For those of you out there who hit the pavement or treadmill for a run every now and then, do you have a magic mile number? You know, the number of miles you default to running that sort of feels like your running sweet spot?
My magic mile number is five. It’s long enough that I feel like it’s a challenge, but short enough that I know I can knock it out without feeling totally wiped at the end of the run.
This morning, after eating a hot bowl of crock pot apple cinnamon steel cut oats, I allowed my breakfast to digest for two hours while I worked before throwing on my running shoes around 8:30 a.m.
I leashed up Sadie and we set out to run five miles around our neighborhood.
Running at 8:30 a.m. may sound relatively early, but in Florida, in the middle of the summer, it’s stupid. And hot. Stupid hot.
At mile three, I thought about calling it a day, but there was something about hitting five miles that just called to me. It’s my magic mile number and I felt compelled to keep going even though I surely looked like death.
Sadie and I took quite a few walking breaks, but in the end we completed five miles.
When we arrived back home, I chugged water and refilled Sadie’s water dish, assuming she’d be as thirsty as I was after such a hot run. Not so. She stopped panting within five minutes of our arrival home while I proceeded to sweat in the shower, after the shower and as I got ready for the day. Three hours later, I was finally cool.
Thank goodness no one was at home with me when I was getting ready because whenever I try to blow dry my hair when I’m already sweating, I turn into a demon. Cranky and evil.
My dad is constantly cold, so my parents avoid using the air conditioner until it’s practically 100 degrees in their house, so whenever my mom, sister and I try to get ready at their house in St. Pete, we become the evil trio. Sweat ‘staches don’t make applying makeup very fun.
I had to get ready relatively quickly after my run because I had an appointment to meet up with a reporter from the local newspaper early this afternoon.
Before heading out, I made myself a quick chocolate peanut butter cup smoothie.
I needed fuel and that fuel had to be cold. A smoothie was perfect.
With a cold, creamy smoothie in my belly, I headed out to the Starbucks in downtown Ocala to talk with Ocala Star Banner reporter Rick Allen.
Since my day-to-day job includes a lot of freelance writing, I’m used to interviewing people, but rarely am I the one being interviewed. Last week I was contacted by the local newspaper and was interested to see what the reporter would ask me when the tables were turned.
Rick was interested in my freelance work with local clients, my blog and recipe development projects (specifically the salsas I created for Lipman) and we spent a good hour chatting away. I actually had a lot of questions for him about Ocala and his favorite restaurants in the area since he writes a lot about local cuisine. I am excited to venture out a bit and try some of his favorites, including Ipanema, a Brazilian steakhouse that apparently has the most amazing roasted pineapple in the world.
Once Rick and I were done with his interview, I unpacked my laptop and worked at Starbucks for a bit while enjoying a non-fat misto with vanilla syrup.
And a chocolate chunk cookie because my sweet tooth was raging after my run.
I hope your day is nice and cool and that you don’t turn into an overheated demon at some point like I did this morning!
Questions of the Afternoon
- Runners: What is your “magic mile” number?
- Everyone: Please tell me how much it sucks to try to get ready when you’re already sweating. Do you turn into a sweaty demon like me?
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Oh getting ready when it’s hot is the WORST! Florida heat is completely ridiculous. There have been plenty of times where I just say SCREW IT and I throw my hair in a ponytail.
So I totally get what you’re saying!
i was so tempted to rock the wet bun look today, but felt like i might look unprofessional for the interview. SO sweaty!
I find that I feel worse if I don’t dry my hair and immediately go out into the heat. Then I NEVER get cool. 🙁
I bought a small fan for the bathroom counter PRECISELY for this problem. When it’s hot and I’m sweating when putting on makeup, doing my hair, etc., I point the fan right at my face. It’s been a lifesaver this summer!
Oh man. Roasted/grilled pineapple is literally the best way to eat it! Once I had it at a Brazilian steakhouse it’s hard not to want it any other way!
My magic number is 5 as well, anything less to me feels like I am unaccomplished. Running in the heat is the worst thing ever, I see people running here in the afternoon when it is 90 and I just don understand how they aren’t dying. Getting ready while sweaty is the worst, I sometimes just want to give up!
Sweating when getting ready is the worst!! It’s easy to throw your hair up in a bun or something, but when it comes to putting on makeup….gross. Everything feels like its just melting off and slimy.
oh my gosh SO TRUE! I live in CA and it was HOT this morning in the Bay Area, which made straightening my hair a pain! I hate getting all sweaty when needing a straighten and it makes my already frizzy hair frizzier! 😛
Lately 5km has been my magic distance- short and sweet…not long ago 5miles used to be my fave distance but now that I’m strength training more (and cardio is put on the back burner), it feels like a ‘long’ run.
Hi Julie! I just found your blog on Pinterest- I love it! My magic mile number is about 3 miles right now; I’m in a bit of a running slump. I also deal with getting ready in stupid hot conditions every morning because I’m interning in DC for the summer. I absolutely hate sweating through my morning routine- I tend to become very nasty! I feel your pain!
