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| LF of the blog knows the appropriate pose |
Taper time! Three weeks of backing down on the training and getting all those things in the house organized, errands run, and general all around fun!
Today Mark called and said that he needed to rent a wetsuit because he is going to be a "swimming angel" for the
Big Shoulders Open Water 5K. This means that he'll be swimming alongside a novice, so in all likelihood, his pace will be slower than usual, and, well, with very little body fat he will be very cold. He asked me if I had ever been to
Urban Tri Gear and I had never even heard of it (shame on me). So I suggested a field trip and we were off!
And don't you think, for one moment that I wouldn't find something for myself. The camera doesn't lie, and I always knew that I had pink compression socks in my future, it was simply a matter of time. In case you're not aware of what tri-geeks have been wearing for the past five years or so, this is one of the biggies. Not cheap, but they create the same aesthetic as the tube socks that we all wore when we were rockin' The Doobie Brothers. And so it goes.
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| They're practically jumping off my legs! |
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| Energized, rested! Compressed! |
Next stop? Whole Foods Hinsdale, for the second day in a row. Go figure? It's taper, what can I say. This time to retrieve the planner that I had left in the store Monday. When I went to the customer service desk I read aloud what I had written on the front insert:
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| In case of loss, please return to: Karen. As a reward: $ my everlasting gratitude. |
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| Wouldn't that be great? Welcome to Illinois. Now get on your bike. |
We then admired the granny-triangle-clad bike out front. Needless to say, this is an employee's bike (nobody in hinsdale has a ride like this). But we were so excited by the serendipity of it all. And look at the bumper sticker on the dark side of the vehicle!
That's my bike! And I DO live in Hinsdale... but not on purpose. ;) People here regularly tell me I'm the weirdest person they know (and I'm totally not weird at all--I'm the girl who handed you your Moleskine back--pretty regular, right?).
ReplyDeleteI'm actually from Lincoln, Nebraska, which is where I became a yarn-addicted, bicycle-riding, liberal-hippie-lover-type. There are pockets of wonder in the midwest, you just have to look carefully for them. That said, living in Hinsdale has been hellish enough that I'm taking off again in about a month, this time for grad school in London. I was only here to help look after my grandma after my grandfather died, but I've had about all I can take of the 'burbs!
Best of luck in your tri--I've done one sprint distance on that very bicycle! I'm so glad we met. Anne told me what you said about my crocheted, stickered bike, and I knew I'd encountered a friend. :)
I do love that girl who rides that bike! Glad you noted her.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your story! Yes, the midwest is wonderful in many ways!
ReplyDelete@Katie - we know you're not weird, because we didn't even remark that you looked any different when we came in to get the Moleskine. But it is a nice bike, and I'm sorry that you're deserting Chicago for the wilds of London, as we need more bicycle-riding, pannier-crocheting, liberal-hippie-lover-types in this neck of the woods. Good luck with grad school.
ReplyDeleteKaren: Loved seeing the photo of my Mark. (It's about time, don't you think?) But where is a photo of him wearing his lederhosen? That would be an even better photo! -:) But thanks for including him here! xoxo
ReplyDeleteRubber Suit/Lederhosen it's all a part of the same weird continuum. What can I say? You, as the consummate writer, know that we've got to do a lot of curating and believe me, I do have to narrow down from the selection that is this wild and wacky life of unencumberdom!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Illinois. Now get on you bike, and pedal fast before the dude in the wetsuit catches you!
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