29, I've just gotten my first cavity. Ugh! I've been grinding and flicking my teeth all day to try to pin-point exactly which one it is. I'm sure by the time my Monday appointment rolls around, I will have aggravated my TMJ issue (self-diagnosed) as well. Good ... two birds, one stone, right?

RIGHT!

On a much more positive note. I just ran a wonderfully redeeming run this evening. I've been itching to get out since I saw the forecast for a "heat wave" a few days ago. My car's thermometer read a whopping 40 degrees on the way home! Granted, my car's thermometer is usually a few degrees off, but STILL! 40 degrees, give or take a few, is still better than 23 degrees with a windchill of -18, amiright?

Besides, 40 degrees, give or take, is enough for me to be confident my footfalls aren't happening on black ice. What ice there was, I could see plainly as it crept out from a parking lot glacier (iced-over snow plow pile), and those spots are easy to dodge.

Plus, I got to run in my new-to-me pullover jacket. Back in my Kings Island days (somewhere between May 2001 and July 2003), a friend of mine, Eddy, insisted that I keep his Adidas pullover windbreaker. I don't know what he was thinking, but I was thinking "score!" I've had it this whole time and never wore it. Well, when I was getting ready to head out this evening, I spotted the jacket in my closet and did a little happy dance.

Wicking/compression undershirt + Adidas pullover windbreaker = perfect (okay maybe a little warm) for this weather.

Plus I felt like an Adidas spokesperson in both the windbreaker and my Adidas running pants. Die Weltmarke mit den drei Streifen! (The brand with the three stripes. Yes, I remembered that from some dude's shirt/hat/whatever in my high school German class.)

I also got to wear my brand new reflective vest. (Thank Santa/Mom!) I never felt unsafe in my parking lot, but I definitely felt safer tonight. And, honestly, a bit geeky. All I need now is a fanny pack with water bottles strapped to it and a few sweat bands and my runner image is complete. =)

Oh, the run was so nice! I ran around my apartment complex's parking lot, just like the good ol' days (two or three weeks ago). I hurt a little more than I did last time I did that route, but I'm just so happy to have completed the 30-minute run without stopping (minus the three times I had to take about 5 walking steps to make way for cars). My recent runs have been brutal on my confidence and morale, so I needed this "win" so badly. I think I can get two more outdoor runs in this week and that is so exciting. If I have to get through two or three more months of cold, I at least need little weather breaks like this to relieve the treadmill humdrums.

Thanks for reading. Wish me luck for my dentist appointment Monday. I have a feeling I'm going to meet my first dental drill very soon. Help!