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!