Coppertone Baby

Here we go again.

It was a nice while it lasted but the easy week is rapidly fading away and I'm gearing up for round two in the marathon training marathon. 

The next three weeks are going to be tough and they get tougher as they go. A quick glance as my training program (which is posted at my desk to keep me focused) tells me that I'll be running 22, 24 and then 26k over the next three Saturdays.  Hill and speed training on Thursdays. And don't forget the 10k runs on Tuesdays (which go up to 13k in two weeks) and the 30 minute recovery runs on Wednesdays. 

Oh, and cycling on Sundays.

You know what the craziest thing about all this outdoor activity is?

The tan lines.

I am beginning to look downright ridiculous. 

At the moment, I am sporting a very Picasso-like tan that is making it difficult to pick out clothes to wear on non-running days. 

I have a sock tan which looks stunning on the days I wear sandals.  Well, maybe not stunning but certainly shocking.

I have a running shorts tan line which is just the right height to peek out when I wear my non-running shorts. 

I also have a tank top tan line which, if the shoulder straps were spaghetti straps, would probably look ok but they're several inches thick so it looks ridiculous if I try to wear any top that has a remotely low neckline.

I'm dreading the day that someone invites me for a swim.  Put me in a bathing suit and I'll make the front page of the Enquirer.  'Girl with strange skin pigmentation disorder spotted in St. Catharines'

A few short weeks ago, I looked just like the computer programmer. Now, I look like the roller blader minus the elbow and knee pad lines.

Over 100km of running in the next three weeks.  That means over 100 hours of running outside.

Can't wait to see how crazy I look by the end of the summer.

All this from the girl who can go to Mexico for a week and come back with nary a tan line. I'm not a sun-lover by nature and I typically avoid it when I can.  I prefer the foggy, misty, wild rainy weather of the East Coast or of Scotland.  But a runner does what a runner needs to do so I run in all weathers.  This is the darkest I've been in years...

...and it's only July.