Oooo, admit it, you wish you had some grape-flavored gel, don't you? I made it by accident by trying to mix maltodextrine and water to create a liquid with the same calories as a gel but wouldn't you know it, when you mix that much maltodextrine powder into water - you get gel. So I mixed in a little powdered grape-flavored electrolyte drink mix, and voila: a lightly grape-flavored gel. It was mighty tasty, too.
I wore my hydration pack with about 60 ounces of prepared Nuun in it, and two flasks of tasty grape-flavored gel, and it was a beautiful morning. I had a good run.
Except for the squeaking.
See, during my 16 mile run on Monday I was wearing my hydration vest I noticed a squeaking sound on my shoulder. The tube for the mouthpiece crosses over and hooks under an elastic strap on my left shoulder until I need a drink from it. I could actually feel the squeaking more than hear it; I can "hear" sounds in my bad ear that are conducted through my bones, and since this tube was resting on my collar and sholder bones, my assumption was that this was the squeaking.
It was annnoying, but livable.
Then on Thursday, I did about an 8 mile run, and there was that squeaking again. Squeak - squeak - squeak - squeak. But here's the catch: I wasn't wearing my hydration vest this time.
Nope, guess what: it's me. I'm squeaking.
Did you READ THAT?
I have something in my BODY that squeaks like an old metal door in an Alfred Hitchcock movie.
And only I can hear it.
Today during my 12-mile run it was almost constant, a low squeak - squeak - squeak as my left arm swung back and forth. There's no pain or anything, but it's not like I need any weirdness to perseverate on when I'm trying to run.
I googled, "squeaking joints" to see if this was anything to worry about or if there was anything I could do about it, and here's what I got:
- "Forcefully blow powder into squeaky joints..."
- "Take several very thin wood shims and tap them into any loose or squeaky joints..."
- "Oil up the squeaky joints..."
I've already ruled out the first two, since they don't seem like a pleasant solution.
The only thing I can't figure out is where to stick the little straw so I can oil this thing up.
...
