Street cred

I'm a little late to the party, but it looks like I have two more inductees into my Great Liars in Running Hall of Fame. Did you miss this post? Last year, I took to task those runners who printed copies of a woman's Boston marathon bib after she posted it on social media. I also found a few other runners and race organizers to keep those runners company. I've had a few other inductees since that original post. The candidates just keep on coming forward.

I'm going to put it out there: I despise cheaters. But my teenagers tell me that cheating is rampant in school these days. Tom Brady is letting the air out of footballs. FIFA officials are taking bribes and the St Louis Cardinals are hacking into the Houston Astros computer network. Cheating is everywhere, and why shouldn't amateur athletes be any different?

Everyone's doing it, right?

It's getting hard to be an honest athlete.

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First up is Mike Rossi. You might remember him as that dad who posted a letter he sent to the principal of his kids school. Still doesn't ring a bell? He ran the Boston Marathon, and the school principal refused to excuse his kids' absences from school when they accompanied him on his trip. He wrote a really great letter, all about how they got all kinds of life experience traveling with him to Boston and watching him chase a life dream. This is the stuff that goes viral. And it did. I read it, and I was pretty impressed. Heck, I'd pull my kids out of school to accompany me to Boston, if I qualified. Even though my youngest recently asked me if he really had to go to Boston.

Unfortunately for Mr. Rossi, people scrutinized his self-righteousness. And they found something really interesting. It appears that maybe, just maybe, he didn't actually qualify for Boston. The race he ran was not consistent with any of his past race finish times. Race photos didn't show him in any photos except crossing the finish line. And there were no chip mats along the race to track his progress.

I've run races like that. Last year, when I ran that hot, steamy Zooma Chicago half marathon, there were no timing mats on the course. I could have turned around early and headed back to the finish line. No one would have been the wiser, right? I didn't do it, but I could have and salvaged what was my slowest half ever. Right. And live with the knowledge that I cheated?

I'm not saying Rossi did this. And since there was no proof that he cheated, the Boston Marathon didn't DQ him. He has to live with the knowledge that maybe or maybe not...he didn't actually qualify. His Boston finish time? 4:01:42. Way less than his 3:11:45 qualifying time.

Rossi photo courtesy of phillymag.com

Heck, I want to run Boston. But not bad enough to cheat. Not saying that he did. But you know what? I bet he was just so excited about running Boston that he had to go and make a big deal about it. In the world we live in now, where you can check everything with a click, you need to keep it on the up and up.

Hope he enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame/infamy. I wonder what his kids learned about all this?

I smell a rat....

As it turns out, Rossi isn't alone doing whatever it takes for a BQ. Kendall Schler qualified to run Boston this spring after she came in 3rd at the Go! St Louis marathon last year. This year, she won that marathon! Interestingly, when race officials reviewed the race, they discovered that their winner didn't cross any of the 7 timing strips along the course. Race officials smelled a rat, and reviewed last year's results as well.  Nope, Schler didn't cross any mats at that race either.

When asked about this, she told race officials that she "removed" the timing strip from her race bib. Oh, ok then! We'll just go with your word on it then. You keep that $1500 prize.

Sarcasm aside, I've run a lot of races, and I've never taken the timing strip off my race bibs. Help me to understand why anyone would do that? Supposedly she wears the bib on her leg instead of her shirt, and maybe the strip makes it hard to attach the bib to her leg? You know, that pesky plastic makes the bib a little stiff. Hard to run with that wrapped around your leg. Especially if you're a super fast runner--those quads need to breathe.

I know people do this, put their bib on their leg, but you're really not supposed to do that anyways...but I digress...

Schler photo courtesy of runhaven.com

Ok, just for the sake of argument, let's say she's telling the truth and she won fair and square, sans timing chip. Then explain why, just like Rossi above, there were no race photos of Schler anywhere along the course. Race officials reviewed this year's photos, and nope, none except of Schler crossing the finish line. And when asked to provide photos, Schler could not.

So race officials contacted the Boston marathon, and Schler was disqualified from the race. A BQ and a DQ. You don't see that every day.

