Sunday, May 9, 2010

bring on the sun

back on thursday, i posted my review of the neutrogena, 55 spf, age shield face, sunblock lotion (now that's a mouth full). i tested it out in what i would say is the sunniest part of the day, which was around 2:30-3pm. after about 70-75 minutes of swimming in the pool, i went into the locker room to inspect my face and it was bad. dark, thick, blotchy looking tan lines on my forehead just above my eyebrows and a few larger areas on my cheeks. compared to the week before when i wore no sunscreen, i was unable to tell a difference. so back to the drawing board. i researched the other products that neutrogena makes and to my surprise, they had even higher spf products. i ended up buying the same product as before but with 110 spf!!! it says on the box that it "shields" 6 layers deep from skin aging uva rays and combats free radicals that accelerate signs of aging and most importantly, it is waterproof, oil-free and doesn't feel greasy. i will give it a test ride sometime this week and let you know what the verdict is.

you may be wondering why i'm slighly concerned about this and i will tell you. as long as i have been watching triathlons in person or on tv, like the hawaii ironman, i have always thought that the athletes look more weathered (old) compared to other outdoor sports i have seen....maybe with the exception of beach volleyball and surfers, but those aren't as mainstream as tri's are.  in the back of my mind, i've always said that i don't want to have "that look." not to mention, in the 5 months that i have been swimming, the chlorine has really done a number on my skin. i can seriously see it and i don't like it. i'm constantly having to put tons of lotion on several times a day to not look so alligatorish. of course, let it be known, it takes more than ugly tan marks on my face and dry skin to scare me off. i'll just continue to combat these minor inconveniences with the best skin care products i can find. if anyone else has products they use to keep their skin young and healthy looking, please let me know.

this week i will be tapering a bit as i have the olympic distance tri to do on saturday. i feel strong, no aches or pains anywhere, and full of energy...as usual!
here are my totals for the week ending yesterday:

ran:
total time: 3:20:00
total distance: 25.5 mi.

biked:
total time: 11:39:50
total distance: 234.35 mi.

swam:
total time: 2:58:00
total distance: 8000 m.

weights x 2 - and hundred pushup challenge completed!

~ i'm getting very excited and super focused for the triathlon on saturday. i think it will be fun to compare it to the last oly tri that i did back in the late 90's. i found my finishing time via google but could not find a breakdown of the times for each discipline. bummer! however, i think i can probably guesstimate the splits.

~ i've been looking, but not seriously researching, transition bags. for those that have/use them, which one do you have and do you recommend it? i don't need anything super pricey, just something that keeps things organized and easy to carry.

~ in other news, this is my 97th post! gotta come up with something real good for the "century" post.

i hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, a nice Mother's Day, and for all those that raced this weekend, that you were happy with your performance.

much love and peace out!

23 comments:

  1. You're very smart to take care of your skin, and I'm trying to be diligent and do the same! I'll be curious about your review of that sunblock! Looking forward to hearing about your upcoming Oly! I'd love to do one this year!

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  2. yay for your first olympic and great numbers for the week :) i've been slacking a lil since my 70.3 before I start IM training. your post is making me feel more lazy lol! have a great week girl~

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  3. Let us know what you find in terms of skin care. Way to get the numbers in again this week, and you are going to rock the OLY.

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  4. I am so big on skin care and am a freak about using sunblock and lotion.

    Nice job this week! Have a good one:)

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  5. I hear you with the weathered look. Years ago, I noticed that women in the next age division looked much older than I would have expected - wrinkled eyes, etc. This year, I'm past that age group and noticing the change in my own facial features and can only attribute it to my outdoor lifestyle.

    It's sad when you compare my "healthy" lifestyle and appearance to someone who is on the other end of the spectrum.

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  6. Good luck this weekend!
    I'll be sure to let you know how my bag works out for my first race in a few weeks. I went with the mid-line Rocket Science Bag since the only difference between the mid-line and the top-line was the bag being waterproof. Good luck with the research, there is plenty out there!

