Kris-Kross Will Make You...

That same gentle, kind woman who helped me make my way to meeting her also introduced me to a regular Summertime activity of her town. And so we went & got another one of these because she owned only one & we'd each need to be using one.

She highly recommended I wear something I could get dirty, as my bottom would literally be sitting in lake water. In my "over packing", I did include this, which ultimately became the first of many of them which I own. It seemed to be the most practical option in my luggage bag. And then, as it's navy in color, I wore one of my blue tank tops along with it.

It's interesting that, when I did this I didn't know how much of what I was getting myself into...I'd spent the hour prior to - simply Googling images in so that I'd know what exactly it'd look like. That day I'd even lathered myself, including my feet, in this, not knowing whether they'd be exposed to the elements or not. Ironically, that day, as I'd used a rental, I was required to wear a life vest, & therefore had most of my upper body, where my skin was most exposed, ultimately covered.

This was not the case on this special day. No need to rent, no need for a life vest. And I didn't think to lather my feet. Incidentally I happened to be wearing the same footwear both days: these. Which, as one can see, have a criss-cross pattern design (& they are blue too!). Thus became the growing tan line formation upon the top of each of my feet from July all the way through mid-September (when I ultimately no longer considered them to be as "weather appropriate" or "seasonal appropriate" as they'd been since the Springtime). 😄

My crisscrossed lined feet seemed to match well along with the sometimes-obvious-tan-lines which had partially formed circularly around my knees. These lines had formed over the course of the past several months from my consistency in wearing this as often as I'd been out running. Essentially if I'd be running, I'd be wearing it. Knees exposed & there it became. If I didn't work this in & around that spacing then I was only inviting Mother Nature to make her mark. And that she did, which is why my feet had begun to resemble my knees as much as they did.

We enjoyed coasting our way on the river, along with many others enjoying the same local "past time". Then, as her home sat along the river, after using our arms as paddles when necessary throughout those forty-five or so minutes, we climbed our way up the nearby staircase & found our way to these which she had prepared for us to dry off with briefly before going to retrieve the vehicle we'd left behind when we began.

And because these are Dr. Scholl's brand, anyone interested would easily be able to "jump" to this while wearing them. 😏 Incidentally, at the end of August, in an effort to complete an errand a little more quickly, I did run a little more than a mile in them... 😮 It was on all flat city sidewalk. 🏃

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Crosswalk Encounter

From the moment I entered that small college town I was met by wonderful, kind people. The gentleman working at the bus station began the trend (after, that is, the locals aboard the bus who shared assistive insights with me). Next, the sweet bus driver explained about where the airport was in relation to the bus station & about there being a widely used bicycle rack attached to the front of the bus - because the town is such a large bicycling town - with nearly every street marked with a bicycling lane.

The local "super" department store was filled with kind & helpful associates one of which was ready to retrieve this from the top shelves where I couldn't so easily reach. This young male associate had, about fifteen minutes prior, stood behind me at one of the store's water fountains as I used the cap from this in order to quickly refill it, ounce by ounce. Because, even though I could fill it quite rapidly in this way, it still wasn't that quickly, I offered for him to get his drink before I completed my task. He kindly & gently responded, "No. Go ahead. I get paid by the hour." 😄 (I thought to myself, "Suit yourself.")

Another associate assisted me with using the appropriate hardware cutter to unlink my duplicate rental vehicle keys from each other in so that I'd be able to run each marathon carrying only one bulky set, rather than both bound together. (I'd been provided with another "linking strip" to reconnect the two sets of keys properly before I returned the rental & boarded the bus back home.)


Then there was this:

I watched a man walk toward my rental vehicle as I waited at the intersection - not even knowing if selecting a left or a right-hand turn was in my best interest. I'd no traffic light to provide me the right-of-way, & assist me with making my turn. Knowing that this man, as a pedestrian, had the ultimate right-of-way, & because I'd not yet made my decision on which direction I'd go prior to his reaching the curb, I sat & waited just as I should.

He walked into the street & across the lane for the opposing traffic. He then continued walking straight, which meant he lined up directly with the front portion of my rental car, putting him briefly standing directly in front of the driver side wheel, & just behind the front bumper.

He audibly said, "You're in the crosswalk, so I guess I'll just walk through the vehicle." (The vehicle's windows were all closed.) As he bumped his chest lightly at the hood above the wheel well before going around the vehicle's front bumper & ultimately on his way.

I couldn't forget the encounter because, although I was new to this town, & needed my mapping app to successfully drive myself a mile or so down the road, I've been driving for decades & had never encountered anyone being so ridiculous with me while I sat in a vehicle, a nose or two too far into an intersection.

I eagerly enjoyed sharing this nugget with many locals - namely these superb department store associates. Letting them know that everyone in their town had been especially amazing & super kind. Then there had been this one, oddball pedestrian-crossing encounter & how I'd never encountered such a thing in my entire driving history.

A young woman, seemingly at about the same age I'd been when I'd first become a retail store cashier, happened to wait on me a few days in a row.

