The Sisterhood of the sweaty running singlet

Hyphen girl, neighbor girl and I are running a 5K tonight. It will be the first 3 mile race for either of the two of them, so it will be fun. If you signed up at a running shop you received a running singlet to wear race night. HG and I have been training in ours, it's one of the rules of the 5K pact we made. Another rule is that we couldn't wash the singlets until after the race. They don't smell so good right now, in spite of the many sprinklers they've encountered. This is the only race I know that ends in beer. Literally. They have beer for all the finishers. Well, all the "of age" finishers. Lucky me, 3 runners each entitled to 2 cups of beer- I think that makes 6 glasses of beer for trimama. I suppose I can share a few with tridaddy as he will have to manage the rest of the tribe during the race. I think I am going to run the race backwards, that should be good for training with the added benefit of talking them through the race.

Neighbor girl actually will henceforth have the name "swinging girl". She de-stresses from the rigors of Junior High by swinging in her back yard. She has retired 3 swings to date, Junior High is very stressful. She has also baby sat the tribe since forever, that has to account for at least one swing's demise.

We have a hilarious older neighbor down the street. He is slightly senile and a severe diabetic. He has managed to sneak out of the house these past 2 days much to his wife and convict son's disapproval, he just wanted to take a walk in his new shoes. The first day they made him dizzy and he found himself on the curb, unable to get up with his walker. I called the paramedics for help because the last time he went down it was in front of my house and strong as I might be, I can't lift 190 pounds dead weight. I went up to sit with him while waiting for the PM's and we had a nice chat about Swinging Girl (SG). He sits and watches her swing, 200 revolutions one time by his count. I guess that's what you do when you are old and sick and your wife doesn't let you out of the house, you count swings. He was giggling with amusement when I told him she'd worn out 2 swings. He told me he could make it to his feet if I just gave him a hand, and what do know, we got him upright in no time. As we walked and talked our way back towards his house the PM's arrived, and we told him all is well. The convict appeared and read him the riot act, which was degrading and undeserved. But the convict living at home with mom is the only thing that keeps him out of a nursing home, so he shrugs his shoulders and hides the smile on his face. Yesterday he took a stroll down to a neighbor's house. She wasn't home and he was stranded on her steps. HG and SG came for me because they are afraid of the convict. This time neighbor had his super industrial walker complete with off road package and captain's chair. 1-2-3 up and we were off again. It took a few rest stops but we were onto the street in no time. It was a lovely day for a walk as he told me how he'd gone out yesterday and the PM's had come. I remember that too, neighbor. But you did ok. We completed the walk up the street discussing the merits of exercise.

I'm not going to be home today, so I hope neighbor doesn't go out walking, but I'll be here for him tomorrow.

Because sometimes a man just needs to get out for a walk.