Product Review: Free Country Swimsuit, size Large.

Dear Diary,

A rep from Free Country wrote me and offered to send me a swim suit if I would review it for my blog.

Say it with me now:

Hell yes I'll take your free stuff!

What I like about the new trend in swim suits is that you can pick your tops and bottoms, mix and match. Of course, the companies get more money that way, because they can charge the same for one part of the suit as they used to for the whole suit, but whatever. I get to customize my look.

The Free Country web site has other things besides swimsuits although, now that summer is drawing to a close, they are having a pretty fantastic sale. Their swimsuits are, for the most part, pretty functional.

Right my, with the 25 extra pounds hanging on, my "look" says, "tankini." What I like about "Free Country" is that they also sell plus sizes, and while their models are not really plus sizes, they aren't Vickie Secret girls either. They look relatively like, well, normal people.

This chick, for instance, looks like she could finish a marathon, and might have even read a book.

This chick, however, does not:

And don't even get me started on how VS insists that I wear a 16, when the rest of the fashion industry says I wear a 12. Fuck you, Vickie.

Here is what ordered from Free Country. I wanted something decorative and functional.

 

When it arrived, Sweet Baboo thought that the convertable swim top was just a regular top. It can be worn that way. It has lined, supportive cups and I'm talking real support, not a "shelf bra" and srsly, is there anything less appealing than the idea of putting pair of breasts on a shelf? I would argue that there is not. It has convertable straps, which I love. I asked ahead of time, about the fabric and was told it was chlorine resistant. It is good, thick material that reminds me of speedos chlorine resistant suits. If they're the same, this thing will last forever.

Test 1: Lap Swimming with DreadPirate. Who hasn't posted in more than a year. Ahem.

Dread Pirate has made herself the boss of me as often as she can. She is a perpetual mom, and knows also that I'm coming out of about a 9 month major depressive episode, which I'm still struggling to find the words for, but plan to post about soon. She convinced me to come swimming with her at our gym.

Anyway, i like my shoulders. Whenever I can I wear racerbacks, and when I have convertable strapes I criss cross them in the back to show off my shoulders. I swam 1200 meters in this and didn't have any problems with movement, mine or the suit's. It was quite comfortable for my hour of swimming.

Test 2: Hot tub.

Eventually, it started raining, and I was all, "oh, it's raining, so I'm going to go sit in the hot tub.' One does not necessarily lead to the other but in my world, it does. of course, since the hot tub is also outside DP gave me a look that used to shame me but it really doesn't work any more, and I went over to the hot tub. No part of the suit crept anywhere it shouldn't, and I felt like I had decent coverage.

NOTE: I noticed today that this particular top is marked way, way down in $$ on the Free Country web site, so if you like it, jump on it.

Test 3: Hawaii.

Actually, I can't post about this because it hasn't happened yet. Sweet Baboo surprised me with trip to someplace warm in December! The Honolulu Marathon is there, and we'll be doing that as well as, I hope, some snorkling and surf lessons, both of which I have long coveted but never done. I'm packing light, under DP's direction I'm taking some flip flops, running shoes, one set of running clothes, a pair of lightweight hiking pants, two sarongs, and maybe a hat. And sunglasses. I'm taking this suit, too, because it's pretty and flattering and I can move comfortably in it without feeling the need to tug at it.

Over all, I'm very pleased with the suit that is pretty but modest, comfortable and durable.

...

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Wear your underwear, ya freak. A Thursday Thirteen.

13.  This week Baboo was talking to a guy who is not a runner or athlete, and they were talking about health and whatnot, and the guy said, casually, "well, you know, most guys our age are on Lipotor." 
When Baboo told me that I said, What?  what guys?  None of the friends we have are on Lipitor.  And Baboo answered, in all seriousness, "our friends are freaks, Misty"
Hah.  Freaks.  My friends are freaks.  FREEEEEEAKS!  I like that. 

12.  I recently tested a new watch for Timex that I think would be awesome for sprint triathlons.  It has 2 features I like: first, you can set it to remind you to drink and eat at planned intervals.  So then, say, every 15 mintues it will chime a little tune, and when you look at it, it says DRINK NOW.  There's also one that says EAT NOW.  The second thing I like about it is that when in Chrono mode, you can just tap the screen to go to the next lap.  So, no buttons, no looking at it.  Just tap.  I've tested it in training, so I'm going to test it in a sprint soon.

11.  I also recently tested another Tech4o watch.  I tested one with a built in pedometer a couple years ago, which I was very pleased with.  The pedo watch was dead-on for walking, with about a 2% error ratio for distance, and then from that it would calculate pace, etc. 

So, the Tech4o people sent me a woman's heartbeat watch to test.  It has a heart strap.  I still have another quick test to run, but so far, it's not going well.  The first time I used it, my heart rate, when I looked at the watch, would say 35, and then 200, and then 210, and then 79.  Sometimes it just stopped working for a while.  I tested it on a cool 4-mile run around the neighborhood.  I'm going to test it again soon and let you know how it goes. 

10.  On Tuesday, we started our crazy hot hard afternoon workout by running up to tower 2 (see profile, below). It was fun, and I felt like a kid again, touching the tower and then running back down the hill. 

9.  This week's training plan (14 June - 20):
Tuesday, run 4 miles
Wednesday, run 4 miles
Thursday, run 6 miles
Friday, Yoga
Saturday, 2 Tramway loops
Sunday, 14 miles Long slow Flat run

8.  Next weeks' training plan (21 June - 27)
Tuesday, run 4 miles
Wednesday, run 4 miles
Thursday, run 6 miles
Friday, Yoga
Saturday, 2 Tramway loops
Sunday, 16 miles Long Slow Flat Run

7.  About once a month or so, the lunch ladies at the psychiatric hospital where I work show up at my door, and ask me if I want an egg mcmuffin.  they make them with cheese slices on a big old home-made biscuit.  What am I, made of stone?  then I entered it into Weight watchers: 9 points. Ulp.  Next time, I'll have to say, "sorry, I've already eaten".

6. Sometimes, I hate how condescending artificial intelligence is.  We couldn't find an entry for substitude. Did you mean substitute?

5.  About an hour before doing my Tuesday night trail run, I did another experiment: I ate some instant grits.  I am pleased to report that they sat very well with me, and I think enough of the carbs got into my system that I in no way bonked on this run, which was done with temps in the low nineties.

4.  I am now mad at the Caldera marathon, and next year, I will kick its ass.  Stupid caldera.  I'll show you.

3.  There has been a recent spate of people with motorcycles riding them into the open space.  It's somewhat analgous to someone racing around your local park, tearing up the grass, scaring the squirrels and kids.  They race around, scaring the crap out of people and animals, and by the time the police show up, they're gone.  I'm going to contact the open space people and see if there is some sort of barrier we can erect to keep them out. 

2. My tuesday night runs, (profile, above, of this week) I've been doing with my Vibrams.  I'm trying to toughen up my feet. 

