Suntan lotion good for you or poison in a can
I did my half marathon today and I was a good boy and put on my sunscreen before I started. I tend to overheat quickly as it is but I was wondering if suntan lotion would contribute to overheating or not.
For the record I drank 3 10oz bottles from my belt and took more fluids in at the aid stations, I also consumed good amount after the race. Came home and I was still down 4lbs from when I left for the race.
And last note, I wore old trusty.
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I did my normal hydration plan the day before and believe it or not no processed meat leading up to it. Truth be told I am down about 6lbs and stil heading south. Also part of my problem yesterday was my feet, my orthodics were killing my feet for some reason. But just wondering what I can do to combat this overheating issue.
As for the sunscreen, if you didn't use it and became sunburn then your body would generate even MORE heat. Of course, for a half marathon that impact may not be realized. However, for a longer event (like IM) a sunburn will not only be uncomfortable, but will increase your body temperature not to mention increase your risk for skin cancer. So sunscreen definitely good for you.
Another side question -- Why did my aersol coppertone sport turn into sticky orange goo on me last week when I rode in ND in the heat? (It still worked.)
And an unsolicited tip: If it is hot and you are wearing a light jersey, put sunscreen on before your jersey. I sunburned a bit of my back through a white jersey last weekend.
This is clearly a religious question. The official line from the Ironman folks is don't put on sunscreen before body marking. Some races, they will even wipe your arm or leg off with an alcohol solvent to ensure greater adherence of the marking ink. This issue is, the ink won't stick over the sunscreen oil, and numbers were smearing off during the swim and wetsuit removal.
OTOH, when I put the sunscreen on after the body marking, the ink still gets smeared. Ironman protocol also advises you don't put sunscreen on OVER the numbers for the same reason. Pure Catch-22.
Me, I'm in the sunscreen on first sect. My skin is more valuable than their numbers. I always wear my Road ID, even when swimming, so I'm not worried they won't know where to ship the body if I collapse. And I've got a chip, and a race belt, and ... well, what's the POINT of those numbers, anyway, what with calf length compression socks and arm warmers!?
The sunscreen itself is very roughly half of the goo that you spread on yourself, so it has to be rather "organic" (as opposed to "aqueous") and hence the dissolving ink problem.
So, chiming in, you are suggesting spray on is better? That is good, because it is easier to manage anyways. What kind and what SPF protection do you think I should be using for training purposes (day in and day out)?
The alcohol based sunscreens (like bullfrog) are the perfect ones to use on the body on race day. They evaporate quick enough that you can put them on under the numbers with no effect on the numbers adhesion to the skin.
-Dave
More unsolicited information on this point. Just gave a talk on this. A shirt does not necessarily prevent sunburn. I white t-shirt has an SPF of about 15. A wet t-shirt (think Spring break and this makes sense) has even less. So you need screen under a saturated jersey.
Remember both UVA and UVB protection too.
Regarding Greg's point, I have a tight gray underarmour "heat gear" top that even has a small turtleneck that I wear as a base layer in a lot of races (as long as the swim is wet-suit legal). The claimed spf of the shirt is 35 or 40 (can't remember). I have never gotten a sunburn on anything it covers and I burn very easily. (Between that, my hay fever, and anemia, sometimes it seems like this is a dopey sport for me!!!)
Sunscreen ratings and info. www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/
Some have some questionable stuff in them, but I will always risk using these versus cultivating more skin cancers.
I am pro-sunscreen. I read in a running mag a few years back that it helps keep you cool... my guess is for the reasons Kitima mentions - so you don't burn and retain more heat (but the finer points of the article have faded from my memory). Regardless, skin cancer is bad. Along the same lines, light colored clothing in wicking fabrics to transfer moisture away help as does wearing a hat or visor... (this will help us in training... not so much for racing).
My DB read an article recently about bad stuff in some sunscreen (i.e., ingredients that are skin irritants)... he tore it out for me - will check and post the link if people want to start reading labels...
As for races, I've always lathered up in the hotel (or at home) pre-race -- which can sometimes be several hours before I get to the site and to body marking. Doing that, despite the admonition to not do sunscreen first, I've never had a problem with my numbers coming off (or not going on well in the first instance). Perhaps because it's had plenty of time to absorb into my skin - my skin isn't slick. I also have the spray on my transition towel to do a quick spray before I run for sure... I'm not gonna win so what's another few seconds in T2... I have chapstick there for the same reason...
I'm very pro sunscreen and head covers, given my shaved grape and the that cancer has not been kind to my family. I purchased a pair of DeSoto arm coolers for the added coverage, though I don't find them cooler at all unless I get them wet. In short, if I'm outside after about 7am, I have SPF 30 or higher on any exposed skin. Since I'm not really swimming I've got a tasty farmer's tan going on that Joanne just digs...
Body marking is for the pictures, which I don't buy anyway. I could care less if I have numbers on me or not.
Except that it's a bit greasy, I like Blue Lizard. My Aussie friend uses and recommends it. When I put that on at the pool, I swear I can literally see the sun bounce off! I also so think that sunscreen keeps me cooler for sure.
We are going to have to do something about this before Ironman Wisconsin! I see a visit to the tanning bed in your future
Something else interesting to note... The SPF ratings are based on a huge amount of lotion used. I've heard it described as a shot glass should barely cover your arms, legs and face. So, a bottle should only last a handfull of applications. So keep that in mind when you get it. Higher is better because no one actually puts on enough to get the true rating... and put it on often.
Don't get me started on the stories my wife tells about having to tell a 25 year old that he had skin cancer and shouldn't have waited 6 months or a year to get it checked out. RIP...
Sunscreen SPFs are based on laboratory measurements after aging the sunscreen a bit, but at a specific wavelength (often called "UVB). It assumes a certain application thickness, and of course that you haven't sweated it off. This is the reason I buy the high SPF stuff... because I know that I'm not really getting the claimed SPF under real conditions.
Sunscreens have no reference to "UVA", i.e., the near-visible part of the UV, which can also burn you (and is what's mostly used in tanning beds). You are better off with sunscreen that specifically claims good UVA protection, because you can bet that it doesn't protect at all if it doesn't say so.
We're hoping that new standards will come down the pike in the USA soon in which UVA will be rated the same as UVB (what's used for SPF now).