It was the perfect venue to talk about issues concerning women and girls, families and parents, and especially to raise awareness about the work of the Breast Cancer Fund. Most parents we spoke to were aware that Bisphenol-A, BPA, was not a good thing, and that BPA-free plastics were preferable to non-BPA-free plastics, but that was the extent of their knowledge. We were able to talk to a number of concerned parents about what BPA is, how it gets into our bodies, how it has been linked to cancer and early puberty, and what parents can do to minimize their child's exposure to it.
It's a lot of information for a person to digest, but if all you know is that the lining in almost every food can contains a synthetic estrogen that prolongs shelf-life, and that synthetic estrogen (BPA) leeches into the food you eat and builds up over time, you should have enough information to make you stop and reconsider eating food out of a can. What can you do? Eat fresh or frozen. Buy soups, tomato products, beverages, etc, in glass. Learn to plan your meals a day or two in advance, and cook your own beans (BTW, preparing beans is a lot simpler than I thought it was). For more information, see breastcancerfund.org.
But back to the Girl Scout Health Expo and 5k. You never know what you might see at an event like this. We LUNA Chix were in the booth talking to people passing by before the race when suddenly someone said, "Hey, is that a dog on a skateboard?" Wait. What? Indeed, it was Tillman, the bulldog on a skateboard. He even has his own Facebook page. And yes, I'm a fan.
Not to be outdone by the dog on a skateboard, in rides a dog on a Harley. It's Chopper the Biker Dog. And yes, he has his own website. As Chopper drives by, and the booth beside us advertising acting lessons gathers more attention than any other booth, I realize that I have nothing interesting to say at this point.
Announcements begin, and Jane and I get ready for the 1-mile fun run. Jane will be two at the end of October, and one of her favorite things to do besides talk to dogs or play with hand puppets is run. When she started running more than one lap at a time around the block, I decided to enter her in the Fun Run.
After pinning our numbers on, we headed to the start line, where we lined up with hundreds of other runners. Jane was a bit overwhelmed by the crowd, and had her moments of uncertainty when she needed me to hold her and just walk. But she did well running for brief stretches of the course, mostly running when I set a goal for her, like a puppy in the distance that she would run to catch up to.
As we make the loop, the early morning sun is coming up behind us.
After the one-miler was done, we headed over to get the bike and meet Barb. The LUNA Chix were to lead out the 5K runners. This was great fun, and something we had never done before. Since at least a third of the course was on a multi-use path, Barb and I were able to ride through and clear the way, telling people on the path that runners were coming. It was certainly a new sensation, riding down the middle of the street knowing that over a thousand people were running behind you.
I'm really looking forward to next year!
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