New Stuff.

Labor day they had a sale at Sports Outdoorz in Albuquerque - 20% off anything you could fit into a brown paper bag. There I ran into Jane and family, including the twins, who are so cute they ought to be patented.

Anyway, I am never one to miss a good sale, so Sweet Baboo and I each bought a pair of Tyr handl paddles for strengthening your stroke. (I got the green ones) I think I have good form, but am just not able to move my hands through the water fast enough to really be speedy. I also got a pair of speedo flippers, which are supposed to increase ankle flexibility and nobody needs that more than I, the queen of the twisted ankle. I bought a "head sweats" head band - frosty blue, of course,to match Wunderfrost, and a pair of Teva transition sandlas, and some neoprene thingys to keep my regular glasses from sliding off because I have to wear them to run in the dark.

Earlier that morning, Sweet Baboo and I did our weekly long run. I went 11 miles, my longest continuous run-with no walking-EVAR, and he went, oh, like to Arizona or something.

I was carrying this flashlight that I bought at WalGreens for $5 - it has a kinetically rechargable battery in it, meaning that you shake it to recharge it, and an LED lightbulb. It seemed to do the trick, because it never dimmed in the 70 minutes or so that I used it.

Then I swam a half mile and called it a day. Myles came back and swam 4000 meters. After running 20 miles.

You know, not very many people make me feel lazy, but he manages quite nicely. And, there was a time when I would have felt very inadequate in the face of all that determination and strength. Now I just give silent thanks that he' is not a she that I'll ever compete against.

Of course, if I really start to feel inadequate I can just lean forward and comment on his form. "Hey, did you know that your legs kinda go off kilter when you're doing your bilateral breathing?
Nothing makes me feel better about myself than a good juicy critique.

But back to shopping. My favorite purchase, I think, was new socks. Isn't it weird how we are about the socks? Jane Williams talked about fun cycling socks in her book. Anyway, Myles has some very cool black socks with skulls on them that I thought were quite appropriate for Outlaws, so I was very excited to find a pair of socks that were both Outlawish, and in keeping with my newly acquired attention to gurlishness.