Currently, my magic mile number is 4. Umm I hate going into the shower still sweating and coming out still sweating and then drying off and sweating myself wet again!
right now my ‘magic mile’ number is 2.5 to 3….slowly increasing!
I feel like we had identical mornings, although my five miles was luckily inside on the treadmill (don’t know how you ran in that heat!) My magic mile number is five right now as well :). And I too was a hot sweaty mess blow drying my hair!
I’d say my magic # is also my current base #-3 miles. It just doesn’t feel like a run until I hit at least 3 miles-regardless of the weather!
Drying my hair is purely painful when it’s already 95 in our un-airconditioned house. Flat, stringy hair is unacceptable though, so I power through! 🙂
My magic mile number used to be six before I got a stress fracture last year… 🙁 Now it is 4 and slowly increasing.
And I am the biggest demon ever when I am sweating and drying my hair. My boyfriend likes it warm in the house (like you dad)… boys just don’t understand how evil hairdryers can be in the summer.
woww Ocala MUST be hot! strangely enough, it’s kinda chilly and really cloudy here in socal. But I like cloudy! hehe. And how funny is that? It seems that most men get colder than women. My dad always wants to close all the windows. 😛 And I think my magic mile is 4~4.5!
Oh man. That’s intense to run in that heat! WAY to go!
And yes, I turn into a mean, sweaty lady when I have to get ready when I am already hot and our appt is hot too! My husband turns on the fan and he’s like “you wanna stand in front of this?” UM YES please!
Ah yes, I haven’t heard it described as magic mile before but I definitely have one! 8.5 is mine.. i just get on the treadmill and go… I feel golden after! (Well, when I’m not injured and unfortunately I am at the moment…. but looking forward to an 8.5er soon!)
5 is my magic number too. Anything less than that feels short and anything further feels like a longish run. 5 is perfect 🙂
I hate drying my hair in the summer, and avoid it at all costs. Nothing is worse than getting sweaty again right after you shower.
On the treadmill my magic number is 4, but I am still a slow going newbie. Outside the number is 2 because, like you said, it’s stupid hot in Florida.
My magic mile number on the treadmill is 6–makes me feel accomplished but not completely and totally wiped. Woo!
And um. My apartment is currently a magma swamp. I get ready in front of the oscillating fan. And oscillate with it. And STILL sweat. I literally don’t put my clothing on until I’m about to walk out the door or it’s a lost cause. Ugh.
I like to run about 3-4 at a time. I usually spend an hour strength training every other day, alternating with 30-40 mile bike rides on the other days, so running is not my main form of exercise.
I try to avoid blow drying my hair when it’s hot, and usually only do it if I’m going out at night or attending a wedding type of event. I also usually never wear any makeup and when I do, it’s very minimal.
It is absolutely horrible trying to do my hair when I am already hot! I live in florida as well, and last summer the worst of the worst happened. Our air conditioner broke. More than once. Oh yeah, I was a sweaty cranky demon very often that summer! Haha!
Ugh yuck! I rarely even blow dry my hair in the summer because I’m so hot afterward. We don’t have AC, so unless it’s a cool night, my hair goes au natural!
My hair is really curly, but I CAN’T straighten it when I’m hot. Blow dryer + tangly hair = very angry Abby.
I can’t imagine blow drying my hair while already hot and sweating. If there was a day perfect for air-drying, hot summer days would be it! Then again I’m a bad judge, since I air dry my hair every single time.
I used to LOVE those cookies from starbucks, and their oatmeal ones! And I don’t know if I have a magic number, probably 4? I’m training for my first marathon so my magic number is whatever the plan says! Haha
My magic mile number is 3. Usually I know that I can run 3 miles and it’s challenging at points, but very doable. Right now I’ve been hovering around the 2 or 2.5 mile spot because I’ve been doing a lot of circuits and putting running on a bit of a back burner and that’s been bumming me out. Will probably sign up for a 5k or 8k soon so that I will have incentive to get my “comfy” run back to 3 miles!
Ha ha I become a total evil mess when I am getting ready while sweating! In college my roommates and I used to take turns taking breaks to stick out faces over the fan and cool off. It’s been in the 100’s this week in WI, which is HOT for WI, and I have to say I’ve been rocking variations of the ponytail all week…my new favorite is a teased messy top-knot, very easy and looks put together, the perfect office combo!
Stay cool!
I think my magic number is still 3 right now, but I’d love it to be 5! And I feel ya on the hair drying in the heat – I’m only comfortable if it’s like below 65, otherwise I’m a hot mess!
My magic number is 3 during the week since all of those runs take place on a treadmill and 4 miles outside on the weekends.
I can’t stand drying my hair when I’m already hot. Thank goodness, I curly hair that only requires ~2 minutes of drying.