I get the desire to run Boston. The Boston Marathon really is the pinnacle of running for long distance runners. I'd love to qualify. But I couldn't run it knowing I cheated to get in. I couldn't live with myself. Heck, I couldn't even quit on my virtual half last weekend! But just say I get a BQ but I don't get in because a cheater qualified with a little better time than me and took my spot. Wouldn't that be horrible? For me it would...

Sadly, these stories are becoming more common, and I can't help but wonder if cheating is becoming more acceptable. The desire to win is so strong and the stakes are so high, it's no wonder athletes are pushing the limits. But we're amateur athletes. We're never going to win. We should be happy that we get to run. Our only competition should be ourselves. We need to set a good example for our children and young athletes. There's pride in a job well done, a race well run, fair and square. And that should be enough for all of us.

To Rossi and Schler, welcome to the Hall of Fame. Say hi to Rosie while you're there.

Race recaps: My threesome weekend

Before I start, this is a running blog. And when I post about a threesome, it can only mean one thing. Three races. A trifecta. The triple play. Hat trick. So if you were looking for something else, well, just keep looking. Mind, meet gutter.

This was a big race weekend for me. Not only did I have a live 10k, the Stampede Run, but I also had 2 virtual runs to complete, the Nuun Run/Ride/Hydrate 10k and the Gone For A Run All 4 Run The virtual runs could be completed any time over the weekend. At first I thought I'd just do them all on Sunday, as part of my live race. After more thought, I realized that just didn't seem like the right thing to do. So here are my 3 recaps of my 3 races.

Nuun Run/Ride/Hydrate 10k

As a Nuun ambassador, I was offered entry into this ambassador only race. There was a 5k, 10k, or 10 mile ride option. Since I normally run 6 miles, I chose the 10k option. As part of the race swag, I received a t-shirt, bib, medal, tattoos, stickers, and one tablet of Nuun. I really liked the t-shirt design! Sticking to the superstition of never wearing the race shirt for the actual race, I pulled on a Chicago marathon long sleeve shirt to run this one. My calves and shins have been bothering me, so I also wore my SLS3 compression socks to try to alleviate some of the discomfort. No luck there. I could hear my feet flapping on the ground as my shins kept getting tighter and I had to stop twice to stretch out my calves. It really wasn't until mile 5 that I felt loose. Luckily, my pace wasn't affected by my discomfort. I finished this one in 52:46, an average pace of 8:30 mins/mile. But I was concerned that this shin tightness was going to be an issue all weekend, and I did some yoga stretching after my run. 

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Gone For A Run All 4 Run

Disclaimer: I was given free entry and all the swag you see in the picture from Gone For A Run in exchange for 2 blog posts. The race and all the opinions are mine.

Because of the shin/calf issues I had on Thursday, for this race, which I ran on the 4th, I pulled out a new pair of shoes. The pair I had been running in only had about 320 miles on them, but clearly it was time for new shoes. I had hoped to get this pair through the next 2 weeks before marathon training started, but no luck. 

I put on my new shoes and headed out for my run. It took a while to get a signal on my Garmin, which was a little concerning to me with my live race coming up the next day. Once I finally got the go ahead, I headed out on my neighborhood 4 mile route. In spite of my vigorous foam rolling and stretching, the heavy lifting I did with Becky on Thursday really made my start painful and slow. On the other hand, I had no issues with my shins. I found that encouraging, and after about a half mile, my legs started to loosen up. I found my pace, and went with it.

I hadn't planned on racing this one, but with the gorgeous morning sun and my newfound power, I decided to go with it. And no tummy troubles at all! Wearing my new shoes seemed to be the right thing to do. This turned about to be a fantastic run for me. I finished this 4 miler in 33:42, with an average pace of 8:26. I immediately hoped that I didn't push it too hard for my live 10k the following day. It was back to the foam roller for me!

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Stampede 10k

Sara and me at the starting line!

