A “Sun Smart” reminder from Indy Mini Ambassador, April Woodruff
As runners and walkers, we tend to take care of our bodies. We buy the proper clothing, high-quality socks, and the best shoes out there. We fuel our body with proper nutrition as we prepare to tackle some serious Mini-Marathon training miles. Once we don all of our gear and lace up those new kicks, we head out the door and forget to do one extremely important thing – apply sunscreen.
It is estimated that there will be over 170,000 cases of melanoma in 2018. I was diagnosed with melanoma in 2016. Thankfully mine only penetrated into the second layer of the skin and the cancerous cells were successfully removed with one surgery.
I have to admit, I had never put on sunscreen before a run. Even though I had never really been sunburnt on a run, I definitely had that “runners tan.” I had to get into the habit of putting on my sunscreen each time.
As athletes who tend to spend long amounts of time outdoors, we need to get into the routine of putting on sunscreen before we head out the door. Our Mini-Marathon training peaks during the beautiful springtime weather as we are itching to get back outside and into the sun.
We’re making sure our bodies are in top-notch shape for the Indy Mini, so let’s make sure to keep them safe and healthy, too!