I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done a race or a long run during the summer and either burned in the sun or become a few gradients above glowing.
And it’s not me being entirely reckless, forgetting to put on suntan lotion (or sunblock to our overseas friends). It’s the fact that you’re out there for so long, sweating away, that invariably the lotion will just slide on off. We’ve all seen those runners sweating off white liquid. RIP to the suntan lotions that didn’t last longer than 10k.
I was recently sent a somewhat different suntan lotion and moisturiser to trial out, called RiDE Skincare. One that was made with athletes in mind (and when I say “athlete” I am indeed talking to you recreational sporty people – you don’t need to be in the Olympics to be an athlete).
The only thing is though, the suntan lotion doesn’t stop you getting delightful runner’s short tans. Not a great look, but at least it’s not crispy peeling skin sooo swings and roundabouts! I was also sent a moisturiser, but I’ll get on to that shortly.
I love the ethos behind the company: wanting the products to be a as natural as possible and also minimising the packaging for environmental concerns.
So, first up the suntan lotion.
RiDE: Protect SPF 25 Natural Mineral Sunscreen
This was designed with sporty people in mind, whether that’s surfing, riding, running or swimming. It protects your skin from the sun (both UVA and UVB), even in the harshest conditions. It’s a “physical mineral sunscreen” which means that the mineral sits on top of the skin and reflects the rays, rather than using synthetic ingredients, like Parabens or Phenoxyethanol. A huge bonus of this is that it won’t damage the skin or sting the eyes. Candilla wax is added to it which makes it resistant to water, as well as organic coconut and jojoba oil to help keep the skin lovely and soft.
It doesn’t feel greasy and it does indeed stay on even when you’re a sweaty mess. There’s no overwhelming smell. It’s not as liquidy as the chemical suntan lotions but I prefer this.
RiDE: Recover Natural Sports Moisturiser
This moisturiser has, again, been designed with athletes in mind. It helps re-hydrate the skin after it’s been beaten around by hours of working out in the sun, wind and rain. It contains all natural ingredients like green tea and peppermint oil which help with this recovery.
I’m actually addicted to this moisturiser at the moment. It’s quite thick but not in a greasy way. I hate moisturisers that are really runny and watery, whereas this requires more massaging to get it absorbed into the skin which I prefer. It has a very subtle scent and doesn’t leave my skin greasy.
For both products, less is more as it does go a long way. Especially for the sunscreen because it’s a mineral-based one that sits on top of your skin.
Fully recommend these. Love products that are developed with runners (and other athletes) in mind!
Do you use moisturiser?
Do you wear suntan lotion when you do sports?
**Full Disclaimer: I was sent these two products in exchange for a review on my blog. All opinions are my own honest ones.**
I really enjoyed it but it felt a little close to home. All about the rise of technology and knowing everything about everything and nothing is private anymore. The all encompassing nature of social media. Creepy stuff.
I was also bought a very delicious slice of bannoffe cake on Sunday… happy girl.
And hilariously as a late birthday present from my lovely friend she bought me an Under Armour top. I love it, it’s got long-sleeves and wicking material. The only thing is, when I went to pick Alfie up from my parents on Saturday (they kindly looked after him for me) I saw what my dad was wearing.
We met half-way, my parents don’t live in a car park
This balm is aimed at reducing cold sores, which actually affect almost 30 million people in the UK! Incidentally this occurs most often when travelling as there’s a lot of air changes from when you’re flying, being in air con and being out in the sun. Lots of stress to the lips.
It’s quite oily but once on the lips it sticks nicely and I find it does help soften my lips when they’re feeling a bit flaky and dry (niiiiice). It does smell of liquorice but actually doesn’t really taste of it at all. Definitely not after being on your lips a while. As someone who HATES liquorice this was fine! It’s available to buy from www.skinshop.co.uk.
Yes they did send Haribo with my job offer
This organic lavender spray is made in Grasse in Southern France (the “perfume capital of the world” apparently) and aims to help with insomnia and sleep issues. Lavender is well known for it’s calming properties and is often used in sleep aids. The forumla contains Litsea Cubeba and Bergamot which are also associated with relaxation and Lemon and Rosemary to promote blood circulation.