This is my hometown race, held every year on the Sunday of July 4 weekend. There's a 5k and a 10k option, and the race is pretty popular, attracting some fast local runners.  This year was no exception. My friend Sara and I made plans to do this one together. She met me at my house early, and we drove the short distance to the race. We parked the car and walked the 2 blocks to the start line. Both of us wanted to make one last pit stop before the start of the race, and we headed over to the portapotties. Because the 5k and 10k racers start together, we were worried that we would be weaving through the walkers, and so we lined up towards the front. The gun went off and so did we! Sara took off with the fast runners, and I was surprised to be passed by so many people! I felt like I was running pretty fast, and at mile one, my split was 7:57, so my suspicion was confirmed! It was warming up, and I wanted to run conservatively, so I slowed down a little bit, and continued to be passed by people, most of whom I assumed were the 5k runners. My legs felt loose, and I was glad I ran that 4 miler the day before. 

Shortly after mile 2, I was really hot, so I walked through the water station while drinking. Off to the side, I saw Sara, looking very distressed. I stopped to check on her, and she told me to go ahead and that she'd meet me at the finish line. I felt really badly for her, but I started to run again. She was on my mind the whole time after that. 

At the 2.5 mile point, the 5k runners turned off. It's always so tempting to cut the race short when it's hot, isn't it? But I moved forward with my 10k pals, and for the rest of the race, stayed with most of the same people. I stopped once more to get water at mile 4, and then counted down the songs to the finish. I felt great. There was a guy running next to me, and he would not let me pass him. It was pretty funny. I'd speed up, and so would he. Lynyrd Skynyrd's Call Me the Breeze came on, and I picked up the pace, finally losing him. But at the final turn to the finish line, I watched him blow past me at full speed. Nothing like being passed by a 52 year old woman to get a guy moving, right?

I crossed the finish line in 52:04. My Garmin time was 51:46, but I have it set to stop when I do, and I did have those 2 water stops. I was happy to see that I didn't lose much time doing that! I grabbed some water and a kefir and headed over to the results table to see how I did. I was happy to see that I came in 3rd in my AG! When I checked the official results later, though I saw that out of 342 runners, I was 113. That tells you how fast this field was!

After that, I found Sara, and we headed home. She ended up with her first DNF, but was a trooper about it. I shared my TMI stories with her, to make her feel better. It's her story to tell, but I will share with you that she left her shorts on the curb and went home in a blanket that I gave her. Something that only runners can understand. We laughed about that all the way back to my house!

Overall, I enjoyed all 3 races, but there is nothing like a live race atmosphere. I was nervous for this one, and those nerves drive me to a fast finish. It's fun to run the course along with the other participants, even the guys who get motivated by being "chicked". My favorite part of the race is the last mile and crossing the finish line. That is the best feeling. No bling from this one, but I do get a pint glass for my AG award. I actually prefer that, because every time I drink from one, it reminds me of what I'm capable of!

Did you race this weekend? How did you do? Have you ever done a virtual race? Which do you prefer, virtual or live?

I'm sharing this with Tara's RunningNReading Weekend Update linkup! Check out what everyone else is up to!

And the Silvah Lining!

#RunThisYear June 2015 summary

And another month comes to a close...it's time to check out my progress on this years goals!

June was a great month for me. Without any race to train for, I got to just enjoy running. It's a good thing, because this was, according to Tom Skilling, intrepid Chicago weatherman, the wettest June on record. I wasn't exaggerating when I whined about the humidity and the rain. There wasn't much sun to enjoy. But I got those miles in, and hit 600 for the year! We were in one of my happy places, Door County Wisconsin, which you can read all about here. I can't think of a better place to hit a milestone.

I forgot my bib. Can you tell that I'm holding my iPad? 

So how did I do on the goals?

Sub-2 half marathon: I am happy to have hit that goal twice this year! This month I ran a virtual half marathon, the Skirt Sports 13er, on a humid, hot Sunday morning. I recapped it here. I didn't hit sub 2, but for this race, I had no goal but to complete it, since I wasn't trained for a half. Plus, there was no way in these conditions, that I could sub-2. It was brutal. And we all know that humidity is not my friend. The victory was in the finish, since this was a virtual run, and I had no incentive to finish it, except for pride. It was a mental victory, for sure!

Staying injury free: Fingers and toes crossed, but things are status quo. The toe keeps reminding me that it's there, but nothing has escalated. To me, that's a win. My tummy problems are a little better, but I think that due to some continued stress in my life, I'll be battling that for the rest of my training. Becky has me doing a heavy lifting cycle right now, and I look at that work as insurance for my marathon training. Strong muscles=protection for my joints.

