Taming My Tresses

As a long-haired gal, I definitely appreciate finding fun, new ways to wear my hair (while running or not!) that also keep me cool in the summer.  My hair is bra-strap length and very heavy/curly/wavy/HUGE, and can add a lot of extra heat. 

My typical training run schedule right now is:

M, F - run on lunch (varying distances 3-6 miles)
Wed - run to rec center; 45 min spin class; run back to office
Sat - long run

My typical running "hairdo" these days, is to pile it all on top of my head in one of those loopy ponytail/topknot things.   I really dislike leaving the ends of my hair down in a "standard" ponytail in the summer heat  - my hair is so long that the ends of my hair hit my back and get soaked in sweat!  Sometimes, if it's raining, I'll throw a Bondi-Band on as well, just to avoid raindrops rolling off my head and into my eyes (my head gets too hot when I run to wear hats). 

Putting it all on top of my head  also prevents ponytail holder "dents" - important for those lunchtime runs, when I don't want to spend the afternoon at work walking around with a really awkward bump/wave in my hair. I have a shower right in my office, but washing my hair is not really feasible at work - it would take me forever to blow-dry then curl it....and air-drying my hair takes no less than 3 hours.  No thanks!

Today though, I tried a really fun new hairdo that held up through my "run-spin-run" Wednesday routine:

(I found the tutorial for it here.)

It's cute enough that I wore my hair to work like this all day, but it held up well through my workout.  The only downer - as evidenced in the photo - is that post-workout, the little hairs by my hairline curled up, and I didn't bring any product to work to smooth them out with.  An effect of sweating around my hairline plus the water from the shower when I wash my face. However, overall I really liked it, and the other ladies I ran into throughout the day were full of compliments.  Plus, when I was in my dressier work garb, it showed off my dangly earrings - one of my favorite pairs.

Is there a particular hairstyle that works best for you when you run?

On a funnier note....I found this behind the garbage can in my office today:

You know you are a runner when you randomly find D-Tags laying about!

Enjoy every mile!

Jeni