Random Friday

The sun is out! The sun is out! The sun is out!

I'm amazed at how much my life improves when the weather improves. I've always said I was a child of the sun (hello skin cancer!) and this just proves it. My energy level has increased, my appetite has decreased, and my mood is (sorry) sunny.

Speaking of skin cancer, I don't have any now! My latest skin check was normal and I'm now able to push the check-up appointments to 4 months apart instead of 3. My paranoia still knows no bounds and I check my skin daily for new spots and I wear sunscreen under jeans and long sleeves.

Speaking of sunscreen, I'm thrilled that our government has finally set some standards for the multitudinous purveyors of the stuff. It's interesting that they're saying that those 15 SPF moisturizers aren't doing much of anything, and that SPF greater than 50 doesn't increase your protection (and may even increase a risk since the chemical load is higher). I have a feeling that next year some of my favorites will disappear but hopefully better products will arrive on the scene.

Request to sunscreen developers and packagers: please please please start putting sport sunscreens in little disposable packages so I can easily carry it with me to reapply during a long run or race. I don't have room in my gu-filled pack to carry the big bulky non-compressing tubes and bottles. Now that we know the sunscreen isn't waterproof, and we know that some runners sweat heavily, please provide something easy to use and carry. Thank you in advance.

So last night Bree and I decided not to do our weekly run at Lake Chabot. There were various reasons including our planned run for Saturday at hilly Inspiration Point. I decided that since I'd worked with my trainer in the morning I didn't need to run anyway. Then I remembered that I ate a big lunch and didn't have any calories left for dinner. So I grudgingly dressed for a run and headed out my front door. I ran some, I walked some, I ran some more and when I got home I felt wonderful.

Startitis is my problem. I should get a big banner in my house that tells me to just get moving. Once I'm in motion I love it. I really love to run. I just don't like the whole changing clothes/sunscreening/water filling/getting out of the house part.

I've been wearing my Fitbit for the past week or so and I'm having lots of fun with it. It's really just a fun toy another tool in the healthy life style arsenal that aids in tracking. It's interesting to look at my sleep records (or lack of sleep records), to see how many steps I'm taking during the say, to see how much activity I'm getting during my desk sitting workday. When I add it to my food tracking on Lost It! I'm getting a better picture of why I gained weight over our 9 month winter. It's helping me lose that weight and restart good habits in a rational, reasonable and easy-to-use manner.

I decided to add another morning workout with the trainer, Mondays. This will give me a reason to get out of bed (see startitis, above) and we'll be able to work more of my body than we can do in 2 days. I'm not sure how long I'll keep this up but I've found I'm more likely to run or walk in the evening if I've done a trainer workout in the morning. Since the sun has already risen when I leave the house it's easier to go be active. I'm not sure how well it will work when I've run a Sunday race but I don't have another one until the end of July.

Did I mention the sun is out?