1.  Besides grits, I did another experiment this week.  In case you're thinking it, I'll save you the time: My hopethesis that running without underwear would be comfortable was not supported.  Step, Step *tug* Step, Step *tug* Step, Step *tug* Step, Step *tug*... .

no, no need to thank me.  That's why I'm here. 

...

In which I'm sucked in by another fad - Review of Vibram Five Fingers Shoes.

You just had to know, that it was only a matter of time before I progressed from this:

to this:

Earlier today Sweet Baboo and I hopped into the car and headed up to Santa Fe to a store called, "On Your Feet" where they had Vibram Five-fingers in stock.

I've been somewhat intrigued by these since I first heard about them.  I grew up in Alabama and rarely wore shoes.  I was constantly admonished by my mother for this, For goodness sake, Misty Jane, put on your shoes.  We are civilized people, not hillbillies but in the south where grass is thick and soft and cool, it behooves you to feel it under your feet and between your toes.  There are streams to run around in, and wet clay earth is pretty nice between the toes, too.  But I digress.  In any case, my mother's voice was later replaced with Sweet Baboo voice who suggested that perhaps it was unseemly for a civilized, educated woman to consantly be picking thorns and briars out of her blackened feet. I relented--to him, and to the thorny, sandy, gravelly terrain, and stopped going barefoot.

What I did instead was to wear socks everywhere.  Not everywhere, I mean. but around the house, for just running out and getting the mail, or into the garden to dump coffee grounds or ask Baboo if he wanted dinner soon.  My poor, poor socks, with their tattered, grey-brown bottoms, no matter their original color.  And, my children picked up my bad habits.

Then Vibram came out with these shoes.  DP and Bones each got a pair, and I was envious, but I figure that if you're unemployed, you don't get to buy expensive toe shoes.  Sweet Baboo had other ideas, especially after reading, "Born to Run".

My reason for wanting to try these on before buying them was because that I fully intend to wear them always with my Injinjis.  I have reasoned, and Baboo has read or heard, that they can get a little smelly otherwise.  The physics of adding an extra layer to ones feet inside shoes would suggest a different size, but how different?  We aimed to find out.

The shoe store ("On Your Feet") for anyone who visits here, is awesome.  It is the best place, in my opinion, to get whatever hippie healthy shoe you want to get.  By "healthy" I mean in terms of what is good for your feet or posture, not for the poor animals that were killed to make most of them.
But anyway.  They carry Clarks, Teva, Merril, and Keen - I could have easily taken out a 2nd mortgage to do some serious shopping in here.    The salespeople know shoes, too.  They didn't just sell them, they knew their product.
I tried on the KSO model (KSO = Keep Stuff Out) and Oh, My, Gosh - they felt great.  I felt like I was barefoot, only better, because I wasn't going to pick thorns out of my feet.  Wow.

We each got a pair of the KOS model, and then drove back to Albuquerque.  Immediately Baboo and I went for about a 2-mile hike up and over some sandy hills containing some gravel, and I could feel that my ankles are going to need some work, because with each step my feet were so firmly planted that everything else rotated and moved over them.  I could feel some of the gravel under my feet, but it wasn't painful.  Nevertheless, I can tell that I'll have to work my way up to wearing these for long distance hikes and/or jogging on trails.  Running up and down short inclines I  felt pretty secure, even the ones covered with slippery sand and gravel.

I've been wearing them all day, including around the house, and they feel great - snug and comfortable, but not in that creepy, sweaty sort of way that some shoes can be.  Vibram also makes the TREK.  I will definitely be looking at these for trail running.  Look at these soles:

I'm under no illusions that my spine and feet will have some adjusting to do.  SOMETHING has to adjust to that lack of stiffness and padding. I was told in the recent past by the guys at Albuquerque Running Shop,  that I have an advantage in the long history of running around barefoot and in the nine years I spend standing and walking around on a slab at work, but even so, it will be an adjustment curve to get to wear these for running trails.

In the meantime, I'm of the opinion that once you hit 40, you get to be as weird as you want, so I consider these completely acceptable for my bluejean world of school and for seeing clients, as well as workouts and yoga.

For more fancy or formal occasions in the world of non-profit, like interviews and meetings, I'll hang onto my Keen Mary Janes.

...

Product Review: The Moving Comfort Lila C/D Bra.

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in, forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day, you shall begin it well and serenely. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

The two products I'm going to review today are idea for big-chested athletes: an athletic bra and a full-length wetsuit.

Moving Comfort Bra: Lila C/D, in color "Ocean"
I got an email nearly a month ago from this guy at Moving Comfort asking me if I'd like to review one of their products. I mentioned this earlier.

I wore this bra at the "Run the Caldera" mountain marathon in May, and at Ironman Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3 in June. I was allowed to pick whichever one I wanted, and I picked this one because I'd been seriously jonesing for a bra that was a racerback pullover, with no underwire. If you're a little shier than I, they also make a Lila C/D support tank.

So, now this bra has swam, biked, and ran, hiked up and down a mountain or two. It's been cold. It's been hot. It's been rained on. It's been sweated on. Probably some spit and tears and snot found its way on there, too.

And it has PASSED the most important test of all: I didn't notice it. No chafing, it wasn't too tight, it held the girls without making them all squeezy. I had room in my cleavage for a generous handful of ice. It wasn't too hot.

When I wear a bra that is not supportive enough, or too restricting, the result is often the same: I wake up the next day with a sore chest. I didn't have that at the mountain marathon or the 70.3 triathlon. And, it was pretty.

See? Pretty! Right to the finish line. Moving Comfort Lila C/D Bra Link.


=========================
XTerra Vendetta Wetsuit

This was not free. It was on sale for about half off, though, and I have DP to thank for notifying me of that. I think she subscribes to about a million email alerts for sales and such.

I ordered a women's XTERRA XL Vector Pro2 Fullsuit, and here's some good news: THEY RENT. So, you can try it before you buy it. We paid extra to overnight it. They were out after the order was placed, upgraded me for free to the Vendetta, and slipped a little note in the box to let me know what they did. The wetsuit arrived Friday, the day before we were to leave for Buffalo Springs 70.3.

I've had a horrible time with wetsuits. They are, on the whole, not something you want so spent a LOT of time in. There are some parts of me that compress more easily than others and, well, let's just say that I think they like to assume that athletic women have no chest at all. So there's that. And then there's the neck - I always had to cut little notches in it so I don't choke to death. It's nice to be able to breathe, and that I can't do. I've always trimmed the ankles and wrists out, so that they come off easier, too

Not with this one. It reviews as one of the most boyant wetsuits out there, but it was super flexible, too, and it fit my 5'6" 175-pound frame right out of the box. When I held it up, I was looking at a wetsuit that actually had thighs and a chest, like me. It went on, and came off easily, and it's super flexible. I could do squats and windmills in this thing.

