Triathlon-filled day

Even though I'm a triathlete on the mend and racing has been non-existent, I still immerse myself in the tri world. Yesterday was a good example of that, and it made me thankful for all the amazing relationships I've developed.

It started with an early wakeup and drive down to Balboa Park in San Diego for a daylong video shoot with Triathlete Magazine / Competitor.com. There was a lot of biking, running and sports-med sort of stuff, including "muscle shots" and massage, haha. Sadly swimming got nixed because of freakishly random thunder & lightening storms, which pretty much guarantees pool closures; ocean swimming was an optional but the videographer had no waterproof equipment and it was raining a lot.

Our work will come together in a new video series called "Med Tent" featured online. Stay tuned.

I then sat in traffic forever and had to cancel the fitness class I teach because I'd be too late, bummer (you'd think two hours would be enough to travel ~70 miles, but not in SD with rain!). So straight home it was, where I found a few goodies waiting for me...

GU was awesome enough to send me their yummy new Watermelon Chomps. Are you allowed to eat chomps when not training? Well I did! They taste so darn good, like candy! You guys also HAVE to try out their new Nectars line. If anything, they come in the cutest packages I've ever seen! There's a free 6-pack available online. Click here for details!!!

Also, looks like SCAPE wants to keep me well-protected in Kona. As Maggs said, I might need sunscreen just to shield me from this bright visor! SCAPE sunscreen continues to amaze me. The bottle lasts forever and I never have issues with greasy/sticky/stinging-eyes feelings when I use it. Most recently, SCAPE got me through the Catalina Channel Crossing, last week's heat wave among other outdoor adventures. Gotta say, I think the face stick is my favorite! (Notice the cute Kona '10 logo on the visor!)

Then last but not least I got some love from Zoot. They take good care of me and I'm grateful to work with such a fun team that makes all-around quality tri gear. Just wait till you guys see their Spring '11 line, so awesome!!! I want one of everything haha. We have another shoot coming up later this October, I can't wait to see their new stuff.

Anyways, a good day in my little triathlon bubble.

Protecting My California Tan

The sun shining. The days are longer. School's out for summer (well, sort of). No more bundling up to train/play outdoors. Ahhhh. Love it.... The below picture from earlier this week says it all. And this year it's all about being consistent with one more thing: sunscreen!

Unfortunately, I've probably done irreversible skin damage in my 25 years on earth. As a SoCal-native, I became a sun-worshiper at about age 12. Tanning was a huge deal all through my teens and early 20s. We'd spend countless hours at beaches and pools laying out; tanning even interfered with school sometimes, oops! Worse than missing school, though, was choosing tanning oil instead of sunscreen. Ouch. I have Spanish/Mexican in my genes, so I never fry and am able to get a deep tan compared to those fair-skin folks. However, that's no excuse for no sunscreen.

Fast forward to now. It's not too late to change my ways. And there's good reason to do so. I'm certain I spend more hours in the sun now training than when I was a California-teen beach queen.

Problem is, I hate most sunscreens. They don't survive all the sweating and hours, they're oily/greasy, they cause me to breakout and the worst: that oiliness attracts bugs/dirt/grossness that sticks to my skin when I work out, ew. In short, the average sunscreen seems to be more hassle than good.

Enter SCAPE.

A brand-new line of sunscreen products with the endurance athlete in mind.... Just what I need to motivate me to wear sunscreen! I'll jump on almost any bandwagon that involves endurance sports :) I received several SCAPE products recently, and I can say with 100% honesty that I've never been "excited" about sunscreen. This stuff is the real deal. It lasts. It works. I actually want to wear it. (Inevitably, I still get somewhat tan, but at least I know I'm protected against the most harmful rays.)

Most importantly, SCAPE is easy to put on and it's not oily and gross. My favorite is their 50-SPF face stick that's applied like deodorant or Blody Glide. There's also 30- and 50-SPF lotions, sprays, lip balm and more. A little goes a long way, so don't expect having to buy more 24/7.

Oh yea, I almost forgot... when your head/face sweats, SCAPE won't get into your eyes and sting like crazy as if you're going blind. (It's no bueno getting sunscreen-eye-sting-blindness while going 35 mph on your bike, scary!)

I'm not trying to be some big ad here, but it's that time of year when skin protection matters more than ever. Being a recovering sun-worshiper, I now see the importance in skin protection and I want to share this little secret of SCAPE with my endurance friends. When we get to have amazing days outside (i.e. picture at top) it's important to take that extra step and protect your skin!

SCAPE is available at Trisports and Road Runner Sports. Get some and go enjoy a weekend outside... I'll be wearing SCAPE during the OC Duathlon tomorrow!