I wouldn't have listened either.

Now don't take the title of this post as being negative - it is just being honest about the potential good this may do, but I figure it is worth a try.  It's the age old saying, "If one person is helped..."

A few months ago I noticed an odd spot on my shoulder.  I am fair skinned and freckle/burn easily so I am always very aware of any changes in my skin.  After watching the spot for a bit to see what it would do, I decided to get it checked out.  I called a couple of dermatologists on my insurance and the answer was the same - we can see you in six months.  Wow - did I ever go into the wrong business!  Luckily, a trail running friend also happens to be married to a dermatologist, and after contacting them they were able to see me sooner.  Good thing, too, since the diagnosis was that the spot was basal cell carcinoma.  Skin cancer.  It is a "good" cancer to get, if you have to get one at all, but it still has to be removed or it will continue to grow.  The skin immediately around the spot had to be removed as well to be sure they got it all, leading to a slightly larger scar, but also more peace of mind.

Since my doctor is married to a runner, she understood what she was dealing with.  When asked about running post surgery, she just asked me to give her two days of rest because of the increased bleeding risk from the incision, so I did.  The surgery was on Monday, so I moved my Tuesday run to early Monday morning and took the following two days off.  My Saturday long run was a little uncomfortable with stitches in my shoulder, but she cleared me to do it, just saying to refrain from excessive arm movement.  It was a hot, humid slog for a little over 2 hours.  I am not sure my legs were actually moving, much less my arms.

My stitches were removed yesterday so now I am just left with this lovely scar, which will fade over time...

Now that I have had one instance of this, I am 50% more likely to have another pop up in the next 5 years.  All those years outside all day as a kid, and a couple of bad sunburns have taken their toll, but there are things I can do to prevent recurrence as much as possible.  I have begun wearing long sleeved UV protectant shirts and a hat on EVERY run, and I am wearing lotion with sunscreen on any exposed skin every day.  

I anticipated wearing long sleeves to run in south Louisiana summertime to be completely miserable, but I have been pleasantly surprised.  Believe it or not, once you soak through the shirt, even the slightest breeze created by running has a noticeable cooling effect.

So, here is the advice most of you will not heed. (As the title notes, I wouldn't have listened either.)  Consider looking into long sleeved UV tech shirts.  Save yourself any additional sun damage, and hopefully avoid getting a chunk of your skin cut off.  Or don't.  But if you are interested, here are the shirts I found that are a great price and not terribly heavy to run in.  

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NCZ0XL1/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Happy Running, Y'all!

Edie

Decreasing and Increasing

"Minimal" - it is a word I have spent much time thinking about over the last 6 years or so.  At some point in my life, I realized that my life was full - but not in a good way.  My life was full of noise, and stuff, and obligations, and expectations put upon me by others (with my permission).  It was also when I realized that despite all of that,  I felt completely empty.  

It has been a 6 year journey since my divorce to get to a point where I understand where I want to be, and what is worth spending my most valued possession - my time - on.

Finally, I find myself in the last phase of this part of my journey, downsizing my life so that everything I own (except for my vehicle) fits into the smallest space possible.  Through this slow purging of "stuff", I now feel lighter than I can ever remember feeling since I was a kid living in my parents' home.  

Besides cleaning out the physical clutter, I have cleaned out quite a bit of emotional clutter as well.  I have worked hard for the last years to minimize the impact others are allowed to have on my sense of well being.  Slowly, I am able to recognize when someone is being toxic, and rather than soaking in their venom, I realize that their ugliness reflects on them, not me, and I move on.  I have no control over anyone else's happiness, and I have no responsibility for it.  I never want to be the cause of someone else's grief, but I also can not be the cure for it.

So, as I am doing the final de-clutter, in anticipation of moving next week into a small cottage near downtown (in the PERFECT area for running directly from home), I have boiled it all down to this:  If it doesn't have REAL meaning, or if it is not an essential item, it is not coming along.  

I have done the same thing with my social media feeds.  Anyone who is consistently negative has been hidden.  I don't want to unfriend people - I still like them and want to be friends with them, but I will keep that exposure to once in a while when we are face to face.  If I get to the point that someone's social media posts are affecting the way I feel about them, when I know I like them in our face to face contact, I simply hide their posts. My newsfeed is decidedly upbeat now, except for the occasional grump when someone is having a bad day - totally acceptable.  

Years ago, when I would think about what I "wanted", the list had many objects on it.  Now, when I list the things I want out of life, very few if any are things that can be bought.  I still have a ton of work to do, but I am on the right path, and hopefully that path leads through the woods.  And maybe to a waterfall or two.

Happy Running, Y'all! 

Edie