My iPod has a stopwatch! Of course I discovered this AFTER I finished running 12.5 laps around the track outside. I wanted to run outside because it's completely different (and way harder) than running on the treadmill, but I never have any real clue how fast or slow I'm going--I can't judge by my effort since it IS so much harder, I start panting almost immediately instead of after 10 minutes like I do on the treadmill. Then other things get in the way (i.e. wind) and for all I know I could be running at 3 mph or 6--I can't tell. So I just kept vague time with the clock on the iPod (33 minutes for a 5K--not great, but can't really complain) but that could actually be 32 minutes and 3 seconds or 33 minutes and 55 seconds since I couldn't be accurate. When I finished running, I tried to mess with the clock to see if there was a way to display seconds as well as hours and minutes, and that's when I noticed the stopwatch. Duh.
I started to run another lap just to check it, and then I came to my senses and stopped.
The other thing I noticed is that I'm as white as a ghost. Picture my legs in black shorts in the bright sunlight after being under wraps for eight months. I look like the model for an "Are You At Risk for Skin Cancer?" poster!
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Aveeno makes this lotion with a little bit of sunless tanner in it. After 2-3 days you have a little color, but aren't orange. It takes the scary edge off. I recommend it.
Thanks for the tip! I've never tried a sunless tanner before--I'm scared of looking TOO dark, but the Aveeno stuff sounds perfect. And if I put it on my legs and hate it, I guess it's easy enough to hide, right? Thanks!
All it takes to get it off is exfoliant. Put less on your ankles and knees than anywhere else, and wash your hands when you are done each time. I noticed a difference in about 3 days.
One more thing to add--I bought the $30 nike+ kit for my iPod and I really like it. You don't need the sneakers--just get a shoe wallet that hooks on your laces or on your ankle and drop the transmitter in there. I happened to be in the market for new sneakers and found a nike+ pair in NYC for $50, but that was a fluke of nature. They are usually $100+.
I don't know if this will help - but don't look at your skin tone in full sunlight. That is like looking at an over exposed photography. You will be whiter than natural - and the sun will reflect off the lighter surface and make it seem even WHITER.
I was noticing in church on Saturday that people with tans (not naturally darker skin - but actual sun exposed tans) look unhealthy to me now. There is a very preppy family and the mother is unnaturally tan. Now - it is possible that this is a spray tan or something - but regardless - she looks remarkably unheathy (and SO 1980s!) to me. I think the "take the edge off" tanning lotion sounds perfect!
I am thinking of buying shorts for Florida. I haven't actually worn shorts in a million years! I will definitely need something for my legs before I wear them in the glow in the dark sunlight!
I agree that tanned people are scary looking, more scary than really white people. But I am a fan of sunless tanners as long as they don't turn you orange. That is a whole other sort of freaky.
Oh, that's so cool that you don't have to buy the expensive sneakers! I thought the iPod thing looked cool, but didn't know you could use it with any shoes. I'll have to look into it. Thanks!
About the iPod stopwatch -- I used it yesterday for the first time (though I discovered and tested it in January). I forgot to wear my sports watch on Monday and I wanted to clock my jogging at the gym. It works well and produces all kinds of statistics, much better than my watch does (which doesn't have a lap memory, so I can't keep up with how long each lap was except by doing a vague subtraction, while I'm running, which doesn't always go well). But I wear my iPod on my arm when I run so I have to contort a bit to hit the "lap" function, and two or three times it slipped over to the "pause" side instead of the "lap" side so then I had to cancel the pause and then wiggle it back to lap, so the numbers weren't perfect. If I were to use this regularly I'd have to keep it in my hand, but my keys and occasionally even my phone are already in my hands, so that would get difficult.
The iPod also keeps permanent records of past stopwatch uses around, if you're so inclined, so you can keep track of progress over time. Kind of nice.
With the nike+ kit the stats are even better, and you can upload them to the nike+ website and it shows you all sorts of interesting things. Consumer Reports did a test and found that it is only marginally more accurate if you put it in the expensive shoes vs just using a shoe wallet, so I'd say go for it if it interests you. Now--keeping it in the arm band will make it more difficult to use, but I actually prefer to clip it to my waistband, and that is fairly manageable.
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