Butch?

Sorry for dropping off the face of the earth for a little while, folks. As some of you might know, I've been out with what might be some serious kidney issues. I'm battling a patronizing doctor who's basically telling me not to worry my pretty little head. I don't believe him and am pushing for a referral to a specialist but I'm feeling much better and have decided to press on regardless. News at eleven.

I've been back to regular training for a while now. It may seem slightly suicidal, but I feel fine despite my persistent low-grade temperature and the doc certainly seems to think that I'm ok. (%#!@/&%!) I did my first 30-mile solo ride and then a short run yesterday. I've done plenty of brick workouts like that before, but never one by myself that was that long. Very liberating - gave me a lot more confidence as a rider and I wasn't lonely or bored 'cause I listened to the "Zen and the Art of Triathlon" podcast the whole way. Being relatively new to clipless pedals, I was pretty proud of the fact that I only lost my balance once, but out of all the secluded places it could have been on the mostly country course I'd carefully mapped out, I had to fall on Zebulon Rd in front of Wal-Mart and Saturday afternoon traffic! I'm sure I'll get at least one e-mail tomorrow from someone who got a kick out seeing me collapse sideways into the landscaping. I do have a good excuse - there was a gaping hole in the sidewalk that you couldn't see until you were right on top of it, but I'm still red-faced.

Hey, tell me something, y'all. Now I've never denied the fact that I'm a very girly version of the typical girly-girl. But I went and committed a traditionally male act yesterday by using masking tape to attach my iPod between my aerobars (works very well by the way.) Then, in an extremely female moment during my ride, I wondered if I could also attach a shoebox to my bike and finish the 25 miles I still had to go if I stopped and bought the pair of high heeled sandals I’ve been drooling over the past few weeks. I didn’t actually do it, but do you think that the mere thought cancels out the macho cyclist ideology of the iPod thing? Perhaps if it had been duct tape...

I pondered it for a few fleeting moments after my workout, then shrugged my shoulders and decided to give myself a pedicure. Might as well stick with the tried and true. A girly-girl's gotta look the part, especially if she's gonna wear those sick new 3-1/2 inch heel sandals. Hey, something besides an injury's gotta put a wiggle in your walk once in a while!