Controlling the mama drama: Nothing earth shattering this month, my oldest finally got a job again. The good thing is that his hours are 4-10, and I think that keeps him out of trouble. But he's so rude to me that it's very stressful for me to be around him. I didn't realize this until I was out of town this past weekend and I was able to relax and get some good sleep! On this trip out of town, I spent some time with my youngest and that was just great. Stay tuned.

Have you started it yet?

Grow the blog: I finally took the plunge and signed up for Twitter. So many people told me that I needed to do this if I wanted to get more engagement on the blog. Dare I say I'm more than overwhelmed? I'm starting to figure it out, but there's so much to learn. Right now, I'm trying to keep my focus on writing good posts and interacting with my readers. That's why I started writing, and that's the goal! I had 2 blog posts featured on FitApproach. The Book Club is still going strong. This month's author, Alexandra Heminsley has agreed to an interview, so we're back on track! And the book, Running Like A Girl, is getting good feedback! It's been fun to have a few campaigns tho...I had a giveaway for SLS3 compression socks, which was a huge hit, and the webinar for the Vision Council, which I really enjoyed. I'm linking up with The Silvah Lining once a month for a Race Recap link up and HoHoRuns and I are working on another link up...stay tuned! 

My downtown Chicago run!

Sub-4 marathon: Becky and I are finishing up this heavy lifting cycle, and then marathon training commences in a couple of weeks. I'm running conservatively right now, just trying to preserve the legs. I was feeling a little burnt out and blah, but a few good runs in some decent weather and some fun places turned that all around. I can and I will!

The Stats:

Miles run: 105

Miles biked: 30.6

Races run: Skirt Sports 13er virtual run 2:06:50

How about you? It's the halfway point for the year? Have you checked in with your goals?

Miss Independence

Independent? Me?

Last week, while training with Becky, I met another woman who is also training for Chicago. She's also a nurse practitioner, my age, my pace, and I commented that we needed to talk "training". She told me she's running long runs on Saturday with the Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA). I replied that I couldn't participate, that I work every other Saturday. And yes, that I like to run alone.

George Thorogood sang it...

Just substitute the word "run" for "drink" and you've got it...

And there's that...

Last year for my marathon training, I did run all my long runs alone. I do this for all my race training. I actually enjoy this. I most recently ran a virtual half marathon by myself. You can read about that here.

So many people like to run with a group or a partner, and I think about this a lot. But there's a couple of legitimate reasons that I like to run by myself.

And there's that..

My race, my pace. I like to run my pace. I never know what a run is going to bring. Some runs are fast, some are slow. I don't want to have to adjust my pace to someone else's. Whether they are faster or slower, it doesn't matter. I don't want to have to worry about slowing someone down or making someone run faster than they like.

A little less conversation, a little more action please...thank you very much. I'm not really an Elvis fan, but seriously. When I run, I like to listen to my music and tune out. And run. Besides, talking while I run messes up my breathing. Unless I'm running slow. Which is not what I want to do on a training run.

And speaking of music, I like to listen to music on a training run. If I'm running with someone else, I can't do this. Can I?

Oh God, no!

My...ummm...GI issues.. And there's that. It had to be said. Sometimes I have to make a pit stop and this can be distressing to me. The last thing I'd want is to embarrass myself while running with someone. I need to deal with this, alone.

I love the idea of training with a partner. I do. Companionship, camaraderie, moral support...it's all good.

But not for me. Above all, the main reason I like to run alone is that running is the only time of day that I'm by myself. For me, it's a time of reflection and self-assessment. I cherish those runs. And I look forward to them.

How about you? Do you like to run alone? Or do you prefer a partner or a group?

I'm linking this post with DebRuns and Wednesday Word! It's Independence Day this week, and our word of the week is Independent. Check out all the other posts to get their take on this word.

Runfessions for June

Yep, it's that time of the month again. Just like clockwork or a period, Marcia's Runfessions comes around and lets us clear our consciences of all our transgressions for the month. Mine is a few days late because I had a scheduled post on Friday for the Vision Council and National Sunglasses Day. So without further ado...