I only wished I had it at Ironman Couer D'Alene last year; I think I would have had a much better swim than the one I had in my teenage son's too-big wetsuit. I was able to extend my stroke fully, and in truth in the 74 degree water it kept me a bit TOO warm. I'm going to keep an eye on these guys and pick up a sleeveless as soon as one comes on sale.

===================================

(PS: I have 2 old wetsuits for sale, if anyone is interested: #1) Blue seventy women's fullsuit with ankles and wrists trimmed and the neck notched. Otherwise in great shape, no holes. #2) Men's large QR wetsuit, in good shape, used 3-4 times. No holes. Make me an offer; we'll work out something through PayPal. )

Product review: The LeBistro Automatic Pet feeder.

None of this has anything to do with running or triathlon.

Update: I've been on Levothyroxine (Synthroid) for about 5 weeks now. The first two weeks, I had an eyelid twitch, which my opthamologist said was from stress. In any case, it's gone now, and I haven't had it for over a week. I have not lost any weight. I have, however, noticed my energy level is better. I don't have this crushing fatigue that makes me want to cry when I get up in the morning.

Part of this is also possibly due to the new cat feeding machine that feeds the cats at 4 am, so they wake me. I must digress to share this miracle of modern technology. This thing. Has changed. My life.

BEFORE:

About 3 am, Whitney would jump onto the bed, run back and forth on me just long enough to wake me up, and then zoom off before I came up swinging--Just kidding!--reached for the squirt bottle that I keep on my side of the bed, for just such an occasion. She would repeat this about every 10 minutes until I got up.

As soon as I sat bolt upright the 2nd cat, Lily, (very much like this picture) who is an unholy cross between a cat and a screetch owl, would start come over to my side of the bed and meow. I mean, loud. Really loud. And we have a noise machine in the room, too, to mask outside noises, and I'm hearing-impaired. You can't sleep through this.

Attempts to shut out the cats resulted in Lily hurling her very large, heavy Maine Coone cat body against the door so that it rattled in the frame, scratching, picking at the door with her claws, clawing at the floor and howling.

Baboo, of course, slept through all this.

More than once, I picked her up, put her in the garage, and tried to go back to sleep, but by the time you've carried a heavy struggling howling cat across the house naked, you're pretty much wide awake.

So. Finally, I very dramatically declared that either the cats spent the nights in the garage or we get this automatic feeder I'd been researching. (Baboo, of course, is always bewildered as to why I am so dramatic. All I have to do is ask, after all. But being dramatic often more fun.)

So I ordered this thing from Amazon, bought 3 D batteries, programmed it.

AFTER:

At first, not so much of a change, and I despaired. Then I read about "attention-seeking" behavior and waited. Now, after about a week, the cats have clearly realized that the machine is the God of Food, and are ignoring me. I don't even see them until I get up. I set the clock for 4 am, 2 pm, and 9 pm. This schedule was chosen to give them full bellies late in the day, So they'd sleep more at night.

Just before a feeding, the cats shark around the machine, meowing, but this is way down the hall where I can't hear it, so who cares. Then the Le Bistro makes a little whirring noise, and dumps out its payload of nuggety goodness. You can choose up to 3 feedings, between 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, or a cup of food.

I'm sleeping all the way until I want to get up, which makes a huge different in my motivation level.

You won't find it at triathlon supply places, but it might as well be.

Maybe sporting-goods stores should have a section for "motivation". It would have all manner of gagetry to simply ones life and allow time (and sleep) for more training.

Gear Review: The Tech4o Women's Accelerator Trail Runner

Last October Tech4o wrote me and asked me to review one of their watches.  I was prepared to be skeptical. I turn away a lot of offers to advertise stuff on my blog. I don't do this to make money, and I won't want anyone making money off me, but I was intrigued by their claims.

And you know, msr Garmean is so much fun: the maps, elevation profiles, and mounds of data. But, it has its drawbacks: In hilly locations and locations with heavy tree cover, it skips some data points, causing it to vastly under report the distance traveled. For instance, at my first 50K, which is 31 miles, it reported that I had traveled about 28 miles. DISAPPOINTING!  

Other drawbacks 2) expensive, 3) the battery only holds a charge for 8 to 10 hours, meaning that if you are as appallingly slow as I, the battery will stop before you are done.  4) the garmin is HUGE.   I am a delicate flower. I cannot wear a laptop computer strapped to my wrist, and I'm always accidentally bumping those stupid on/off buttons without realizing it, and then next thing I know, it's stopped recording my motion.

Okay. the Tech4o uses a watch battery, and though I don't know how long it lasts, it lasts at least several days, since it was running when it arrived at my house 2 weeks ago, and is still running now.

So, I got this watch in the mail, and was prepared to

 be skeptical, as I said. I mean, it's a pedometer, right? Wasn't McDonalds giving those away very long ago?  Well, this has a few more functions: It has a chrono and a timer. I'm not sure how many laps yet. I haven't read the book. It is the size of a regular watch - it doesn't stand out.

Test #1: Is it easy to use?
I figured out pretty fast that if I pushed in the

 lower left MODE button for 3 seconds, it jumps into a menu. You push the right side buttons to page through the menue, and press MODE briefly to choose one. To get back to the menu, you press MODE in for 3 seconds again.

I looked briefly in the book and fiddled around some more, and used the 12" squares on a gym floor to measure my stride length while walking and running.  I plugged those into the setup, along with my weight (it calculates approximate calories burned) into the personal profile 8 of 10 menu.

In pedometer mode, it shows number of steps, with additional information above. You choose the additional information: Calories, elapsed time, current time, distance, speed (MPH). All this is based on the length of your stride and how many steps you've taken, which it registers as you walk.  I found it pretty easy to set up without the book. I glanced at the book, and it seems pretty straightfoward, so it passed that test.

Test #2: Is it accurate?
I wore this to the Rocky Racoon, my first 50-miler. I would consider anything less than 5% error to be successful. The course was reported to be 50 miles, three 16-2/3 loops. I occasionally left the course briefly to take care of the call of nature, and twice I walked over to my bag at the changing tent. Sometimes I walked normally. Sometimes, I staggered. A couple of times, I trotted.

The total distance, according to my Tech4o watch, was 51.018 miles. That is a 2% error, well within the acceptable range for mine (and most people's) needs.

I could probably improve the error if I set up the stride length by walking a known length, say 600 feet, and counted the number of steps, averaging to get a stride length but no matter, I'm satisfied with this result.

I will admit that I have not tested it yet while running, because I can't run. Supposedly, the watch has some sort of logic that allows it to understand the difference between when you are running and walking, so that it then switches to running stride length and records that.

I discovered that at midnight, in exercise mode, it starts a new set of data. This may or may not be a problem - just something to be aware of.  It keeps the previous day's data.  

Summary:

• Accurate, for most people's purposes - for me it the error rate was 2%.
• Cheap! The model I tested retails for about $70.
• It comes in pink! 

