Track meet tan

If you see me, I don't want to hear any wise cracks about my Track Meet tan, cause I'm fully aware of it. I've talked before about my Softball tan, which has some of the same qualities as a Track Meet tan but not quite the same. With two girls in Junior High and High School track, I'm pretty sure I've sat outside for roughly 3,476 hours in the last few months, give or take a few hours, and that much outside time has colored specific areas of my skin at various intensity levels.

And don't think I'm talking color from perfectly sunny track meet days. I'm referring to all kinds of weather tans. Take my face for instance, it's a little darker, but not from basking in the warm sun, but mostly from being pelted and beaten by wind and rain with maybe just a spray of sun through the cloudy sky now and then. And it's more of a lower face darkening complimented with a line along my forehead since I'm usually sporting my Top Gun sunglasses every meet and occasionally a visor, and instead of my face reflecting a relaxing day in the sun, it's color is blotchy and divided by wrinkles since it fights the elements of the Spring season three to four times a week.

Now my arms and hands are by far the best looking of the Track Meet tan. They're already bragging to the rest of me, who rarely sees the sun, about how nice and bronzed they look. Of course that doesn't include the shoulder areas, but from there down, it's Sun Tan Barbie, baby! However, this was after several weeks of meets so the arms should get off their high horse. For the first month, it was just my hands getting sun since I was covered from head to toe in winter gear, so I sorta looked like I was wearing gloves 24/7 there for a while, but it all evened out now so the arms are bragging about it.

My legs on the other hand are struggling. I've tried to introduce them to the sun a few times lately and it hasn't quite worked out. One track meet, I stood, so just got the backs of my calves red. The next track meet that was decent enough weather, started later in the afternoon and I sat in the bleachers so just the left side of each knee and top of the calf got a little blush as the sun set. Yesterday, I wore capris and sat from morning till evening in the sun and ended up burning the front of my lower shins and one quarter of the top of each foot. My poor legs are looking like a botched up Picasso painting and fighting to even out and be ready for summer.

Anyway, let me just say it's a good thing I don't have to get out the swimsuit anytime soon. It's been hard enough looking normal in regular clothes these days. So, if you see me out, please know that I understand what all is going on with my crazy Track Meet tan and I don't like it either. But you get what you get when you live in Nebraska and like to watch track meets!