I got pulled over for speeding. Yep. I was on my way home from Whole Foods and I spotted the cop, the radar gun, and hit the brakes. But too late, because she pulled out behind me. Crap! She didn't turn the cherries on right away, so I stayed at the speed limit. Starting to relax, I glanced in my rearview mirror and oh no, they were flashing. I pulled into the median and waited. This really young female police officer came up to my window. She couldn't have been more than 15 years old, I swear. After going through her questioning, I handed her my license. She handed it back to me. I had given her my library card. We both laughed, and she told me that she was going to give me a warning. She kept calling me ma'am. Maybe I reminded her of her mom. I don't care. What ever it was, it worked. I didn't even have to play the nurse card....

I keep cutting my finger on the foil on the wine bottles. The struggle is real. Every time I uncork a bottle and try to remove the foil, snip! And I'm bleeding. Thank goodness I have my wine to dull the pain. The only problem I see is that my little patients notice my bandaid and ask me how I got my "owie"... I'm now grateful for wine that has the screw tops. No fuss, no muss. Easy access. All good.

I have somewhat of an obsession with running socks. I really like to think that having good socks is just one other way I can keep my feet happy. The other day I was at Marshall's, and I came upon the sock display. I usually walk right on by, but that day, it was chock full of running socks. There were a ton of SmartWool low running socks. I immediately pulled 4 pairs off the rack. Then I saw a pair of Feetures. I added those to the collection. I also had a couple of pairs of a brand I had never heard of in my hands. Feeling like a hoarder, I put those back. But I did leave the store with 5 pairs of running socks. My feet haven't stopped smiling.

Feeling like a badass after a fast 10k in 52 minutes this week

I hadn't been loving my runs lately. Dare I say it--I had been feeling a little burned out. My legs were tired and my runs have been slower than I like. I blame life stress. I blame the humidity. This isn't exactly how I'd like to head into marathon training. Because of all the rain and cool weather we've had, I haven't ridden my bike nearly as much as I'd like to. This has to be the craziest summer weather I can ever remember. I finally got out there on the bike last Sunday, and rode 30 miles. I was pleased with the way my legs felt for the entire ride. After the ride, I felt energized and ready to run again. Sometimes you just have to mix it up a bit. And then there was Thursday's run...BOOM...it just turned things around for me. Running is just the craziest thing, isn't it?

But on a related note, just because I'm riding my bike doesn't mean I'm going to do a triathlon. I know, all the cool kids are doing them. I feel the pressure, believe me. But no. Repeat after me: I DON'T LIKE TO SWIM. Almost all of my running buddies are swim training and partaking in triathlons. I get that. But I just want to run.

What do you have to runfess? Do you feel peer pressure to enter an event because all your friends are doing it? What do you do when you're feeling burned out?

Scenes from a summer place...

A little play on words...my parents met in high school in the 50s, and this was always one of "their songs". Seemed appropriate after spending a wonderful weekend in the place where so many memories have been made. And we made more memories this weekend. You might want to let the song play while you read the post.

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My husband and my oldest son had to work over the weekend, so my youngest son Matthew and I drove up to my parents' place in Door County, in northern Wisconsin. I let him do most of the driving. Actually, I had him do most of the driving over the weekend. He did a great job. I realized how convenient having a designated driver could be after drinking a few Spotted Cows with dinner.

Friday was a rest day for me. Do runners really rest? I did some shopping with my mom in the morning, and then Matthew and I went to lunch at our favorite waterside spot. It was a little cool and cloudy, but the view can't be beat. After lunch, we played 18 holes of golf. Mini golf, that is.

At Fred and Fuzzy's in Sister Bay

The sun came out in the afternoon and we took the kayaks out in the bay. All of a sudden, Matthew jumped on top of the kayak and called for me. I paddled over to see what was wrong. His kayak was full of spiders. And not just any spiders. There was this creepy looking one. All spiders are creepy, but this guy was huge. We think it was a wolf spider, a native of Wisconsin. I tried drowning the spider, but he just curled up in a ball and waited for the water to wash away. Then he started tormenting my son again. I swear he was rubbing his front legs together, plotting his attack. I tried whacking him with the paddle and he scooted away under the seat. I convinced Matthew to paddle back to the pier. He was not happy, but we got back to the pier without any issues, and tried hosing out the kayak with water. We discovered that Mr Spider was not alone. We washed out probably 25 or more of his buddies. Matthew was just about sick when he saw all his passengers. It was crazy, because the kayak I rode in had just a few spiders. I felt kind of bad about this. After all, my kayak was spider free. It wasn't intentional! I swear!