Suggestions for the maker: there should be an option to look at current speed in minutes per mile, rather than miles per hour. That's my only complaint.

When I can run, I'll do a second, shorter review.

...

"Gear" review: Prowash Activewear Detergent for Big, Smelly Runners

Okay.  I'll admit it.  

I don't do laundry.  Sweet Baboo does it. There was just one too many incidents where I didn't check pockets and one of my lipsticks made it all the way through to the dryer...and, well, you get the story.   He doesn't trust me with his clothes, and that's okay, because I hate doing laundry anyway.  

I know what you're thinking, and no, I didn't do it on purpose.

So when ProWash wrote me and asked me to do a review of their new product, at first I was like, "Whatever.  Another detergent.  Well, at least it's free."   They sent us a box and we started using it.   After a month of using ProWash, I asked Sweet Baboo what his impressions are, and put together with mine, here are the results:

THE TASK.  

Sweet Baboo and I do things.  Sweaty things.  Beastly sweaty things.  Take last Saturday, for instance, when Baboo ran 60 miles.  Okay, 62 POINT 14, as he reminds me, often, he will not be cheated of any distance on that brutal run.  Trail running, for us bigger folk, involves a bit more than the usual allotment of odors and essences and grime and dirt.

So, in the past, we've used other detergent for activewear, and I won't name names.  Even though we were using it, each of us had at least one article of clothing that we noticed, when we first started working out, would immediately start, um, well, STINKING.   I had one shirt, in fact, that my teenage son had given to me.  I didn't wear it.  It was just too funky.  As Baboo said, it's like there were little stink particles that hid in the fabric and waited...waited...

THE RESULTS.

After using ProWash a couple weeks, Sweet Baboo and I both noticed that this detergent got rid of all the smells in a way that the other activewear did not.  So it got rid of some clothes that I haven't been able to wear in over a year.  The running clothes have lost their smelliness, in addition to getting clean.  

2) We both like that it's HE, high-efficiency.  It's concentrated.

3) We like the packaging.  It's in a collapsable bottle, which takes up less space in landfills if you have a low-threshold of guilt, like I do.  And when you use it, says that you don't fill up a cap that gets all drippy and nasty.  Instead, you look at a line on the side of the package and use that to measure your dose.  

But the selling point for me, is the lack of stink.

You can get it online at Amazon and Drugstore.com

...

Gear Review: the Merrill Cruise Control (Mens)

Note: I had the name wrong. I've changed it.

The challenge: a heavy female runner (my weight fluctuates between 160 and 170 over the course of a year) with nearly completely flat feet. I some cushioning, for the 480 to 510 pounds that lands on each foot when I run. I've done all my training on my flat feet, so too much arch support actually causes me pain as it shifts my weight onto the outside edges of my feet. For a woman, I have stubby, wide feet and so I need a wide toe box, and I need soles with traction and breathable uppers.

At first I thought these trail running shoes by Merrill were the Merrill Vibram because of the VIBRAM tag that was under and on the sides. Then I found out that there is something called a "Vibram sole," that is made to be rugged but flexible.

In any case I found these shoes purely by accident while waiting for Sweet Baboo to decide on his shoes at Dillards, of all places. We were at Dillards on a surprise shopping spree that Baboo took me on: we now pratically a whole new kitchen that has NEVER been touched by teenage hands. They sit in boxes awaiting their final destination, which we are closing on Friday.

I love to cook, as our bathroom scale will attest. I have a background in chemistry, and love to create vegetarian comfort foods. However, in the last few years I've kind of given up in despair because Mini Baboo rearranges my kitchen without warning, care, or any sort of logic whatsoever, and ignores things like, "Don't put these in the dishwasher," or, "don't use metal tools with this," or a final, desperate, "JUST DON'T USE THE STOVE. EVER. JUST USE THE MICROWAVE!" and then finally, "PLEASE clean out the microwave; it's disgusting."

<-- Here's a picture of my new kitchen. The decorative stuff is the old owner's. I'll put my own little touches here and there. But note all the white. I would never have that much white with Mini-Baboo in residence. I'd heard legends of white kitchens owned by people with children, but I can't be either authoritarian-directive or that OCD.

But, I digress.

Back to the shoe thing. So, Sweet Baboo never needs my help to dress; he has pretty good taste, and so I let my eyes wonder over the selection of >yawn< mens shoes, until they settled, quite by accident, on a shoe that someone had turned over and then walked away from:

Now, to give you some perspective on why this might interest me: I've tried two different trail running shoes. The first one was by Brooks, and it may or may not have been a coincidence that within a week or so of switching to them, I developed IT band issues that took two months to heal but never came back once I tossed those shoes. The second one was a New Balance model that I think I wrote about earlier, but even though they had terrific traction and were relatively comfortable (and isn't it every long distance runner's dream to be relatively comfortable?) the toe box was cramped. I need a nice wide toe box. I haven't had a full nail on my longest toe since March. In short, I need a large toe box for my big feet. So, up to now, I've just been running on an older pair of my usual road shoes, the NB768, which are comfy but don't offer much in the way of traction.

So, this shoe. Well, I mean, look at it. It's got this huge manly toe box.

Wow. There's another one of those phrases that I bet never was uttered before I said it.

Huge. Manly. Toe box.

Anyway, when I slipped on the man's size 8 (I wear a size 9 woman's running shoe) and cinched up the tie thing, and walked around on it. Then I bought it, and gave it the best test I could give it: a 2-1/2 hour trail run/hike in the Sandia foothills.

The run climbed from 6000 up to about 6600, I think. I have to check my Garmin. There were rocky parts of trail, soft sandy parts of the trail, parts covered with "decomposed granite" and some with snow where no one else had run recently. The wind was howling, and I finally asked that we turn back because my face was cold and I was getting chilled, but the shoes are awesome. The part around the ankles, which probably has an official name but I don't know it, was soft and didn't rub. My feet didn't hurt because the arch support is minimal, nor did they get cold. The cinch-type ties kept the shoe firmly anchored to the mid-part of my feet, leaving my toes free to spread out in their sexy Injinji sock goodness. I was wearing my purple wool-blend ones. But anyway. The plastic cover that allows you to cinch these (they come with regular ties of you don't like that) has a little protective cover that folds over it and hooks underneath, if you choose.

Now, the Cruise Control is probably for a neutral runner, which I am, and has minimal arch support. They also do not provide any ankle support whatsoever, which I don't want or need. But the traction was spot on. They even come with a loop for your favorite gaters. I think I found my perfect woman's ultra trail shoe: and it's a guy's shoe.

...

Batteries: Recharged!

Dear Diary,

Late this morning Sweet Baboo and I went for a run/hike/crawl on trail #130, aka the "Crest Trail". One hikes 4000 feet to the top (about 10,000 feet above sea level) and is then moving along the crest, hence the name.

