Why do I come back from a run with a face the colour of beetroot? I see other runners on my route who haven’t changed colour - it takes me at least an hour before it starts to fade. My husband’s reaction when I walk through the door ‘oh my god you should see the colour of your face’ (thanks) 🥵
Beetroot face: Why do I come back from a run... - Couch to 5K
Beetroot face
Dendev75Graduate
Written by
Dendev75
Graduate
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
56 Replies
•
OldflossAdministratorGraduate
Love it!
Beetroot is one of the in-shades for runners... along with Post Box Red... and Peony Pink....
They are incredible shades of colour and only the most awesome of runners wear them!
Here is some info which may be useful 
womensrunning.com/health/is...
HUGE well done to you and, as for your husband, well if he started the plan... he could maybe find out the joy for himself of wearing one of the latest shades for our male runners...
Macho Magenta x
Thank you for making the beetroot complexion a compliment 🥰 and I’ll take a look at that link thanks. As for the husband - I’m going to make him run for 25 mins and check his pallor out, I bet he’s nowhere near a macho magenta 😂🤣
We did have a few years back...an ongoing post so folk could compare complexion shades! It was fun!
I slowed down tonight after great advice on here and I was more like a radish than a beetroot shade so win win 👍🏻
LionoGraduate
It's not just you! I have noticed this much more in the recent heatwave, and with running further in the later stages of the programme. My husband is similarly supportive!
Ha ha does it take you a long time to return to your usual colour? Mine’s ages 🙈
Yes, exactly like you say, at least an hour usually. I did my final run this morning and so took some photos, which weirdly don't show it that much but when I got back to the car and looked in the rear view mirror I was horrified 😂
MissUnderstandingAdministratorGraduate
I’m exactly the same. I’ve always been like it after exercise. I think it’s partly because I’m really pale. A couple of times on my cool down walk, random passers by have stopped to ask if I’m feeling ok.It’s a sign of a good workout-embrace the tomato!
Ha ha really? I love that ‘embrace the tomato’ although mine is definitely ‘embrace the beetroot’ shade 😂
I'd forgotten Tomato Tint!
IannodaTruffeMentor
Fair skinned people are more likely to appear beetroot faced after exercise and there is not a lot that you can do about it apart from reducing your level of exertion.
More hydration might reduce the prevalence, simply by providing more moisture to sweat away to keep cool. healthunlocked.com/couchto5...
I’ve got quite an olive complexion usually so I can’t even claim being pale to start. I don’t run at a fast pace either (any slower and I’d be walking) but my heart rate gets up to around 185 and I know that’s high but I do recover quickly (heart rate wise) but stay a purple/red colour for ages afterwards. I’m scared to drink too much in case I need a wee while out running (very uncomfortable) 😬
Please read the post about hydration that I have linked to.
If you lack hydration, then you cannot cool down by sweating, therefore you overheat.
Say this sentence out loud to yourself "Am I going slow enough to enable me to speak this sentence in one out breath?" If you cannot, you are going too fast.
Thank you I’ll will try that 👍🏻
I worried about needing a wee too but if it's hot weather and you're running you'll most likely sweat tons so won't wee as much. Just don't drink too much coffee before the run, any more than a small cup seems to activate my bladder but water is fine.
There’s nothing worse than needing a wee while running is there? It ruins it.
Absolutely! The idea is to drink loads the day before so you're well hydrated when you wake up, then you don't need so much water immediately before your run
Also, if your heart rate is 185 that's very high. The maximum is calculated as roughly 220 minus your age. When I started I had no idea how much effort was too much so I used my watch (Garmin Forerunner 45) to monitor my heart rate. If it reached 160 I'd slow right down (my maximum is supposed to be 156). I'm learning to be aware of the discomfort that sets in when it gets too high and my overall fitness is benefitting. I hardly look at the HR numbers now except at the end of the run to congratulate myself on not overdoing it.
I'm a fellow beetroot face and this approach means I now only get the glowing red face if it's hot weather 😀
Good luck, fellow 🍅
My heartrate reaches around 194! Haven't kicked the bucket yet anyway🤣
Glad to hear it! The younger you are the higher it can go! I'm a lot older and I'm not sure my heart rate could go that high these days 😂
I am such a slow runner I feel if I ran any slower I’d stop. I am going to go for a run soon so I’m going to consciously check if I could run slower than I already do. I remember my Fitbit type watch alarm going off in a fitness class saying my heart rate was too fast 🙄
Do you have a fitness tracker so you can put some numbers to your speed/pace. You might be faster than you think!
I did this check tonight after consciously slowing down (didn’t think I could go any slower) and it worked so thank you 😊
CmoiGraduate
Hi Dendev75 , if you're not breathless into the bargain, which would suggest you're going too fast, it's probably just that your skin reacts like that to exertion and heat. Mine does! Also, try using a high factor suncream, if you're not already doing so.