To make it up to him, after dinner, we went for ice cream...

Sister Bay Ice Cream Factory

and drove to the beach to check out the sunset.

Beach Road, Sister Bay

I got up early on Saturday to get my 6 miles in. This was the day I was going to hit 600 miles for the year! I waited at the top of my parents' driveway to get a signal on my Garmin. While I was waiting, the mosquitos decided to have breakfast. With me. I couldn't take it! Even though my Garmin was still searching, I started running, to get away from them. Finally, the signal locked in. I ran up the very steep hill that heads out of town. That was the first time that I ran to the top without stopping to catch my breath! I gave myself a fist pump. A silently thanked Becky for all those deadlifts and squats. Then I headed to the bluff park, a 6 mile round trip. There was no one in the park and I was rewarded with some spectacular views. I headed back down the huge hill, which is as challenging as running up it, trying not to fall head over heels.

Ellison Bay Bluff Park overlook

Later that morning, we headed down to the little town where we were staying to watch the parade. All the little towns in Door County have summer festivals, and this weekend was Olde Ellison Bay Days. We go every year. The parade was short but sweet, and entertaining as always.

Because we are in Wisconsin.

After the parade, we walked over to a local restaurant where an event called "Uncork Summer" was being held. It's kind of a "taste of northern Door County" event, where local restaurants get to showcase their foods. Last year I had the truffle mac and cheese made with Nueske applewood smoked bacon. So, so delicious. This year the line for that dish was really long, so I headed over to the Door County Creamery to try the herbed goat's milk pesto torte. I was rewarded with a really tasty dish. I also sampled a smoked whitefish wrap (the fish is a local catch here) and an asian slider, from the Shoreline restaurant, both tasty as well. I drank a Wisconsin microbrew beer to wash it all down, Ale Asylum Bedlam. I enjoyed it all.

My son enjoyed his ribs...

More kayaking to burn some calories...

Catching up with an old friend whose parents have a place next to ours...

And another sunset, this time from the pier in front of the house

On Sunday, I took my run on a different route, into The Clearing, which is a retreat in the woods for writing and other sorts of artistic pursuits. For me, it's a pretty path through the woods. On this run, I ran up some steep hills again, and ended up by the water. A woman was sitting by the shore writing and we struck up a conversation. It's hard not to be inspired by the beauty here.

I finished up my run, and Matthew and I packed up to go home. We made one more stop at another favorite place, Wilson's, for a whitefish sandwich and a milkshake. We also did some reminiscing about standup paddleboarding with his brother in the bay outside of the restaurant. We missed him.

It's so hard to go back to life in the fast lane after spending time in such a peaceful place. As I wrote this post, the birds were singing and a gentle breeze was blowing across the water. The sun was shining. I feel lucky to have a retreat like this. It's so important for all of us to take time off to breathe, to enjoy, to relax. But there's never enough time, is there? Before this trip, I knew I was stressed but I didn't realize how much, until we took this little weekend away. While I could have enjoyed a few more days there, I felt recharged and ready to tackle life again. I loved being able to spend this time with my youngest son and my parents. How lucky am I?

Matthew drove the entire 5 hours home. He did great. So did I.

Do you have any summer vacations planned? Have you ever been to Door County? Where do you go to recharge your batteries? 

I'm linking this post with Tara at RunningNReading for her Weekend Update! You should too!

The eyes have it

I don't know about you, but while I worry about sun damage to my skin--mostly the aging effects, because I'm vain like that--I don't really think much about sun damage to my eyes. I do wear sunglasses most of the time, but that's because the sun hurts my eyes and makes me squint. One time that I don't wear sunglasses is when I run. I just don't want to be bothered with them bouncing up and down on my nose or sliding down my face. Plus I normally run early in the day, and the sun isn't really strong when I go, so it doesn't really bother me.

