Tip for Everyone: Don't swallow boiling liquids.

This was the lesson I apparently needed to learn this morning.  After the HO HO 5K, they had split pea soup (yum!) and hot cider.  The first cup of cider I had must have been sitting out in the cold for a few minutes; it was warm but not scalding.  Not so the second cup.  I burnt my tongue and then, like a dumbass, instead of spitting it out I swallowed the boiling liquid.  I can't emphasize how much I don't recommend it.  Now I have not only a burnt tongue but a sore throat (much different than a "sick" sore throat, it's kind of weird) to boot. 

Sadly, no PR for me this morning; I finished at 0:42:05. The Cook Park Curse struck again; this is my third race in Cook Park and for each one I've just been off my game.  Not helping things were a mishmash of things.  First, it was freaking cold!  The race had a 10:00 a.m. start time, thankfully, because there was black ice everywhere when I first arrived.  Then the large parking lot was closed so people who didn't arrive early (like me) had to park on the side of the road heading out of the partk.  Then, they had ONE toilet open for all of the race participants; after 25 minutes standing in line for that and then another 15 waiting for the race to start (10 minute late start due to the toity situation), when we finally got started I realized my legs and feet were completely numb from the cold. My hips warmed up pretty quick but it took the entire first mile until I could feel even part of my feet and I was almost to two miles before I could feel my toes again. And the cold also triggered my asthma issues, so I walked a lot but when I was running I was about more than a minute faster than my normal mile pace.  And then in the third mile, once I could feel all of my body parts and was thinking I could run at a nice steady pace, my stomach decided it would be a good time to have problems of its own.  I spent mile three wondering if I would be tossing my cookies.  I didn't, but I was very happy there was a line of one at the toity after the race.

Luckily if I had scalded my throat shut or, you know, exploded, there was at least one doctor in the race.  Mine.  I saw her before the race and after, but didn't make the connection (and I wasn't wearing my contacts so everyone looked fuzzy from farther than two feet away); she came up to me at the end and said "I know I know you..."  I recognized her voice before I realized who she was; she doesn't seem as tall as she is (at least 5'10") when I'm laying naked on an exam table with my feet in stirrups.  It was fun to see her there -- and not just because I was dressed -- and get to meet her family and all that.  I really like my doctor a lot.  Also nice to have a doctor who really is interested in health and losing weight (she'd been heavier for a few years), not just paying lip service.  

One last thing on the race; they were supposed to raffle off prizes but apparently the organizer either (a) lost the box that he was supposed to be drawing from for the raffle, or (b) lost the box that held the raffle prizes.  I wasn't clear on what exactly happened but it was one of the two.  We did all get an evergreen seedling so I'm going to pick up some soil and a pot and see if I can't keep it alive until spring, at which point I'll move it outside before it gets too large to set off my allergies.  Maybe by next Christmas I will have a real tree on my deck that I can decorate.  That would be pretty cool.

I didn't get to post anything yesterday (did I?) because I am about two notches away from brain death.  Today is day 14 of No Days Off December.  The teeny hangover* I had yesterday didn't help matters much.  Neither did shopping at the mall.  Thankfully I only had to walk about 100 feet into the mall to get to the store I wanted.  But now I have all the 2010 calendars that I need (not necessarily want, however; I'm a calendar junkie).  Got presents wrapped up (heh) for two coworkers, my friend S, my mom, and my stepdad.  Still have my boss to shop for and then I have an idea of something for my dad and my grandma; on the latter two, if it doesn't work out they won't mind not getting anything. 

Well, me and my sore throat are off to do some more punching of the time clock.  I'll be posting the third day of Christmas tomorrow so stay tuned for that!  Oh, and I almost forgot; I have one new follower (hi there!) for whom I will do an official welcome once I get time to go see who it is (I only saw the count when I logged in).  That brings you cilley people up to ten.  Wow!  Thanks everybody!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

*This wasn't so much from drinking beer as it was from drinking beer without any corresponding water intake.  I'd been going at a state of partial dessication for a few days and the alcohol sucked all of the remaining water right out of me.