it’s not about modesty, it’s about sunscreen.

So, a week ago I started walking my dog twice a day, once in the late morning to noonish time and once after I got off work, around 11:30 at night.

Yeah, I started from nothing and BAM, at least 4 miles a day. So far, it’s been an interesting experience. Thankfully, I have a fairly active job so I’m used to being on my feet, and I stay on my feet all day. (I have found that once I sit down it’s a bit hard to get back up)

The daytime walk/jog is the kicker for me. I like to run a little bit of it, a mile or so for now, but it’s also the hottest time of the day. I suppose theoretically I could get up earlier in the morning when it is cooler, but I know me and that’s never going to happen. So, I’m left with dealing with the heat.

I’m not quite sure what I’m doing with it right now. The first couple of days I went in pants, a long sleeved shirt and a bandana. Then I did a couple days in shorts and a tank top (one day with a bandana, once without) and then I went back to the first style.

I think, for now, I might prefer the pants/sleeves combo. But don’t take this the wrong way, it’s not really about the modesty. It’s about the sunscreen. I hate that shit. I had  some that was years and years and years old. So I threw it away and thought to myself, I’ll buy some of that new spray on kind. It sounds pretty good. And so I did. Let me tell you, in theory that stuff should rock socks. But I hate it.

It says that it is non-greasy, but when I wear it, I feel like I’m smearing baby oil on my body. It says “no rub” but when I spray, it either is really uneven or it gets all over my bathroom. And then my floor is greasy and slick and icky. And then, if you want to put it on your face, you have to spray it in your hand and then rub in on your face. So, it fails on both the “no rub” and the “non-greasy” claims. NOT A FAN.

Though I do have to say that it was sweat- proof, and didn’t drip in my eyes. However, once that stuff is on your hands it’s staying there, so even as I brushed the sweat off of me, it went from my hand to my eye. Which, okay. might sound gross, (because it is a little) but it’s also true.

Let me also say that since it is sweatproof, it’s just a little bit bathing proof as well. And then it’s all in your tub/shower making it a hazard because, as I’ve said before, the ‘nongreasy’ line is a LIE. And it never comes off me or the tub when it’s all over your body, like you need to wear it when you’re wearing shorts & a tank top. Maybe if I had a shower I could live with it, but in my current situation, I don’t really want to.

Which leads me to wearing more clothes to replace the sunscreen. It’s been cooler the past couple days and so the clothes aren’t as bad as I thought they would be. I also bought a new face sunscreen to try tomorrow that’s the more traditional cream/non-spray type.

As a side note: at night I wear pants with a short sleeved shirt because a) no one is going to see me b) i don’t have to wear sunscreen to protect me from the moon c) it’s cooler, even though the bugs can get me.

I’m not saying this is a definitive “I will never wear shorts again!” because I’ve been doing this for a week. But after a week, this is where I stand.

on running

Damn, I want to go for a run. Okay, so go for a run. Easy enough, right? Well, yeah. But no. Aside from the fact that I am so incredibly lazy and my current daily ritual (and I’m a bit OCD on daily rituals) does not include a run, along with the fact that I just hurt all the time (I’m too young to hurt all the time) and I’m tired all the time (I’m too young to be tired all the time), aside from those things, I think one of the major kickers is this notion I have that I must translate my current mode of modest dress into running. And I’m just not sure how to do that. But I do feel like I should try because I generally just feel so much better when I run.

So, the question is, what exactly do I wear?

What did I wear last year when I went running? Shorts, tank top, sunscreen, ect. But then last year I also didn’t cover my head. I wore jeans and maybe shorts and t-shirts. This year I do cover my head. On top of that I wear mostly skirts and shirts (t-shirt or button) and sweaters. At work, I wear scrubs, a long sleeved shirt under the top and a ridiculously ‘i’m a crazy protestant’ white kerchief. (I swing back and forth between loving and hating that thing. Thankfully most time is spend in the “eh, whatever/gets the job done” mindset.)

Obviously I can’t run in my swishy skirts. I tend to trip over those when I’m just plain walking (a hazard of being short) plus they can be hot. I have some shorter skirts but they aren’t really running style. Besides, I can’t imagine running in a skirt right now. I have running pants but it’s hot, plus I bought those several years ago and now they are ill fitting.

And what of tops? Long sleeved shirts?

Listen. I’m not that dedicated to modesty. I’m all about hydration and not getting heat stroke.

So, I’m thinking of going running. In shorts. and a tank top. and sunblock. maybe a kerchief. maybe not. but probably. As ridiculous as (rather short) shorts and a tank top and a kerchief/bandana may be. So be it.