u/Kristina-Louise — reddlx

I did the Flying Pig Half in Cincinnati yesterday- it was my second half!

I use walk/run intervals while running, and ran a 5 minute run/2 minute walk pattern this race, with a 5 minute walking break every half hour. I finished my first half marathon in 3:09:16, and I trained with the goal to break 3 hours this time, but had some rough long runs and went into the race knowing that it may not be achievable this run.

Around mile 10, the course becomes mostly downhill. I started crunching numbers in my head and realized a sub three hour may possible if I cut down my walking. I had not trained with shorter walking breaks, but was feeling physically capable and determined to attempt.

And I did it! For the final three miles, I ran for longer and took ~1 minute breaks as needed. The downhill helped A LOT. Once I hit the final mile, I pushed to run as much as possible, and I finished with a 2:59:36… 24 seconds to spare :-)

The Flying Pig was wonderful; I love running in Cincinnati. Pushing that hard was NOT in my plan for the weekend, but I’m taking the next few weeks off running and focusing on letting my body heal. I’m hoping to increase my running intervals in future races and continue shaving time off my PR… without the giant sprint at the end!

I’ve had the same hygienist the past few years.

Yesterday during my appointment, the floss broke three times while she was flossing my teeth. It is uncomfortable, and usually happens during my appointments. She said it was because of tight fillings and asked where I got my fillings done… I got them at that office by that dentist. She told me I was in pain and bleeding and I need to floss more- I floss every day. I’ll admit I could be more agressive flossing, but the way she was going it felt like too much?

Does this sound like a hygienist problem, or is floss breaking really that common? I already scheduled with this hygienist for my next appointment, but I’m considering calling and asking to have someone else because I hate when the floss breaks in my mouth. I’m not scared of the dentist, but the breaking floss specifically makes me dread going.