Some day, when I can get to the top, I will know the CREST. For today, though, the plan was to just move out for an hour, gently, and then turn around and come back. I did about 7.8 miles total in 1:45:00, moving from about 6000 feet to around 7200 feet altitude and then back again, using a combination of hiking and running. I stopped once or twice to take pictures and stretch.

I forgot to charge my Garmin 305. I used it from time to time to check my elevation, but otherwise it would shut off if I tried to run it for too long.

I carried my Nathan hand-held bottle and wore a Patagonia bra-top, Cw-X running tights, race-ready fitness shorts, pink Injinji anklets, and my new New Balance 811 trail shoes. I could have left the tights behind because it got pretty warm. The Patagonia top they don't make any more, but it's a lot like the CW-X firm support top. What I like about it is that it's a high-necked crop top/bra and is great for running for us, um, Athena types.

The NB811s worked pretty well except that I might need a teeny bit of arch support in them. This trail is kind of u-shaped in some places, causing my feet to roll inward a bit. Lots of trails are like that; natural wear and tear causes them to dip in the middle, and for a few miles, it's no big deal, but for ten+ miles, it can be a big deal. Also, the mico-anklets from Injinji aren't so great; they sink beneath my shoe top and then the ankle parts of the shoe rub on me. All-in-all, however, the shoes gave me great footing and I was pretty comfy on this trail, which is coverred in most places in loose sand and lots of rocks.

This is going to be a great trail for me to train on and get ready for the Ghost Town 38.5 in January!

As for my leg, well, it was there, and it whispered to me from time to time but never shouted. I'm happy to report that I'm definitely on the mend. It actually feels better now after the run then it did before it. About 15-minutes in, I stopped and stretched, and then I stretched right afterward as well, especially paying attention to my calves and IT band.

And best of all, after a week of no running, the batteries are again recharged. Ahhh. I'm once again bearable to live with!

...

Saddle Review: The Specialized Dolce.

So today I went for about 65 mile ride with Tiger Lily who, thankfully, was willing to ride with me despite my big hissy fit last weekend. I had the bike refitted with the new/old saddle, and here are the results of my long ride with the Specialized Dolce. I was wearing Shebeast Sprint shorts and lots of Sportslick.

Now, this is not the gel model. When I sat on it, at first I thought, "oh, gosh, this is hard - there's no way it's going to be comfortable." But you know what? I was actually pretty comfy. My butt didn't have the bruised feeling, and the cutout for the tailbone I think made for even more comfort.

One problem, however, is that on this saddle, my shorts bunched up causing some chaffing just at the bend of my legs, just under my butt cheek. I started noticing this after mile 40, and you're welcome for that visual.

But the aero position. Well, that's what it's all about, right? I'm happy to announce that I was able to maintain it for a much longer period of time, and no more pain in the front! In the drops, no problem. That, I believe, is due to the cutout in the saddle. No pain, no pressure. YAY!

Now, I didn't have a chance to raise the handlebars up like I'd planned, because it requires an extension and new cabling, and I didn't want to deal with the hassle of cables stretching and needing to be adjusted, so I decided to wait and see what effects the saddle had.

My wrists hurt like hell, but before I mess with cabling, I'm going to try some wrist-strengthening exercises to see if that helps. Also, next week, I'm going to wear tighter, longer shorts that hopefully, won't bunch up, and see if that helps with the chaffing issue. Also more sportslick in the bends of my leg/butt. I wonder if its possible to develop calluses there.

...

I feel better.

My gun pain finally left me around 3 pm with no reasonable explanation of why it ever occured. No fever. Nothing expulsed. It just left. So, tomorrow I run. I think my IT issues are much better. I'll know tomorrow.

I've been reading a book today that's very good; it's called, "Passing for Thin" by Francis Kuffel. Here's one of my favorite parts, where she describes joining a gym:

The world was divided into members and nonmembers,
and members had special dispensation. Active but
individual, each had her own agenda at the gym.
Girlhood is picking and choosing, and I wanted to be
one of those girls.

If you're of the mind to do so, I recommend this book. SHe really gets into the meat of explaining her thoughts and feelings while obese, losing weight, and afterwards.

6 days to the Grasslands Marathon. It will be my 4th marathon in 4 months.

If you'd have told me 3 years ago that I'd be doing this, I'd have laughed like hell. And had another slice of cake. And a margarita.

...

Product review: Nike hatphones, Brooks Vapor Dry pullover.

I wound up doing about 10.5 miles on Sunday, not taking my Garmin along because I just wanted to do a nice, slow easy run 6 days before my 4th marathon in 12 months. I wanted to do it without perseverating on my pace and such.

For nutrition, I took along some Kroger "In an instant" sugar-free performance drink, which is sugar free and has electrolytes, and some gels, which I took about every 1/2 hour or so. The reason I drink sugar-free drinks is because of a situation with my tooth enamel, but they aren't for everyone.

Clothing: My new Brooks Vapor Dry running hoodie, which has a nice little pocket for my ipod in the upper left front, and built-in mitties that cover my hands if I want them or fold up into cuffs if I don't. I also wore my Cw-x insulated running tights, which I LLOOVVe because they keep my junk from jiggling as well as keep me warm, my sexy Injinji toe socks (pink) and my new Nike hatphones.

I was probably one of the last people on earth to know about hatphones, but now I know there are headbands and earmuffs with music headphones in them. The hat phones are AWESOME. The hat sits loosely on my head and keeps me warm. I found out I can wear less when my head is warm. The hat came with an extension cord that connected the ipod in my pocket to the back of my hat.

I've gotten beyond using music for pacing now, I use it for upbeat background music on my long runs. I mostly run out in the desert, and the only noise there is out there is dogs barking and engine brakes in the distance.

But, sometimes when I'm running I will get distracted by every little thing, especially my headphones. I slow down or stop to fiddle with the cord, put them back in my ear, what have you. The earphones in this hat are not in my ear, leaving me free to hear what's going on around me if I need to, and just have the music as what it should be, kind of a background
soundtrack for my mood.

Since the hat is hand-wash only, I wore a sweat band underneath, and then took off, and was never once distracted by a cord or earphones. I've since found that there is another hat with built-in headphones that is about half the price, but I don't know how good it is.

The hat phones are a great option for being able to have some tunes and still hear what's going on around you. (It won't, you know, save you from the guy in the hockey mask with the sythe coming up behind you, but then nothing ever does. )

The Vapor Dry pullover is my new best friend now. I wore it over a l/s technial running shirt, and temps were in the 40's. I was very comfy, but the hood on this thing is rediculous. It's incredibly tight for my great big head, so I never use it. I'd recommend just getting the half zip and supplying your own hat. Other than that, perfect. If I could change just one thing it would be for it to zip all the way down the front.

On a lesser note, the Ironman heartstrap is now, for some reason, wearing a hole in my flesh each and every time I use it. What's up with that? It didn't use to do that. Gonna have to put a bandaid there, I guess.

...

Miscellaneous Thursday Stuff.