Hold up! Did you know that while UV rays are strongest between 10-2pm, putting us at risk for sunburn, the time of day when sun damage can occur in the eyes is between 8-10am and 2-4pm. In fact, research shows that the eyes receive nearly double the amount of UV radiation during these times. This is because the sun is lower on the horizon, and is at eye level.

Oh. So I thought I knew all there was to know about sun exposure and eye protection. Recently, I was asked to participate in a webinar, along with other fitness bloggers, sponsored by the Vision Council. The title of the webinar was Healthy Bodies, Healthy Eyes: Protecting Vision from UV Radiation. Dr Justin Bazan, OD, talked to participants about eye protection while staying active. Dr Bazan presented some facts, which made me realize I am in pretty good company about not wearing sunglasses when I run. In fact, only 21% of Americans always wear sunglasses during fitness activities, like running and biking. Turns out I'm in the 79% who wear them "sometimes".

I wear wrap around glasses when I bike. These are my glasses from Smith optics. I have the rose colored lenses in for the overcast day.

That would be me. I wear sunglasses when I bike, not only for protection from the sun, but also to protect my eyes from flying objects, like bugs and dust. I have a pair of glasses for cycling from Smith Optics (affiliate link) with interchangeable lenses: a clear pair for cloudy days, a rose colored pair for overcast days, and a brown pair for sunny days.

These are the wrap around Optic Nerve glasses I received from the Vision Council. I'm wearing them with the reflective lenses.

Like I said, I don't wear sunglasses when I run. As part of participation in the webinar, The Vision Council sent me a pair of the Vapor model from Optic Nerve  (affiliate link) with 3 different interchangeable lenses like my Smith Optics glasses. These are really light, lighter than my Smiths, and I actually think I could tolerate them on the run. I wore them for a bike ride, using the reflective lenses on a partly cloudy day. I really liked them a lot. There was no distortion, which I sometimes get with the polarized lenses I have in my Smiths.

Each pair of my sport sunglasses includes a clear lens. Common sense would tell you that the clear lenses don't offer any UV protection, and that the darker pair have the most UV protection, but that isn't the case. All three lenses offer the same amount of UV protection, regardless of the tint. Who knew? Dr Bazan told us that dark lenses don't offer any more UV protection than the clear lenses, and they may even make you lose contrast in low light conditions. Nothing like tripping over a crack in the sidewalk or something, right?

I wear mirrored lenses on the water, to decrease reflection. Plus I love this aviator frame.

So how do you choose the right pair of sunglasses? Do you buy the most expensive pair? The most fashionable? The most important thing to look for is glasses made for your activity, for example, wrap around lenses for bicycling; a pair that are comfortable, and provide ample UVA and UVB protection. There are a variety of lens choices. He recommended photochromatic lenses for triathletes, stating that they adjust to varying conditions. Polarized lenses help filter out glare, but you have to make sure they have UV protection as well. Mirrored lenses, like the kind police like to wear, help decrease reflection, and anti-reflective lenses can help reduce glare as well.

Why should athletes wear sunglasses? Dr Bazan encouraged us to think of sunglasses as "sunblock for the eyes". You can literally sunburn your eyeballs. The medical term is "photokeratitis", and it can be quite painful. Long term damage from UV exposure includes premature aging of the skin around the eyes, cataracts, macular degeneration, and even cancer. You can also develop a pterygium in your eye (and it's a gnarly as it sounds), which is a growth on the surface of your eye. Ewww. There is no treatment for this.

Makes me want to wear sunglasses at night!

June 27 is National Sunglasses Day! The Vision Council wants to encourage everyone to increase awareness of eye issues related to UV damage. They are hoping everyone will post a selfie on social media with the hastag #sunglassselfie .

I was asked by the Vision Council to participate in this webinar in exchange for a blog post. I did receive a swag bag with sunglasses, as well as a cooling towel and other accessories, as a gift from the Vision Council.

My swag bag included all these goodies!

Do you wear sunglasses when you workout? Do you have different types of sunglasses for your activities?