It's getting' hot out here

We're hitting highs in the high 80s out here in the desert which means all I can think about is margaritas. I should be thinking about my dissertation, but maybe that's a secondary reason for why all I can think about right now is the wonderful combination of TQ, Controy (Mexican Cointreau), lime, a dash of blood orange, shaken and served with salt. Add a kiddie pool in the back yard and I'll be set for the summer.

Because we don't belong to a gym and dance classes are expensive, I've been running and walking a lot. I'm normally a later afternoon runner, but I'm thinking I might have to switch to the early morning if for no other reason than to beat the temps. Normally the heat really takes it out of me. Running in 85 degrees in SC just killed me and my time - I'd run much slower, cramp much more, and generally be very grumpy. Surprisingly, I went out yesterday around 5:30 with temps in the mid-high 80s and ran one of my fastest and most comfortable runs (9m 8 sec average pace, and my last 2 miles were at 8m 27sec, a personal best!). Apparently my body really likes dry heat. Maybe all those years growing up in a state of semi-constant dehydration in San Diego really did adjust me to this sort of climate. Who knew!?

I know that "warm" and "spring" are still relative terms to my friends on the East Coast and Pacific Northwest, but as it warms up and the clothing layers come off I want to put out there a mini lecture on the importance of sunscreen. 2 months ago, in the midst of her pediatric dermatology rotation, my sister came to visit L and I. She asked about sunscreen to which I responded, proudly, that I wore spf 15 every day! And even up to spf 55 when I was going to be out all day hiking, or what not. She took one look at my skin, my spf 15, and in the nicest way possible, ripped me a new one. Apparently all that stuff about spf 15 is ok for daily use is outdated and wrong. For mine (Irish/English-American/Russian) and Luke's (English-American/Scotts Irish/Swedish) skin, fair and freckled, not even spf 30 is strong enough to really protect the skin from cancer and wrinkle causing UV (you can decide which matters to you most). When I went to see my local GP, I got the same lecture. My mention of spf 15 on my arms and legs got a: "yeeeeaaahhhh... you really need something stronger." Although I'm pretty liberal with my applications, most people put on a too-thin layer of sunscreen.

Now we lather on what my sis affectionately calls the "Casper Creme" - 55 for all exposed body parts, and either 55 or 70 for the face, neck, chest, and back of the neck. Guys - don't miss the back of the neck, according to my sister it's where she's observed the most sundamaged spots on men b/c it's out of sight and out of mind.

So just a reminder - Cancer (and wrinkles) are painful, ugly, expensive to treat and deadly (ok, the wrinkles aren't deadly but you get my point). More importantly, they're totally preventable.  If you have fair skin and freckle or burn, you should be wearing at least spf 55 on all exposed body parts, daily. If you are wearing a thin or white t-shirt, that means under the t-shirt too. As anyone w/ tattoos knows, clothing doesn't fully protect the skin from UV. It's a pain in the ass to put sunscreen on all the time but you'll live longer, spend less $$ over all, look better, and help reign in rising costs of health care! Do it for you and your country! (ok... that was a stretch...)

 Both docs recommended Aveno and Neutrogena sunscreens as the best available, and both are on sale at Target.