My magic number is 5 as well. But fortunately we use „km“ in Europe (I think that is about 3 miles?) which makes it a little bit easier 😉
It’s so crazy to hear about these heat waves in Oregon (we just don’t understand them since we have such mild weather). For example, today it’s going to be mid 70s and that’s a great day here and makes everyone happy. But if it gets near 90, people have a little melt down. 🙂
5 is my typical easy run distance and 8+ feels like a stretch mid week because I often reserve those for the weekends.
agreed! I’m sure it’s nowhere near as hot here as it is there, but I thoroughly enjoy switching the blowdryer to the cool setting than aiming it down my shirt…boob sweat when you’re not even moving is the worst.
My magic number is 5, but I about died when I went out too late on Sunday and it was 100 in DC! Maybe we should all just run like Phoebe Buffay and we will stay a little cooler. 🙂
I’m the same way about getting ready after I’ve worked out. My husband thinks I’m crazy when I have the fan blowing straight on me so I don’t have a heat stroke while I straighten my hair!
Mine’s between 3.5 and 4 but I’m trying to make it 5. I think that’s a good solid mile number. And I’m hiding out in a coffee shop today to get out of the heat, couldn’t even imagine blow drying my hair anytime soon :/
My magic mile number is 7, but lately I’ve had to cut it short (around 4) because I can’t get out there early enough to beat the heat. I really dislike getting ready when I’m still sweating, especially since I cut my hair shorter, and it’s not quite long enough to put up in a ponytail.
My magic mile number is three. I’m not the fastest runner(somewhere in the 10 minute mile range) so three miles feels like I have given it a decent effort.
I am TOTALLY a demon when I am trying to get ready and cannot stop sweating. It is the worst. I am also one of those people who don’t sweat much WHILE I am working out but afterwards, it is like a sweat waterfall. Gross to say the least!
Oh my gosh, are you kidding me? I always turn into a sweaty devil! This summer I’m working in Reno, NV and BOY was making hot coffee on the first couple mornings a mistake. Blech, sweatiness!!
A couple years ago, I was getting ready for a lunch date with a friend, and it was July, my car had no AC, but I wanted to wear make up and look cute. Two steps outside, my makeup had melted down my face. Never had my lack of AC bothered me before, but then it was the worst. Just got the AC fixed in my car, and not a minute too soon. It’s been 99+ degrees here for the last two weeks!
Getting ready when you’re hot is the WORST!!!
Roasted pineapple sounds amazing!
5 is also my magic number! it’s been 6 lately but this week the nearly 100% humidity at 5:30 am has gotten me down. i was training for an october marathon but couldn’t hack running 14+ miles in this weather even starting at 5am!
after a run and shower i have to just let my hair dry naturally (it’s wavy enough to work) to stay cool!
It’s so gross but I’m totally a ‘sweat demon’ (your phrase, not mine) too haha I think 4 miles is my favorite distance to go–this morning I did 5 though!
My magic mile is usually 7 but if I can get anything more in I am even more of a happy camper. Any trying to put makeup on/blow-dry your hair while sweating is one of the most frustrating things, lol. I definitely could relate to you when you were describing your morning. Starbucks is like my 2nd home…I love going there to grab coffee and surf the internet or read. Congrats on being interviewed! 🙂
My magic mile number used to be 8. But since I changed coaches, and we go by time now, 45-50 minutes is that magic number!
I am NOT a happy camper when it’s too hot while getting ready. In the winter, I usually sit outside for a minute after working out to cool down before showering. In the summer, I get in the shower while it’s cold, don’t turn it up very hot, and then I take a fan and my dryer down to the basement to try my hair. Complicated, but so necessary.
my magic mile number is definitely 4. it is long enough that i feel like i got a good cardio session in without feeling like i’m taking my whole day up working out, plus then i’m not too tired to lift afterwards. more important though is my “hitting a wall” magic number. i feel like i hit a wall around 2 miles and if i can get past it, i can go a lot longer, but there are times where i can’t get past that wall and i just have to call it a day.
I usually run between three and five miles. I hate blow drying my hair in this heat! I stand in front of a fan!
Yes I’m a demon but it doesn’t happen often in Ireland! I was nightmare in Florida, my hair was a little Monica esque when she turns in to a frizz ball!!! It couldn’t hack the humidity! My pale white skin wasn’t a huge fan of the sun either…I think I was a possibly more demon like than you could imagine! I’m ok with 4 or 5 miles..6 is the absolute max for me anyways!
OMG I’m totally with you! Blow drying my hair while already hot is the WORST!!
I HATE getting ready to go anywhere in the heat!!! Luckily, my new townhouse has Central Air but the house I used to live in didn’t and it stunk! During the summers, it gets really humid(I’m in Rochester, NY) and like in Florida, temps in the 90’s + high humidity=a very unhappy Bridgette!!
5 miles is my magic number too!