Two marathons and now onto my next bout of marathon training, please let it continue to go as smoothly!
It is HILARIOUS. Like actual laugh out loud comedy. I binge listened to the first two series and now they’ve just started the third series. They have fans such as Daisy Ridley, Elijah Wood, Michael Sheen. I can’t recommend it enough.
All so lovely. I know that dogs at races/parkrun can be annoying but I’m a big dog lover so to me I’m happy to have to dodge around them and their leads. I’d love to run with Alfie but I’m worried that as he’s a bit older (almost eight!) it might not be a good idea. He’s never run further than half a mile so I’d need to start very slowly with him, which at the moment I don’t really have time for. He loves racing about on his own though.
They suggest taking the protein powder in the evening due to the casein content (80% casein and 20% whey from the milk protein). Casein works while you’re asleep, stimulating muscle protein synthesis. It’s low in fat and carbs as well. Like I said, I like how subtle the chocolate taste is so it goes really nicely in my porridge (I add it to the oats before I microwave it). I’m not a huge fan of overly sweet porridge. It also makes a nice hot chocolate as well when mixed with hot water!
I always feel so mean leaving Alfie at home while I go off running on a Saturday morning, especially when the weather’s so nice. So I’m very grateful for Kelci helping out! They’re planning on getting a dog of their own so it’s good practice.
The sun was shining and I was fancying a time of around 22-23 minutes. With the wind and temperature I knew realistically breaking 22 minutes wasn’t going to happen, especially after having quite a heavy week of running for me (the intervals on Tuesday and a nine miler with my friend on Thursday evening). 
As soon as I started running I knew I should have had a warm-up. Why don’t I ever learn? Trying to run fast straight from the start never works and I feel terrible on mile one. It wasn’t hugely busy as the Endure 24 event in Reading was on and a lot of my club and other local clubs were doing it. The Isle of Wight Festival was on as well.
I got stronger and felt better as the run continued thankfully (which is why I should warm up!). I waved to Kelci and Alfie on the way round, not that Alfie took a blind bit of notice as he was having far too much fun sniffing and playing with Kelci.
The photographer, Chris Stapleford, took all the running photos this week so a big thank you to him. He said to me afterwards that I was one of the few runners that consistently smiled all the way round. Well, I don’t know quite about that as every photo I seem to be looking very serious!!
In the end I got 22:05 which I’m chuffed with (damn those 6 seconds though…).
Netley parkrun always seems to be a bit short on the Garmin because we go into the trees for a bit of it and it messes with the satellite. We’ve been reassured it’s accurate after several times measuring the course but it does annoy me when Strava thinks it’s 3 or 2.9 miles.
Annoyingly I stopped my Garmin and saved it again when we crossed for some lights. SO annoying. The route we took is a really boring and annoying route, one I only do if I’m running with others. It becomes more undulating in the later part of the run which is never fun. But it did the job. For Mike to get a sub-4 we need to be running around 9 minute miles for the marathon, though the plan is to start a bit slower than this and pick it up later. I think he found the run quite tough but we’ve only really just started marathon training and it was a very hot day. Plus I think we’re both conscious of how we run the day before at parkrun will definitely have an effect on the next day’s running, so that’s something to bare in mind going forward.
I use a scoop of it when I’m in the shower and basically rub it all over my legs in a circular motion. You can feel the grainy texture of it working with (against?) your skin as you do so. Then I shower it off. It does take some showering to get it off though as it is quite oily but afterwards my legs felt so silky! And the smell is heavenly. I don’t use it every time I shower because who has time for that!? But I try and use it once every two or three days and honestly it feels quite indulgent.
My only annoyance is that it leaves little black flecks in my shower that I then have to use the shower head to wash away. But it’s worth it as my legs are super shiny! It’s available from Holland & Barrett at £14.99, which is quite pricey (especially for someone who leans towards the cheaper shower gels…). But you only need a small scoop each time so I can see this lasting me a while. I love how natural the product is too. Thumbs up!