Today’s Workout: None/Rest Day
Hello All! OK, first things first – I know everyone who commented on my post yesterday is wildly anticipating today’s post to find out which “fact” from yesterday is actually fiction.
If you guessed #3 – that my first half marathon was NOT the Newport Amica Half Marathon, you are correct. If you tried looking up the race, it actually would have come up as the United Healthcare Newport Half Marathon.
BUT my first half marathon was actually the inaugural Providence Rock n Roll half marathon in 2011. I can’t believe it will have been almost three years since I ran my first half!
As you can probably tell, it was a very rainy day for my first half. And FYI, I did purchase this photo from Brightroom, I was just too lazy to scan the image in. I am not an advocate for posting copyrighted images onto the internet without receiving the photographer’s permission. You’ll see a post about that coming up in the near future.
Moving on to more important things, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named January National Radon Action Month. Why am I writing about this on my blog, you ask? Well, if you’re like me, and many other runners in America, you may have a treadmill or a personal gym located in your basement. Perhaps not, but you might also be one of millions of Americans who have a finished basement.
In either scenario, I’m trying to make people more aware of the dangers of radon. So what is radon? It’s an odorless, tasteless, and invisible gas produced by the decay of naturally occurring uranium in soil and water. It can often be found in basements of homes. I’m not telling you this to scare you, but if you do spend a significant amount of time in your cellar, I just want to bring some awareness to everyone.
Some facts and statistics (straight from the EPA’s website):
• Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers in America and claims the lives of about 20,000 Americans each year.
• Almost 8 million homes in the United States contain radon.
• Unfortunately, many Americans presume that because the action level is 4 pCi/L, a radon level of less than 4 pCi/L is “safe”. This perception is altogether too common in the residential real estate market. (ie, when you purchased your home, you may have been told by your agent that there were low levels of radon found in your basement, but it is “perfectly safe.” This is not true!)
• Exposure to radon is a preventable health risk, and testing radon levels in your home can help prevent unnecessary exposure.
• If a high radon level is detected in your home, you can take steps to fix the problem to protect yourself and your family.
I’m no expert, but I would think that if you spend a significant amount of time running on the treadmill in your basement, weight lifting, or doing any other physical activity (over the long-term) in an area that contains radon, you are likely to be at even higher a risk of possibly getting lung cancer than the average person. If anyone has evidence to suggest this is NOT true, please post a comment below.
To learn more about the dangers of radon and how to have your home tested for this hazardous gas, visit the EPA’s website.
26.2 x 2 
Girl, I am currently going through the tedious task of going back and making sure all my photos are properly sourced! Oh my word it’s tedious… I wish I would have done it right from the beginning. I look forward to reading your post about that!
I’ll have to write that one within the next couple of days, then…I have too many ideas for posts, I’m trying to figure out when to put what up!
I am an elementary teacher and every year we have people coming into our schools installing Radon Detectors. I have no clue how it works since it’s covered in a white paper sheet sort of set up. This post was very informative. 🙂