On this particular morning an older gentleman happened to be in line just in front of me. He wished for his change to be a $10 dollar bill rather than two $5 dollar bills. As she closed her drawer, ending his transaction, she quickly explained that she couldn't give him a $10 dollar bill because she didn't have one in her drawer. She directed him to the store's service desk. He then asked her if he could have different $5 dollar bills, better ones that weren't so messed up. She repeated that he'd need to go to the store's service desk. Just before relenting, he frustratingly questioned her, "You can't give me different bills?" (I wanted to say, "Obviously not sir. That's why she's repeatedly explaining to you you'll best be assisted at the customer service desk." Instead I didn't say anything to the man; I kept my mouth shut.) She apologized & explained that she couldn't open her register back up; he'd need to go to the store's service desk for further assistance.

I felt her pain. He wanted different bills & didn't want to stand in line to get them. It was early in the day, when any store's cash register would be likely to be low on cash change options. Because I "understood", & because I did feel her pain (anyone truly paying attention to the "big picture" would've), I made sure to share my story of the man (likely to have been drunk), who decided to "walk into my rental vehicle" because it sat a foot or so into an unpainted crosswalk.

Yes, this young cashier did giggle when she heard the story. 😂

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Reading on the Run

It was on that first full day I spent in the small college town when I went in the store & purchased one of these in order to ease my back-of-rental-vehicle sleeping abilities when I found myself attempting to figure out how best to park in the few city blocks of the actual downtown area.

I wanted to go into the library which happened to be located in a nearby block next to construction (which most always seems to be disrupting things such as city street parking, at least it was in this case). I found a spot on the street & considered the automated pay-to-park machine. I even gave it a try. It didn't make sense & I became slightly frustrated, wasting my time.

A van pulled up behind my rental vehicle & so, the gregarious gal that I am, I approached the driver door. A kind lady got out of the van &, upon learning why I got her attention, walked with me to the machine where together we evaluated that it simply wasn't working properly.

By this time she'd learned that I was from across the country & in town to participate in the upcoming marathon as well as another, nearly two weeks later, just across the state's border, & that I'd be heading back home after I finished the second marathon.

In knowing I was there to run the local marathon she automatically guided me to the retail running store in the next block over. It turned out that Olympic Bronze Medalist, Deena Kastor was inside with copies of her book to meet participants, sign copies, & smile for photos too (if the photo was of interest). Grateful to have my wallet with me, I figured I was there, I might as well. If I'd been able to keep up with all of the marathon-related email messages, I'd have had a clue I'd be having the chance to meet an Olympian. Alas, I did not.

There is irony in the book's subtitle as I tend to be quite an over thinker & definitely mindful in my running to continue my personal motivation. It was in this same line, to get my copy of the book, that I received some solid advice from other marathoners, one if which had seen a thread I'd posted in an online group! 😲 It was a case of "you're 'her'!", which was kind of neat.

And so now, along with this book, this book, this book, this book, & two others, (I was obviously very ambitious!), I now had this book too! I mean, I didn't intend to actually read this book while away. It just became quite entertaining that I'd already overpacked my book reading (I don't own one of these, so when I mention a book, I mean a book.) & here I was adding to my binding loot! 😂

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A Little More Water

One of the very first things I noticed as the bus I rode arrived near the city where I'd be staying for the rest of July was that several of the neighboring department stores had these lined up like shingles decorating the perimeter of each store - gingerbread house-like.

I was jealous because I wanted one. Knowing that I couldn't even buy myself a souvenir (couldn't afford one, didn't have any place to put it "back home", didn't need one - the experience was to be souvenir enough) as has already been well stated, neither of my luggage bags could handle more than, well, something as small as this.

Yes, I could've purchased one of these & paid the additional $15 (at least I think that's the fee for having a second "checked bag") to take it with me personally, although that also would've meant that I'd have needed to actually be able to take it with me. I couldn't manage it with the rental vehicle I had, & I'd also be responsible for moving it from bus to bus at each bus-changing interval - which I've also already indicated that I actually liked in general for my "basic" luggage needs.

I'd no way to be scooting one of these from bus to bus (as well as "watching it" at each bus depot), so I began dreaming up how I might be able to order one online & pick it up once I got back. As I wrote about here I got "the bug" back in June. My second time while being on the water a kind woman generously shared that the group's organizer (with whom I wasn't all that familiar) would be great to message & recommend to me a trustworthy link.

And that is exactly what the group's organizer did do. So I had a link to a sale at DSG (this & this) that would expire before I could pick it up. And no one who could retrieve it & stow it on my behalf until I'd see them in August. And so I didn't buy it. Which is actually good because, even with that special discount, I couldn't really afford it. I just desperately wanted to participate without the rental costs. It's light weight at 36 pounds & only 10' long, yet I do hear a bit of Dad in the background & a regular phrase of his from our childhood: "Improper use of the word 'only'." And he'd be a little bit right. The storage unit is nearly equivalent in size & there's the handling. I'm a strong, fit gal (I've been told -- & I think I believe it too! 😏), yet maybe continuing to rent for the time being is more apropos.