I’m not breathless and I run quite slowly - I feel a bit embarrassed as others don’t seem to change colour as much. Maybe it’s just me. 😬
Nope, not just you. Singing in full sunlight and summer heat years ago, dressed in Renaissance noble dress, my friends helpfully informed me that my face matched my costume. In other words, it closely resembled this: artsandculture.google.com/a...
M0useGraduate
You're definitely not alone. I've bought myself a T shirt in a matching shade & tell everyone it's just reflection 😁☺️
Devon_stragglerGraduate
I start to go red and sweat just thinking about exercise! I did wonder whether it might improve as I got fitter, but no matter what I do I always finish a run looking extremely hot and stay that way for a good hour. I don't worry about it now, as there's not much I can do about it!
It’s weird isn’t it the difference in people? I’ve always kept fit with boot camp or aerobics classes etc and I’ve always had a red face by the end compared to lots of other people doing the same exercises.
I got caught in a very heavy downpour last night while running and my bare skin on my arms and hands was painfully cold, but I wasn't so red when I finished. I'll take a comfortable running temperature and red face instead I think!
HeavyFootGraduate
Going out on a limb here, but might you be a beetroot?
nowsterGraduate
There's a simple explanation.
It's the other end of what is called the Toxic Ten (minutes). That's when you're starting a run and your metabolism hasn't started to get into "run mode". You feel uncoordinated and underpowered, with little niggles. Then the situation gradually eases.
When you stop running, your metabolism takes some time to get the message that you're not running any more, but it's still burning away, and your warmed blood is still needing to be cooled by a greater flow in the skin. This is what causes the tomato face, especially in warmer weather, or if you finish a run on a cooler day and come into a heated building.
This is also one reason why the temperature in gyms is often cooler than would be comfortable if you were not doing any exercise.
Yes this makes sense, every run at the start I feel like I’m thinking about my breathing and my pace and I’m just way to conscious about it all (I am a beginner runner and running has never come easy to me) but then after a bit I get into a good comfortable pace and don’t notice my breathing (well not as much) 🤣 thanks for the explanation 👍🏻
RunningChocoholicGraduate
I don’t post often but this really resonated! Ive been running consistently since 2018 and all I will say is it doesn’t matter what distance I do, after 10 minutes I am like this 🥵. In fact my work buddies and I are doing a running challenge for June. We have nicknamed ourselves Team Tomato- say no more! Best of luck x
See if you can read the previous reply by Nowster - it made sense to me. Do you stay red for a long time after you stop running? I feel I recover okay after running but my face remains a beetroot 🥵😂
Hi , just read it and that makes sense. I can confirm my post run ‘tomato glow’ hangs around for a while too! It makes me laugh when I catch sight in the mirror 😂
RoxdogGraduate
I'm the opposite - I never get a red face, although if it's hot the area on my forehead might get a bit pink. I've sometimes wondered if it's because I'm not exerting myself enough 🤣. I understand it's about how near the capillaries are to your skin. Maybe I'm a vampire!
BrixcosGraduate
Well, get this. Not only do I sport a fantastic shade of tomato after exertion, I am blessed with my father's rather ruddy complexion and have actually been asked when ENTERING the gym, what class have I just done 🍅😳🙄🤭😂
apatsyfGraduate
Welcome to the veg-face 🥵😎🍎🍅🍓🍒🌶🍇🍆🌰club (though I know a tomato is a fruit!). I'm definitely a radish- not only red, but white blotches. Always had this, even when a young and very fit hockey player 🤣👀🏃♀️.
smokeysmokeGraduate
After a run a few weeks ago my husband told me I needed to apply sun screen before I went out. I told him it was due to the actual running and not the sun
😂🤣 it does look like extreme sunburn if you didn’t know though 🙈🥵
Not what you're looking for?
You may also like...
Is there ANY cure for a beetroot face?
over my face the other day as I felt particularly warm! I don't overheat anywhere else when I run...
Beetroot is the in face shade this year.
Last 2 runs were in cooler weather but tonight's warmth brought out a lovely shade of beetroot on...
Beetroot face, just checking in 😂
my 30 minute run this morning I certainly looked like l was giving a beetroot a good run for its...
Parkrun#2 beetroot face back with a vengeance!
top but who cares! I made it without walking and my time was 33.48 so that will do! Beetroot face...
Goosed Drownt rat sweaty red faced beetroot
five run even though I slowed to a tortoise style jog!!! Not sure how but this red faced beetroot...
Mega beetroot face...
Beetroot in trainers!
Beetroot face, straggly windswept hair and sweaty lycra, tick. Today's run - a tale of too many hills
Breathless Sweaty Beetroot-Nice!
