OK, so I've spent about 6 months biking on my "training wheels"- my big cushy fat grippy safe 700c x 38c tires. A few weeks ago I began to feel as though they were holding me back and unecessarily wide.
This evening I was very proud of myself- I changed both my tires and tubes all by myself- never had changed a flat before. (only watched a couple of times and had read about it). Had a little trouble at the end getting the back wheel coaxed back in with the chain etc. DH helped for a moment. I think I could do it myself alone next time though, with a few attempts. The CrankBros. Zip lever I have is a truly fantastic simple tool- the tire beads just glide on and off like magic, like turning the hand of a big clock. The whole proceedure was fascinating and exciting to me, and made me feel empowered and very self sufficient. Now I don't have to worry about that first flat on the road someday- I'm ready!

Anyway, I have my usual 21 mile daily route timed, and I can't wait to see if the new skinny tires shave off some additional time. My new tires are 700 x 28c instead of 38c wide. It really is a huge difference. They seem so hard and thin! I hope the ride won't seem TOO uncomfortably bumpy. We'll see tomorrow on my ride. (maybe I should wear a double chamois the first time?)
The new tires are Pasela Panaracer "TourGuard" which should hopefully help avoid flats on gravel roads (which we ride a lot).
Another bonus is the extra half inch or so of standover room I have now. I will have to reset my wheel circumference size setting on my bike computer. But the ride timer/clock will not be affected by the change.

Will report back after first impressions tomorrow.