When I came back from running the other day, I felt a sharp pain when I took off my shirt. It turns out that I experienced a terrible amount of chafing on my nipples. The troubles of a marathon joggler never cease. Over the years I’ve come up with a variety of tricks to prevent chafing. Here are my four top favorites. They all work but you have to remember to do them.
Some tips for preventing chafing
1. Don’t wear cotton. When cotton gets wet, it gets heavy. And when that happens it rubs against your nipples & sides and causes some major chafing. Your best bet is to wear a shirt designed for runners like Under Armour or a 100% polyester shirt.
2. Use Body Glide. Hit all the key spots. Nipples, between the thighs, around your waist where your elastic shorts rub. When joggling pay special attention to your underarms. There is some extra rubbing that goes on at the place where your arms meet your side.
3. Wear Spandex shorts or other special fabric shorts. I’ve found that spandex provides the best protection from chafing especially in the area where your legs meet your torso. You should be aware that after a long run, this area is particularly prone to chafing.
4. Finally, don’t let your iPod rub against bare skin. When I run, I use an iPod to listen to podcasts, books and music. But sometimes I put the clip on the elastic of my shorts and it rubs against my bare skin. This is a recipe for chaffing that should be avoided. Tuck your shirt in at this area or put some body glide on that spot to prevent this unfortunate problem.
Chafing is no fun and can be avoided if you properly prepare yourself. When I first started running long distances it never occurred to me. So I share the information with you so as you advance in your joggling career, it will be just a little less painful.
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Band-aids are the way to go – no nipple chafage ever on the long runs.
They do work but for me the band aids stick to the hair on my chest and it really hurts when I pull them off. Also, when they get wet they don’t stick too good.
They make special “nip-guards” which are basically the size of your nipple that you can buy. It’s a small round band-aid. You could also shave a bit of the hair off of your chest around the nipples.
I don’t have that particular problem; I shave the little that is there anyway so they just come right off.
I’ve never had a problem with them staying on when they are wet; they are dry when applied and they just always stay on for me.
Very nice site! Good work.
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