Today's mantra on my HORRIBLE run

Ice Trail

January started off with a bit of a running slump so I decided to give myself a fresh start on Sunday and went for my long run on the running trail. The two days before we were slammed with a mix of snow and sleet and the result was a 1" layer of ice covered with snow. Here are some random thoughts from that run.

1. People who aren't running on the ice trail look at you like you're a crazy person for running.

2. Dogs are even more adorable when walking in the snow.

3. I will silently judge you if you are wearing shorts on the ice trail. SHORTS! What happens if you fall, tough guy?

4. Staying verticle requires a lot of stability. Everytime I slouched or didn't keep my hips squared my foot slipped when it pushed off the ground. Snow + Ice + Trail Run = Impecible Form

5. Just because you have stroller doesn't entitle you to take up the entire trail - ever!

Overall, the trail run was great. I didn't fall, my pace wasn't dramatically affected by the ice, and I felt energized afterward. It was the perfect start to my fresh start!

Forced Break

I was forced into a 4 day break from running. My scheduled day off was last Thursday, which worked out well because I went home sick from work with a flash of flu-like symptoms. I was hoping that it was nothing, especially since I had planned on going to Cleveland for the weekend to see some super cool friends. The 16 hours of sleep I logged-in between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning seemed to help as I was feeling much, much better on Friday and even went to work. However, I am no longer a college kid and I know my body well enough to realize that a one day rebound does not mean a full recovery. Sadly, I canceled my trip to the Cleve and opted to keep the weekend low-key. I am glad I did because I felt sluggish and beat up for a majority of Saturday and Sunday. My upset stomach and fatigue were exacerbated by a sore tooth. I scheduled an appointment with the dentist on Saturday and she suspected I needed a root canal (be jealous) and referred me to an endodontist. Fast forward to 1:45 this afternoon when I had my appointment with said endodontist and subsequent root canal. The good news is I woke up this morning feeling fully recovered from the germ invasion that had held me hostage all weekend and I was able to put in an easy four on the treadmill. The other good news is, having a root canal is a first world problem. Not only was I able to schedule the procedure today, a PAID holiday, but my insurance covered most of it! The only downside is that my mouth won't stay numb forever and I will be able to feel the pain soon enough. It is supposed to be unseasonably warm tomorrow - hopefully the mouth pain will be fleeting and I can go on an early morning run. A four day break isn't any fun when it's not by choice!

Resolution Runners?

While I was out on my morning run yesterday I saw 9 other people out running, which was surprising since I usually see 2 or 3, tops. Today I saw 5. I wonder if these were New Year's Resolution runners. When I belonged to gym, I always dreaded going in January because it was packed with people who had recently joined or had decided to actually use their membership because of a resolution to "get in shape" for the new year. It's not that i wasn't happy that these newbies were focuses on their health and well-being, it's just that I didn't want them to monopolilze my favorite elliptical while they did it.

Now that I don't compete for space, I enjoy seeing the new early morning runners. It can feel a bit isolating when you run alone, in the dark, and no one else is around. All of these new faces are comforting - a reminder that I'm not alone and that other people are just as "crazy" as I am :)

Thanks, donors!

A big thank you to everyone who has donated to the MS Society as part of my fundraising efforts! I have never been great at selling - even as a girl scout I kept my cookie sales limited to family members and close friends. My comfort level when it comes to asking people for money is still pretty low. However, this is a cause that I really believe in so I have wandered outside my comfort zone by sending e-mails and posting requests on Facebook to solicit donations. I really appreciate those of you who have already donated. If you are considering a donation, use the "Fundraising Information" link on the top left corner of the page. The link will not only take you to an online donation page but it will also provide information about MS and why the cause is important to me.

Dear Millionaire

Dear Million Dollar Home Owner,

Wow, you have a big ass house! It looks pretty sweet from out here in the street. Is that an in-ground pool in your backyard? Do you actually have 4 cars in your 4 car garage? Kudos on living large. If MTV was still producing episodes of Cribs, you could easily be featured as a suburban baller. Anyhoo, now that I have your attention, can I ask why you have yet to shovel your sidewalk? I honestly would not have noticed except that I almost broke my neck while running in front of your million dollar home at 5:30 this morning. I know it hasn't snowed much, really it's only been 2 days, but isn't that all the more reason for you to have taken care of this ice-sludge mess? Usually by early January we have been slammed with snow in Western PA, so most people start to get lazy. I can sympathize with that. This year, however, we haven't seen flakes since October. Surely you cannot still be recovering from October! Could you not afford a shovel and salt because you spend $200/week filling your luxury SUVs with gas? Or have you simply forgotten what it's like to be one of us "common folk" who actually use public sidewalks? Isn't all of this ice on your sidewalk an insurance liability? I'm sure you would lawyer up in the event of an accident, but a bag of salt is much cheaper than a retainer fee. Certainly, even if you don't have the time to shovel and salt, you have an extra 10 bucks to throw at some neighborhood kid to come out and take care of this for you. I'm not asking for much, millionaire, just some safe sidewalk space so I can run in relative safety. Thanks for your time!

Best,

RunRebRun