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  7. Hey good luck this weekend! I will probably say that 6 more times until Sat! You are going to do awesome! I have a Tyr transition bag, I like it, you can fit tons of stuff in it. But it is kind of big. I choose it because it was on sale. :) I am interested to know how you like that sunscreen, I am looking for a good product.

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  8. Your numbers are scaring me now!!! Way to go girl! You should have nothing but confidence for Saturday, if anything your taper will have more miles than your actual full TRI!!! Good luck this weekend!

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  9. Be careful about the sun... pro Bree Wee had her scares last year. It's nothing to fool around with.

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  10. I wish I had some advice on skin products but right now I don't. If anything comes up I will let you know.

    Great numbers for the week! Good luck tapering this week!

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  11. Thanks for the reminder about skin care. And now that you mention it us Triathletes are a weathered looking bunch! I always forget to put on sunscreen but now I will make it a priority!

    I am so excited for you to do your first tri of the year. I have a feeling you are going to just rock the heck out of it!

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  12. I'm totally looking forward to your review of the 110 spf. My friend and I talk constantly about how old this sport is making us... in terms of our skin. Last summer while at a pasta bash the evening before a tri, we decided to 'people watch' for a bit. Honestly, we were shocked at how weathered many of the 45+ folks looked. Shocked! IMO, 45 is too young to have your skin looking like it's already in its 70s. I agree that the pool seems to do the most damage. I suppose it's b/c the sunscreen is constantly degraded by the water. Mineral sunscreens have worked the best for me in the past (combos of pure titanium dioxide and zinc oxide), but they give you the dreaded 'white face' look while you're wearing them.

    GOOD LUCK this weekend at FIT! I have a few friends who are doing it as well. Yeah, looks like it might be a bit windy this weekend... but we're used to that during the winter months, right? :o) Kick some butt!!!

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  13. My parents bought me for xmas the Louis Garneau Race Day Transition Bag, its huge and its on the lower price point part when it comes to bags. You will have more then plenty of room in it, even has a draining bottom compartment to throw your wetsuit in. holds 2 pairs of shoes, helmet. I like it.

    http://www.all3sports.com/product_info.php?pName=louis-garneau-race-day-transition-bag-2009&osCsid=a0e7a1a2cdd4c5553fefc3c8c522ad43

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  14. That's so smart of you to try the higher SPF (I had no idea they made it that high, yay!!); I think the sn can really weather you, too! Good luck with the TRI this weekend, that's sooo exciting for you! I'll be cheering for ya from Denver!!! :)

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  15. I used the Neutragena SPF 110 sunscreen when I ran my race out in NV in April. It was non-stop sun for 10 hours and I didn't even look like I was out in the sun when I was finished. Of course, this was running and not swimming.. Hope this is a good find for you!

    Good luck in your tri this Saturday!

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  16. Good Luck on your Olympic race!

    Sunscreen is something that I have never messed with, maybe I should, but I never get around to it.

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  17. Good luck this weekend!

    Aimee @ Tri To Be Me did a great review on a transition bag:

    http://trirunveg.blogspot.com/2010/05/sunday-sampler-fitness.html

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  18. i agree, some triathletes look weathered! from the neck up anyway, from the neck down we're all pretty good looking :-)

    i'm struggling to find a sunblock with high spf that doesn't make my skin feel like its suffocating!!

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  19. I can't wait to hear how the spf110 version works. Sun damage is a scary thing and I'm trying to be better about putting it on all of the time!

    I have the TYR transition bag that I love! I did a review post about it on my blog that you might want to check out!

    Good luck on your race! You're going to do great! :)

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  20. new follower. That's a killer work-out week!

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  21. PS Rocket Science Sports makes some epic transition bags.

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  22. amazing work out week. As always - I am impressed but seriously hundred pushup challenge TOOOO?!

    You are incredible.

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  23. Nice week! I'm always looking for a good sunscreen too, it's hard to find the perfect one.
    So you ran the Nike Women's marathon is SF, eh? I wanna know more about what you didn't like about it! I'm thinking of trying again but not if you say it was lame.

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