I know I wrote about this before but now I'm seriously considering giving up. Had 3 weeks off so went back out and did week 4 again yesterday and think I'm giving up gracefully though.
I'm generally fit and healthy and was able to complete the run but my face goes seriously weird. My forehead was a really strange purple/red colour with bright red stripes down the sides of my face and under my eyes and deathly White patches on my cheeks. I literally looked like a zombie and now understand why people were giving me such strange looks...
Surely this isn't a good sign? It took hours to go away and I generally felt unwell for hours too. Really upset but can't keep doing that to the general public
Written by
Tkdgirl1983
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I did have particularly bad asthma issues and my eyes were watering non stop so I wondered if I were having some minor allergy. Seeing the doctor about related issues tomorrow so will bring it up then
Do you get very hot and sweaty as well? There are conditions that can make that worse, like having a mildly overactive thyroid.
I have to say that now I'm running regularly I'm not half as red as when I first started and I think it's just that everything is working more efficiently. My skin looks great as well, I am making an effort to remember to moisturise before I go out. I'll soon need to think about sunscreen too.
Could you be dehydrated? Doesn't sound quite right. I get really red and it takes a while to calm down but I don't feel ill - apart from the run I did two days ago I felt really ill but I think I was dehydrated.
do you feel sicky when you run up hills? hills are new to me as for the past year I have been treadmill runner. I find I hunch over when tackling hills but my stomach hurts under my rib cage & I feel a bit sicky?
I too get the blotchy red face. very red with patches of white on my cheeks to the side of my eyes?
& chest & arms & legs join in. I have been running a year & have now accepted that this is part of my run. I am going to buy a baseball cap as this hot weather has brought me out in freckles aswell ~ I think my skin is magnified by the sweat on my face!
dont give up. mention to your doctor & perhaps antihistamine will help?
I don't generally feel unwell (well, apart from the inevitable feeling like death while trying to add extra time, hills, speed etc - but this does pass after the run). However I also go a very peculiar range of colours, with the white streaks and the blotchy red you mention. I usually say that I look like a raspberry ripple. I also have to wear a headband as my hair flops terribly into my eyes otherwise, so at 55 and 4 stone overweight I know I look a right sight. But I've stopped worrying about what other people think; if they're not runners I feel a tiny bit superior, and if they are then I'm sure they've been there (and are probably more concerned about whether they're going to hit a PB anyway...)
But obviously you must get the all-clear from your doc too.
Sorry to hear of your probs whilst running, but it would seem such a pity to give up. Maybe see your GP, check your bp checked out and ask her/him for advice. Generally speaking, exercise can only be a good thing. I hope you manage to get things sorted to enable you to continue. I glow like a beacon when I've completed a run and it takes a while to go down but I know that the benefit for my heart, lungs and general well-being is more than worth it.
I hope that you do get the doctor to check you over it would be a shame to give up after what you have achieved so far.
I find not looking in mirrors does an awful lot to help me succeed with this programme!
It might be worth reviewing what you are wearing for your run and what you are eating and drinking afterwards. You might be someone who really does need to have that banana etc.
I was at the doctors for an asthma/being unable to breathe through my nose problem and so it seemed relevant to ask. She said it's down to allergies, something to do with histamines coming up to the skin?!?
So going to take antihistamines aplenty, nose sprays, antibiotics, make sure I've had plenty to drink and then attempt a week 4 run again this weekend. I did have a bad run all round - my asthma was awful and my eyes were watering REALLY badly so I've got to give it at least 1 more go!
Thanks for all the advice though, really don't want to give up!
Good luck, I have started keeping a wet flannel in a plastic bag in the freezer which I then hold to my face for a few mins after I return beetroot of face from my run. It helps bring the beetroot colour slightly down to something a bit more normal. My face is uniformly beetroot though not blotchy. I have also had to start taking antihistamines for hay fever already (usually May) .
Don't give up! One thing you must realize about antihistamines is that they start working after you have been on them for about a week, so don't give up after a couple days
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
First smiley face run!
Beetroot face, just checking in 😂
Mud, sweat, darkness and...face paint? 
the many sweaty faces.