This is a link to one that Amazon sells. It's of comparable length, & just an inch wider. It's four pounds heavier. It's also blue. And, unlike the other - at DSG - where the only way to get "free shipping" is utilizing the "pick up in store" option, this one is also offered with free shipping. A good thing, it might be. At the same time, it needs to get to the water somehow, so acclimating it to a personal vehicle from point-of-sale, might just be the better option. Or, become a seasonal "member" at the rental shop, or, clean out the nearest garage, attic, or storage unit. 😂

All to enjoy a little more time on the water.

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Little Pretzel Pieces

This is a little bit embarrassing, yet completely honest. The first of the July marathons I ran was located in a small college town. Well, no, of course that’s not the embarrassing part! 😂 Because it was a small college town, certain stores were set up in an obvious way – that is, in the merchandise that they sold, that "the typical college student" would most likely be grabbing for the item. This is much in the same way as putting a product like this or this on the bottom row of the grocery store aisle in so that when a child is at the store with their guardian, well, they see it & work to get it in their guardian’s shopping cart.

Foods like multiple flavors of individually packed string cheeses were available. One serving containers of both General Tso's & Orange flavored chicken pieces were packaged up in clear plastic bowls. Lots of them. Every day. And this was July. So not a part of the Fall or Spring semesters.

And then there was me. Yep. Because I was "car camping" I was on guard about perishables & the July heat, especially the July heat that was in this area that was new to me. So I found myself resorting [read: accepting the temptation] to a personal past time.

Being close in 2010 with a friend who really enjoyed both these & these, when these were invented (scroll down in the link & read under the "2010" heading) that year, we ate quite a few of them, besides they were sold in blue packaging.

And almost in the same way that children have products sold specifically to them, at their level, in a grocery store, we adults often encounter the same situation. Well, that wasn't really even the case for this cause, yet I'd like to give it some claim.

Truly it was knowing that they weren't to melt on my skin (second paragraph here) which further encouraged me to select a package. After all, that means they shouldn't just melt, or soften being in a bit-too-warm vehicle either. Of course they're sold for "sharing", yet the mindless binge eater I can tend to be, especially when anxious & over thinking (which I was while on this grand trip to a city where I'd never been before), just kept on popping another one into my mouth.

So I treated myself. I never really like it when I do this. I know that I can eat better. Apparently it's existence has become my kryptonite. And because I was away from home I acted quite a bit like an adult on vacation as well as a kid walking down a cereal aisle.

I must have bought about a half dozen of them. And some I ate rather quickly. Plenty of wasteful spending, which is likely how I convinced myself to stop the buying. Also knowing that they weren't actually healthy for me, being that they are a completely processed food. Yes, I enjoyed them. Yes, I'm certain I'll buy them again & I'll devour the bag, & I'll love every moment of it.

They are, unto themselves, a little bit of salty, & a little bit of sweetness. And, yes, that is a very lovely, & a quite delicious thing to be. Even if it's only sitting on my tongue for a mere moment. 😋

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About the Non-Cotton Socks

Why wear "non-cotton" socks while running?

What I learned about them back in the early part of Spring when I trained for the "double marathon" weekend is that, well, "ordinary" socks, like these, can have a tendency to hold moisture to the skin whereas finding socks that contain no cotton at all (because even if a sock is 30% cotton, it's defeating the purpose of wearing non-cotton socks) are supposed to assist in the prevention of blisters.

The running store I called explained that trying out these (non-cotton socks) might be an answer to my ongoing blistering issue. (I was also advised to stop running quite so much since I was putting in great increments of miles three days a week & roughly half of those from the final of those three days on the day immediately following.)

Ultimately I opted to purchase two packs of them because, well, less laundry! 😂 And when you're running that many miles each day and sleeping, earning 💰, etc., there's not as much time to be washing one's laundry all that frequently. 😏 I joke & at the same time it really is a bit about some practicality. Running four days a week, even if it's only three days...That's three dirty pairs of socks in one week. This package contains six pairs. While carrying on through daily life, it seems to be more practical to have a "back-up" six pairs, even if only a portion of that spare package eventually make it into regular-running-sock-rotation.

So when I was in the midst of over packing just about everything & anything which might make for a helpful wish-I'd-thought-to-toss-that-in-too item, & knowing that I wasn't going to be able to "pre-select" which socks were the best for me to use while I ran each marathon (I also didn't know if I'd end up running or something similar on the 10+ days in between each of the two marathons), I went ahead & contentedly packed almost all of these & all of these that I owned. I also packed a whole bunch of super old, worn out pairs of these for if I did anything where I needed a pair of socks, just not "in-good-condition" pairs - such as to wear while I was sleeping.

And, yes, I do hold the blue pairs as extra special; they are the pairs I reserve to wear for my longest runs as well as during actual marathons. 😍😊😁

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If you'd like to shop my general Amazon Store, click here. By clicking any of these links to get to Amazon's site I may get a small share of the sale. Thank You!