A Six Hour Marathon

While Paula Radcliffe is a fantastic athlete, it is a fact that she can't beat the fastest of male runners. Human physiology dictates that age and gender are discriminatory features in athletics. I can outrun, outcycle and outski the two women in my family.

But today they kicked my butt in a six hour marathon. The endurance event started from our condo and the first leg was an 0.6mi walk to the Post Office. I was feeling quite strong after posting a letter and we then moved at normal walking pace for 0.3mi to the Dushanbe Teahouse restaurant for lunch. The Teahouse, shown below, is a great place to visit if you are ever in Boulder.


After a fine lunch I was feeling that this post Christmas workout was going to be a breeze. Little did I appreciate the challenges to come on this course.

We then walked 0.3mi to Peppercorn on Pearl Street. Now things are getting serious. Peppercorn bills itself as "a retail potpourri with an exciting array of kitchen, bath and home accessories." Ugh. This store is quite well known and loved in Boulder. There is not a woman alive that can walk past that store without going in. They emerge energized, laden with useless things in Peppercorn shopping bags. However, any male that goes in that store can feel their energy sap as sure as running the Kemah Bridge. Needless to say my legs soon were heavy and my mental edge dulled. So I went to a shop a few stores down that sold T-shirts and various other nick knacks. Fortunately, they had a poster titled "Beeriodic Table of Elements" which you can order at the link from the creators in Longmont CO.


We then marched further along the street of shops. The next one on the marathon was "Paper Doll" which has been declared by the local paper as the best gift shop in town, stocked with everything from jewelry and purses to stationery and wrapping paper. Yikes. I refused to enter the shop, still reeling from Peppercorn, and rather than stand outside in the 15 degree cold, I went down to the Boulder Book Store to browse.

Now I can hold my own in a bookstore and I ended up buying a cycling book by Chris Carmichael and Bicycling magazine. Indeed the ladies were flagging a bit when we finally left the books, but it did not take long for them to regain their strength. While they went to the next shop I headed for University Bicycles to check out the fine equipment. They then went to two other shops. Rather than cross the threshold, I waited outside in the cold.

At this point we turned back toward home. While we had only covered 1.7 miles from our starting point, it might have been a 20 miler. Fortunately they had pity on me and did not stop at any antique furniture stores, women's clothing, or other houseware shops. However, the return trip is somewhat vague in my memory since I was reeling from the effort to get this far. But I do recall a mystery bookstore, and unpainted furniture shop, an outdoor outfitters store, a toy shop, and a chocolate shop. I may have missed one or two in my delirium.

Oh dear, I almost forgot "Lush", which is a fresh handmade soap and cosmetics shop. There is not one in Houston, but there will be. It is only a matter of time before Houston women will get their "Buffy" Body Butter, "Think Pink" Bath Bomb, "Honey I Washed The Kids" Soap, and "Silky Underwear" Solid Perfume. There is a store in Dallas if you can't wait. They do have items for men. I think I'll go for the "Marathon Bar" Bubble Bar, which is minty cinnamon to ease stress, tension and pain. Just the thing I need after a day out shopping.

I surrender.