Oh my aching teeth

Here it is, the eve of the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta and I'm nursing aching teeth thanks to a tightening of my braces this morning.
In hindsight, wish I had postponed the adjustment. It would be one less distraction for the 10K race tomorrow morning.
Once again, I'm having to pull out the rain poncho that got me through the Country Music Half Marathon back in April. The weather prognosticators are calling for 100 percent chance of rain for the race, all six miles of it.
At least it won't be a cold rain tomorrow, so there is that.
I ran the HBCU Alumni Alliance 5K last Saturday. It was hot and humid and hilly for that race around Grant Park in Atlanta. I was a little worried that we might experience some malodorous "treats" during the race, since Zoo Atlanta is in Grant Park and during one race two years ago I definitely knew we were near the zoo! What a smell!

Hot. Humid. Done.

Here I am at the end of the race. What was fun about this race was some of the sponsor give aways at the end. I won a $10 Home Depot gift card! Always appreciated as I am always in need of something for the house or yard.
Do they sell water wings at Home Depot?
I have a feeling people will take tomorrow's rain in stride and I expect to see some fun costumes as a result. A very small part of me thought it would be funny to run with my SCUBA mask and snorkel -- for about 2 minutes. Then it would not be fun or funny. And I'd be stuck with it for six miles.
The bad part about my aching teeth is I was again forced on a liquid diet. Soup for supper tonight, rather than the planned pasta, grilled chicken and marinara. I knew I would be able to eat the chicken.
But once the race is over, I'll enjoy my forced liquid diet a little more. I can finally have a glass of wine!

Bracing for change

Oh Lord.
I seem to be reliving my high school years.
And not on purpose.
I had braces put on my teeth for the SECOND time in my life this week.
See, I had them as a teen-ager in high school, when you are supposed to have braces.
It was awful then, but at least there were several of my peers who were wearing them too, so misery loves company.
Fast forward 30 years later, and here I am again. And there are no peers. Misery has no company.
I had honestly forgotten how awful braces are.
First, I'm on a forced liquid/soft diet. At least this go 'round, wine is a liquid I can have. I really might have tolerated braces in high school if I could have had wine. :)
On the plus side, I've lost two pounds this week.
On the down side, I'm really beginning to hate soup, and I love soup.
Second, I forgot that the braces will make the inside of my mouth feel like raw meat.
This is particularly uncomfortable and hateful.
Third, I really, really forgot about the drool.
Drool, you ask?
Yes. Because there are brackets on my teeth, my body thinks "there is something in the mouth, so start the saliva!" It's pretty much non-stop salivating. And not in a good way.
The first night with braces I laid down to sleep and could feel the drool pooling in my mouth. Then I remembered. That pool will leak out. So, now I sleep on a hand towel.
Finally, I'm realizing this is going to be a long18 to 24 months. I'm trying to keep the long-term benefits in mind.
I wish I could go back to my 20-year-old self and say "wear your retainer!" and when that retainer broke, I wish I had gone to a new orthodontist and had it replaced. Maybe then I would not have a horrible overbite and bottom teeth that are crookedly chatting with their neighbors one over.
And so, I am bracing for change. It's not easy.