Cold Gums and a Visit from Jan!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008
7:00AM (4-Mile Run)
Rt. 9
Weather: 30F
Conditions: Wind, Sunny
Gut Rating: 2
Perfect conditions for a marathon (ha!).
Pace: Who knows?

It was chilly this morning, so I wore my new minty green fitness fleece. There are a few things that every runner/fundraiser should own: an L.L.Bean Fitness Fleece and several pairs of Wrightsocks. FYI - If you are shopping for a runner this Christmas, a wide selection of Fitness Fleeces is currently on sale at L.L.Bean. You can't beat the price at only $25.00. I love them so much that I own six of them! I also never run without my blister-free Wrightsocks! I wish they made Wrightsocks in black and nude, so that I could wear them under my dress shoes at work. I wore Wrightsocks during the marathon last year, and I didn't get a single blister! Lastly, I never run without my "sip," and other runners tease me for it. My "sip" is a miniature water bottle. It holds only eight ounces of fluids, but it's my lifeline. People find it strange when I carry it during road races, marathons, and training runs ... but you never know when you're going to need a sip!

Anyhow, back to my run! My run felt great, but I seem to be struggling with cold hands and gums. I wonder if any other runners suffer from cold gums. How do you warm up cold gums anyways?! Any suggestions? I don't think that I feel comfortable wearing a ski mask because I would feel like a bank robber -- not the best way to raise money for Dana-Farber! I've tried so many different types of gloves in an attempt to solve my cold hand problem, but nothing seems to be working. My hands turn bright red and freeze during the winter. I don't remember having this problem last year. Karen suggested that I try a liner underneath my gloves. If that doesn't work, I'm going to try Katherine Kellett's "mittens over gloves" approach.

One of my favorite memories from this run was that Jan Ross, the Director of Marathon and Running Programs, saw Kay and me when she was driving to work. She saw us before we saw her. She pulled over in her SUV and wished us a good run. This gave us just the burst of energy that we needed to finish our four-miler, and I hope she visits again in the future!

I just noticed that I'm really behind with my crosstraining. Hmmm. A good New Year's resolution!

FUN FACTS: (since October 20, 2008):
Total Miles Logged: 67
Total Time Running: 11:40:00
Total Time Crosstraining: 00:30:00

MONTHLY MILEAGE:
Total Miles Logged October: 9
Total Miles Logged November: 41.5
Total Miles Logged December: 16.5

MONTHLY CROSSTRAINING:
Total Hours October: 00:30:00
Total Hours November: 00:00:00
Total Hours December: 00:00:00

GUT RATING SCALE:
(1) Great workout! Could have run twice as far (if I threw caution and The Plan to the wind).
(2) Rewarding effort - felt almost great.
(3) Worked up a decent sweat - had fun in general.
(4) Heart and soul not out here with my body, but...The Plan, Boss, The Plan!
(5) Thank goodness the race wasn't today. I'd rather be doing almost anything else.