I've started my off-season marathon training. I find myself in the position of having signed up for four marathons in four months. 'Cause that's the way I roll. Some say driven. Some just roll their eyes.

Tonight, I used the "workout mode" on my Garmin for the first time today. It was pretty easy to program, and I programmed in an interval workout as follows:
Five-minute warmup walk - Then this sequence repeated 3 times:

• Fast Jog 1/4 mile
• Fast Walk 1/8 mile
• Fast Jog 1/2 mile
• Fast walk 1/4 mile

"Fast jog" by the way, is what Msr. GarMEAN calls the pace I've been aspiring to.
Yep, I hauled ass, only to be nagged by Garmin, which sounds a little tinkling, trilling noise when you're going too slow, and flashes SPEED UP! briefly on the screen.

Obviously, I don't know what happens if you're going too fast (are you KIDDING?)

I liked training with GarMEAN, although it was another startling reminder that I really, really need bifocals. I just can't read anything close with my near-sighted glasses on anymore. I did manage about a 9:30 pace on a couple of those intervals, which is great, but I didn't realize it stopped recording my run immediately when the workout was over. Maybe that's a setting I can change, but I ran about a half mile before I realized it was no longer recording.

I also wore my new trail shoes today for the first time. They are what I can only describe as breathtakingly ugly.

As in, every time I look at them, they take my breath away and make me forget how tired I am, as I think, "Holy cow, those are some ugly shoes." But, they're pretty confortable.

Then it got very, very dark, and I couldn't see any more, so I kind of shuffled that last few miles back to my car. Oh, and because I had to listen for the Garmin, I ran without music.

Diet-wise, I've been a good girl this week, except for what I suspect was a moment of PMS weakness when a kid in my classroom showed up selling fundraising candy.

I just wanted to help out, you understand. So I did, a Reeses' and a Snicker's worth. Hey, the kid is trying to earn enough to go to Italy. What else could I do?

...

Accelerade, a broken wheel, and me.

Accelerade sent me two boxes (48 bottles) of their ready-to-drink sportsdrink recently and asked me to blog about it. So, I am.

Before I start, let me say that what everyone can tolerate is very different. Myself, I can tolerate more solids and sugars on the bike than I can on the run. Dean Karnazis, as I never tire of pointing out, can eat whole pizzas in the middle of a grueling 100 mile run, while I get side cramps if I drink too much or get white sugar/sucrose.

So everyone is different. Not only that, but your ability to tolerate things changes over time. At least, mine has. I didn't used to be able to drink Gatorade at all when exercising, and now I can tolerate it when cycling.

Plus, I've discovered that working out the heat can increase your ability to do it. You just have to be careful and prepare.

A few days ago I went on a 60-mile ride out to San Felipe pueblo and back. Here's a partial profile (my Garmin battery ran down because I hadn't fully charged it) near mile 40:

The ride: 60 miles north from Albuquerque to San Felipe pueblo travel center, and then back again. The area is arid, with about 20% humidity, and the first 40 miles had about 1500 feet of climbing.

The fuel: I filled two 20-ounces bottles and my aerobottle first with ice, and the poured nearly 3 bottles of Orange Accelerade ready-to-drink into them, drinking the last couple ounces down myself. By the time I got to the pueblo, the remaining stuff was warm, but it didn't bother me. Some people will freeze an entire bottle of whatever they're taking on long rides, but I forgot to do that.

Other supplies: I also took along about a dozen whole wheat fig newtons, 2 packages of shot blocks, and 3 Nuun tablets. I generously applied really strong sunscreen, and had two tubes and 3 air cartriges with me. Pre-ride, I had two servings of Oatmeal and a PB sandwich, which has become my standard and beloved pre-long-workout-thing breakfast, washed down with, yes, Accelerade.

My impressions: I like the taste of Accelerade. A LOT. It has a "hint of chalkiness" to it, in Sweet Baboo's words, possibly because of the added protein, but I thought of it as more of a puckery tartness. I love the fact that it wasn't so sweet. I can't stand things that are too sweet; I like them on the tart side.

What's really important about liking the taste? Well, you'll drink more. That's super important. If you can find a sports drink that provides energy, hydration, and electrolytes, I don't imagine there's that much difference but if you really like the taste you'll drink lots, which is a very good thing. Plus, a good taste gives you less to whine about in your head when you really need to concentrate on pedaling. I love what Perpetuum and Heed do for me, but the sickly-sweet taste gets to me after a whie. While I didn't mind warm Accelerade, it is best when cold. I've heard that others have not had great results when the stuff got warm.

Results: When I got to the Pueblo, the 30 mile mark, I stopped. I felt pretty good, not sick or thirsty, no soreness or muscle fatigue, and no cramps. I went to the bathroom and rinsed out my bottles and refilled them as follows: 1 package of clif shot blocks in each one and one Nuun tablet. This was yet another experiment I wanted to try because I'd heard about it. While not as tasty as the Accerade, it was palatable, portable, and provided energy and electrolytes. Before setting out again, I ate my fig newtons.

I pedaled my badly broken wheel energetically home, and despite being warm I was fine. I've been gradually getting myself used to working out in the heat, as distasteful as I find it. By the time I gave up on trying to pedal my broken wheel my bike computer told me that there was about 108 degrees Farenheit radiating up off the pavement, but I felt good. Not great, mind you. It was hot and I was sweating. But I felt good enough to worry: What if one of the signs of acute hyperthermia is that you feel fine? Like people who are about to freeze to death who suddenly feel warm? However, I then realized that in the past as I've had very straight forward symptoms of heat exhaustion such as nausea and chills, and I didn't have any of these. I felt good afterwards, too.

Accelerade has added a sugar that I'm not familiar with called Trehalose to their forumulation. I don't know how long ago they did that. I did some reading and the only things I could come up with is that Trehalose stabilizes proteins at high temps. So if pre-Trehalose warm Accelerade made people sick, maybe this will prevent that. I just don't know enough about Trehalose to decide whether it's hype or not.

Later today, I'll take some to Wednesday night track workouts. We'll see how it works with interval running.

...

Tires, Cycling, and the southwest.

Yesterday's flat was most likely caused by something called a "puncture vine" seed, also known as "Mexican sand bur." It's a noxious week that grows very well all over the place.

These pretty little vines put out little yellow flowers, and then they produce a small fruit. The fruit dries and produces four seeds known around here as "goatheads".

Goatheads have long, stiff thorns heading out in 2 directions, and they lay in a way so that no matter which ways it lands, there's one thorn sticking up. They're about 1/4 inch long. Seeds like this spread by getting caught in the fur of animals and being carried that way. They also blow around pretty well.

They are EVERYWHERE. I walked through the desert in a pair of lower-end sandals the other day, about 700 meters, and by the time I was done the entire bottom of each sandal was completely crusted with them. They covered the entire bottom.

Goatheads are otherwise known as "MOTHERF&$%R!" by the people dumb enough to walk around barefoot, or those who've flatted out for the second or third time when they've ignored the advice of the locals.

