8. GETTIN' READIER

Well, with the first of a series of increasingly more difficult races coming up, I figured it was time to acquire the neccessaries.

NEW RUNNERS - These Nikes I've been using have a year or more on them and are showing it.

My first requirement in runners is light weight and I've been fearful of finding another pair as light as these 9.5 ounce ones. Would you believe I found a beautiful pair of Saucony's at Fleet Feet in Bonney Lake weighing in at 8.7 ounces! Just like feathers! (My favorite color is red so that was an easy sale!)

I also bought a different pair of insoles with a higher arch support and now my toes don't tingle anymore! Thank you Paul at Fleet Feet!

MINI CAMERA - It occured to me that we're gonna be running through some pretty exotic scenery this year, and should carry a small camera to record the views, and us too, of course!

So Best Buy had this powerful little 8.2 mega pixel user friendly Kodak M863, brand new for a tad over half regular price. Who could pass up a deal like that, especially being it was red?

It has features like video, special settings, cropping, low light setting, flash, panorama, and photo enhancements all right there under a button. There is a built-in help menu for dummies on the screen for every feature, so no manual is needed. My kind of camera!

GARMIN 405 - I probably shouldn't read any more running journals lest I get roughed up by management of my fan club, but when I learned about the new Garmin 405, my 305 suddenly became unbearable and had to go! The 305 is big and awkward, doesn't sit on my wrist where I could see it easily, takes too long to find the satelites and wasn't as user friendly as I require (like it's gotta be simple, really simple, to use!) E-bay cooperated by providing me a brand new 405 at 2/3 new price! Unfortunately, it doesn't come in red!