Beautiful when running
Women and beauty go together although, of course, beauty is subjective and, as such, it can have many meanings. Men and some women may disagree but makeup and beauty cosmetics are a large part of it. This is not, however, a topic that you will hear very often in relation to running, and sports in general. A women?s natural beauty is not typically associated with makeup, but many women, myself included, would not take out the garbage or walk the dog without applying at least a little bit of makeup. There are also many women who are discouraged from sports because they refuse to have their face sweaty and untreated. What if they run into someone they care about? Murphy?s Law dictates that it will happen. So what should you do? Run with or without makeup?
Running is no longer the sport of android masculine women. We know running creates nice bodies and using makeup is fine even though it is said that it doesn?t go well with sports. A runner looking like a Barbie doll would definitely look unnatural, not to mention that too much makeup is bad for the skin. A light layer, however, only highlights your natural look. It took many years of testing and failed attempts for me to find the makeup that I liked and that could last the entire marathon, including the refreshment stops.
The cosmetics market is large and shows continuous innovation, but it doesn?t matter which cosmetics brand you use, as long as you feel comfortable, your makeup doesn?t itch, and it lasts the distance. There is nothing worse than finding your well made up eyes smudging and lipstick all over your face! First of all, what you certainly don?t need for running is foundation and rouge as running will color up your skin enough. All you need is to highlight your eyes and lips. When choosing eye shades and mascaras you should consider not only the right match for your running outfit but also the makeup?s resistance to sweat and dust from the road. And, don?t forget, you should always remove your makeup properly before you go to bed after a race. If you want to save time you can always opt for permanent makeup, which lasts for up to three years.
You may find that using only mascara may be enough. Water-resistant mascara will stay on even if you run in the rain or swim, and classic mascara is fine if it doesn?t rain and you only go for a short and easy run when you don?t sweat too much. It took me longer to find eye shadows that really work; I found that the powdered variety is itchy and doesn?t last and I now prefer the creamy ones, so long as they don?t cause lumps in the eyelid crease. A quick note; if highlighting lips, avoid using lip glaze. Especially in the warmer months it is a good flytrap!
Skin that has been exposed to the sun, dust and sweat needs to be cleansed properly, ideally straight after the race if time permits, but no later than bedtime. Water and soap will not be enough; you need to use good quality cleansing lotion and treat your face, neck and eye area with your favorite moisturizing cream. You should also consider wrinkle prevention when you turn 30 as no one wants to look like Shar-Pei. These anti-ageing lotions, however, are not suitable for young skin, particularly if it is covered with pimples as it only puts more stress on the skin and it is therefore better to use alcohol free cleansers, treating just the oily T-zone and acne. A cosmetics specialist will help you choose the best product for your type of skin.
MY EXPERIENCE: I do not want to start advertising cosmetics companies, but the examples of cosmetic brands given below are based on years of my own experience and experimentation! For example, I have found that the Shiseido creamy eye shades will last an entire marathon, even on hot days, but they are quite expensive. The double action makeup remover from Lancome, a cheaper one from Mary Kay, and the single-use moisturizing swabs from Biodroga are great skin cleansers. Another great product is Swissological from Zepter. It doesn?t cost as much as the company?s cookware but it works just as well!
For lipstick, I was surprised by the quality of Max Factor?s Lipfinity. It resisted the mix of water, sweat and isotonic drinks throughout several refreshment stops in a marathon. Also nice is the pink-pearl and coffee color lip balm from the new Sportique cosmetic range. It moisturizes and protects lips, contains no conserving agents, offers a pleasant fragrance and doesn?t cost too much.
TRAINING TIP: With the marathon fast approaching, now is the time for you to be running your longest distances, with a view to gradually decreasing the length of your runs towards the end of your preparation period. There is no need to run 40 kilometers before the marathon. 32 ? 35 kilometers is a sufficient distance to run, and you should do this approximately one to three months prior to the race. You should then reduce your longest run by 5 kilometers per week until you reach a maximum of 20km one week prior to the race. If you haven?t yet run further than the half marathon distance, aim for 26 to 28 kilometers next week, very carefully, and then add another 5km the following week, but from then on start reducing. Such training takes a good amount of time so you may need to arrange with your family that you can have Sunday mornings to yourself, in order to fit your longest run in without too much disruption.