You see, the really great thing about living in Albuquerque is that is rarely rains here, so there's lots and lots of time to spend outdoors. We're a mile above sea level, which is good for training, and the humidity is fairly low, usually less than 20% but almost always less than 25%.

Last summer we had an unusual rainy season, and on some of the days the humidity was a whopping 50%. Boy, did we whine! We (meaning denizens of the Burque) walked around saying in our whiniest voices, "Oh, my gosh, it's just so HOT and so STICKY. Oh, my gosh, when will this end?" But anyway, I'm rambling.

Even the insane wind is not al that bad. It's good for training.

The bad thing about Albuquerque is the occasional sand storms and, of course, goatheads.

So we occasionally get people who are new to the area, people who like to run or do triathlon, and we remind them of three things:

1) Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate- this IS the desert!

2) you'll need about 500 spf sunscreen, and

3) you'll need some super thorn-resistant setup on your bike.

This usually involves a type of tire with Kevlar in it (Specialized Armadillos or Bontrager Hardcase), sometimes a thorn-proof liner, and some sort of sealant like Stans, that seals punctures and allows you to air up the tire again if it goes flat.

With this setup I've never gotten a flat.

When I bought my new bike, I was talked into getting something called Gatorskins. POP! PSSSSSSSSSSSS, a flat. As well, I didn't have any sealant in them. I did some searching, and read some cycling forums and there's a general consensus that Gatorskins may, indeed, be absolute crap.
So I will endeavor this week to replace the Gatorskins with some decent Kevlar tires.

Anyway, if you ever decide to do a race here, keep this post in mind. You may think you've got evil tire-puncturing things where you live? Well, maybe you do. They grow wild here.

You've been warned!

...

The course maps are up!

Thanks to SkiRough for this!

Bike and Swim: http://www.ironman.com/assets/files/races/louisville/maps/2007/swim.pdf

Run Map: http://www.ironman.com/assets/files/races/louisville/maps/2007/run.pdf

Now, in other news, I have found a new use for triathlon skinsuits.

I loved my TYR skinsuit even before this because, as Tim discovered and I preciously posted, I am a manly girl, but the skinsuit still fits.

However, today I found out it's perfect for a dunk tank.

It was all for a good cause. And here's a tip from your favorite GeekGirl: have them fill it with super warm water. Then you're making money for charity AND having a hot tub party.

I am now the coolest teach EVAR because I'm the only teacher who did the dunk tank for carnival day. I followed the school principal and assistant principal, and the kids wound them up and pitched 'em in.

Then, um, I found out all the girls' bathrooms were locked in the school. Uh, hello? Hello? I put on clothes over the skinsuit, and I'm pleased to share with you that after the initial soaking through I was dry in less than 90 minutes.


...

A new evil in my life.

Okay, so I know that many bloggers have given you their take on the Garmin 305 wonder, but I thought I'd give you the opinion of some who is 1) slothful and 2) dishonest and 3) given to self delusion and rationalizations.

Today I took out the Garmin 305, hereforafter known on my blog as the reoccuring character, Evil Garmin Genie. Me and the Evil went for a long run, and here's how it went.

If you're like me, slothful, dishonest, and addicted to rationalizations, then you don't want, you need an Evil Garmin Genie, especially if and when you have ever subscribed to any of the following delusions/misconceptions/rationalization, as I have:

• I'm not really that slow; they just marked the miles incorrectly.
  
• I'll make it up on the downhills.
  
• I'm not really that slow; it's just the wind/slight uphill that's making it seem that way.
  
• If I hadn't gone back to pick up that lipstick/cell phone/gel that I dropped on the path, my average pace would have been better.
  
• Gee, I'd love to do trail running, but I can't, because there's no mile markers.
  
• I'll just switch off my timer while I go pee, because it shouldn't count against my pace, since I'm not really running...

So, yes, shut UP, I lie to myself. OFTEN.

Moreover, I round up and round down (whichever makes me look better) so that I can continue to do so. Then I enter my lies into whatever log I'm keeping that month, or add it to the running total in my head, which is suspect, and the lie continues.

But no more. Evil Garmin Genie is brutally honest. I must say, I respect any entity that is honest, whether it's Sweet Baboo, the Jimmy, or Evil Garmin Genie.

During setup, I set the main window to show me four things: my heart rate, which I was trying to keep at 155 or under; total elapsed time, my current pace (in miles per minute), and elapsed time for the current lap.

Through it all, Evil Garmin Genie made sure I was keepin' it real

E.g., Me: "wow, I feel great! I'm flyin'!"

Evil Garmin Genie: CURENT PACE 14.2 min/mi

The next cool thing about Evil Garmin is that I can go ANYWHERE. I mean, ANYWHERE. I'm no longer a slave to routes I can find in Google Earth or the route finder on BeginnerTriathlete.

As in, "hey, I wonder where THAT path goes?" It it counts into my distance, and I don't have to remember it later on to try to retrace my route, because Evil Garmin takes it all into account into my distance. It not only makes up for my inherant dishonesty, but my forgetfulness, as well.

Finally, there's no "rounding" because as soon as I pop Evil Garmin into it's evil cradle, it calls up the software (it came with it and I installed it) and uploads it before I have a chance to try to stop it or try to monkey around with it to make me look better/sleeker/faster, etc. It uploaded everything and logged it: my time, course profile, elevation, map of where I went, my pace, everything.

So, it's the end of an era. The end of my charming self-deluding bullshit. I've been found accountable, and I've done it to myself.

Thank you, Evil Garmin Genie.

...

The Boulder experience, day 2.

Up and at 'em at 28 degrees. Yikes. We had a 10 am appointment at Colorado Multisport.

But, so, imagine the following: you have three hours to spend with someone who knows a whole bunch about bikes and triathlons, and you can ask them all the questions you've been meaning to ask him, sorting through all the stuff you've read, and the hype. They work with you, and only you, and answer all your questions and adjust your bike so that you stop hating your bike and are well on your way to making friends with you saddle.

That's what I got today from Tim at Colorado Multisport.

Of the many things I learned today, I learned that my old bike was the right size, but badly fitted.

Second, as I suspected, I am, indeed, the average male triathlete. I am 5'6" and have a longer torso and wider shoulders than most; so for a female, I'm quite manly. I don't worry because I know that the universe loves a balance, and that somewhere there is a girly triathlete man.

Anyhoo, Tim had me fill out a questionnaire and then sat down and interviewed me about my habits and experience on the bike. I was honest. I shared with him that, for the most part, my experience was that biking sucked, saddles sucked even more, and cycling events were punishment for having been very, very bad in a previous life. Tim asked me which event was my "strongest,"

I said, "the question really is, 'at which one do I suck at the least?'"

Tim laughed.

Then I said, "Ironically, it's the bike."

I have to tell you, I was nervous as first, because Tim seemed so young. However, he really knows his stuff, and as I'm discovering, everyone seems younger these days because, apprently, I'm getting older.

The next thing Tim did was take some measurements of me standing, lying, and the bent over. He had me sit me up on a compu trainer and set the tension up and then say, "Pedal. Keep your cadence up the upper 90's" He corrected my posture, and gave me exercises to help make it even better, which he's going to email me.

At first I was like, WTF???? PEDAL? You mean I have to WORK today?

And work I did, throughtout all the various measurements and questions and adjustment, I pedaled in bursts until I was breathing heavy and sweating and my quads were burning. He pointed to the readout and commented on my form and measured away. Then he started making adjustments.

The first adjustment Tim made was to change out my saddle. He put one on called a San Marco Glamour (see picture, right)


Oh. My. God.


I felt the difference right away.
Then, he pulled out my aerobars and tipped them up a bit, because I was hunched up and this would stretch me out a bit, but also angle me so that I wasn't always hunching to look up.


Then he put insoles in my cycling shoes and something called "wedges," to correct the angle of my legs when I pedaled.


Eventually, after all the measuring and such, he took Wunderfrost, who will hereafter be my trusty training bike, and set her up according to his specs.

All this took nearly 3 hours. It was time well spent, let me tell you. I could feel the difference immediately.

I promise you this: even if I wasn't purchasing a bike all the stuff I learned and the adjustments made to my existing bike were so well worth it: worth driving through the ice from Albuquerque to Boulder, worth the 29 degree day that I endured with no proper coat, worth it because I feel pretty strongly from now on that my experience on the bike is about to change.

Finally, Tim plugged in all his numbers into a computer which suggested...the Kestral Aifoil Pro, although technically, it seemed that I had several options available to me, being the average manly triathlete woman that I am. The airfoil pro. Huh. Whaddaya know about that? My new one will have 650 wheels, instead of 700's, with HED 3 and the Ultegra set.

After I was done, it was Sweet Baboo's turn, and I'll let him tell you about his experience.

As Sweet Baboo was finishing up his turn, with the crazy grin on his face that told me that, for him, it had been time well spent, that's when Duane arrived. The three of us when to BD's Mongolian Grill on Pearl Street, and talked. Duane is every bit as nice, funny, and friendly as you might suspect him to be, and has fantastic taste in music as well (Pink Floyd ROCKS, and now I don't have to saw at my wrists from Devo overload!) We learned aobut his two daughters, and about how one of them is about to do her first triathlon. We swapped triathlon stories. It was a great time! I ate much food, now that I have the excuse that I can eat like a manly man. Duane took a picture of us, and I completely forgot to get out the camera and take one of him and Baboo.

So sometime soon I'll have a new toy and now I really have to stop the martini drinking and train, because I have absolutely no more excuses. It's all up to me now; no more blaming my crappy splits on bad saddles and machinery that's out to get me.

As for the new bike, Webster's tells me that a Kestral is, "a small falcon that hovers in the air against a wind." I like that. I haven't named her yet, but I will. I'm still considering a custom paint job which I've decided, if I can get it, will involve purple and gold. In the meantime, here's a picture of her with factory specs:


So that was my experience. I don't know how typical it is, but if you have the time and the means to get this type of personalized fit experience, run, don't walk, to getcha one.!


Colorado Multisport is awesome, and I had a great time. And because we paid for the bikes outright, they are shipping it home for free, and it is being shipped out of state, we do NOT have to pay the 8% sales tax.

Sweet Baboo had a great time, too, but I'll let him tell you about that!

Cheers!

...

The Boulder Experience, Day 1

We arrived at the Boulder Outlook Hotel tonight at around 10:30 or so. You wouldn't; you couldn't, you shan't know how difficult it was to get here. I think the sign when we crossed the state line into Colorado was something like, "Now entering the state of Colorado; go back where you came from."

The highlights of the trip, so far, are that nobody has thrown eggs at us or screamed obscenities at is.

I'm tired. and cranky. And I wasn't even driving.

For starters, I had the choice this morning between loading software and setting up my new laptop or checking the weather in Colorado. I chose the former, because it was more fun, and now I am paying. Oh, dearie, am I paying. I am dressed for sprintime in New Mexico, and have brought with me 3 pairs of crop pants and 2 pairs of sandals, and two sleeveless shirts.

It is not springtime in Boulder. An icy drizzle began soon after entering Colorado, which seemed to confound the drivers here. Apparently ice is some exotic species, kinda like sand in New Mexico, and people have trouble driving on it. We counted seven (7) wrecks during the 3 hours it took to drive from Colorado Springs to Boulder. They ALL involved SUV's. So much for 4-wheel drive.

We watched with great interest as the large charter bus in front of us, traveling from Juarez, slid sideways across I-25 and then regained its traction. The car next to it honked, like as if, the driver didn't notice he was skidding on the ice and needed to have that brought to his attention. As if.

Second, the highway 36 From Denver into Boulder was shut down. CLOSED. We were directed to leave the highway, period, at Louisville, CO and the best we could do was follow a stream of cars, hoping they were going to to Boulder, too. (Luckily, they were). However, the mapquest directions were by then no good. We arrived at the hotel after several illegals Uturns and stopped to ask for directions. (Where is 28th street? Why are there two 27th streets?)

Bolder, you're fired. Duane, you too. You guys were in charge of making sure that weather was fair and highways were clear, and you blew it. Fie on you.

(And Duane, you know we all love you, but if I have to hear any more Devo I may start sawing at my wrists. )

So, FINALLY we arrived exhausted and tired and tried for pizza at Skinny Jays Pizza, where we were promptly ignored. We had better luck by ordering from the front desk. I'm having a 14" Vegan Pie. I had to, because rarely do I see the word "Vegan" on a menu unless all the servers are wearing hemp. But I digress.

I'm tired. And hungry. Tomorrow I'll give you the skinny on the Skinny Jay's pizza. Day 2 is our visit to Colorado Multisports, where we're going to be fit for new bikes. I have already deduced that the evil ABC in Albuquerque sold both of us bikes that are far too large, so I'm interested to find out what size I should have had. (My tri bike is a 54 cm. frame, and the only other person I know that has one is 6' tall. I am decidedly NOT 6' tall)

Till next time.

...

Niche Markets

I got my periodic mailing from Zombie Runner and saw that there's a new electrolyte kid on the block to compete with Nuun. I've gotten quite fond of Nuun in my long run training; it's this little effervenscant (sp?) tablet that you drop in 20 ounces (or so) of water. You get a light taste (3 flavors), no sugars, and lots of electrolyte goodness. Nuun, I will tell you, is also a sponsor of the New Mexico Outlaws. I went to the Zym website to investigate.

Zym has fewer electrolytes than Nuun and it's more expensive. I noted that in their "comparison" page, they compared themselves to standard sports drinks and didn't even mention the existance of Nuun.

Zym, you're a wanna be. You'll never convince me to leave our precious, beloved Nuun. NEVAH!