Ever chafe on a run?
Chafing comes with the running territory, right?
Eh, not quite.
And it sucks because so many people drop out of their race because they deal with a chafing problem that can easily be avoided with some preventative maintenance type stuff.
No doubt, chafing hurts – and it can put you out of a race if you don’t fix the situation…
(that’s why we do everything we can to prevent or treat our chafing issues when they come up(:
And that’s what we’re going to cover in this article, how to treat (and prevent) chafing issues, for good! (just give it time)
How to prevent chafing
Run right, and have the right gear.
Two main reasons for chafing:
- Bad running form
- Bad gear
Despite correct running form and great gear, sometimes the rub just rubs. Any type of lube is going to help. Use it early and often and use a lot(:
Bad running form
We don’t have to have the best running form, but if we can learn to run correctly? Chafing will be reduced significantly, if not put to an end completely.
So how to run correctly?
For the butt and thigh issues:
People have a tendency to run “tight” with their feet landing pretty close together…
I used to try and run “along a balance beam” …
Instead, run with wide legs (this feels so weird at first and will need to be relearned)
The way I learned? Do run on the street and use the solid white line. I made sure each step landed on either side of the white line. I did these runs slow and focused on form, like running strides.
For the arm pits:
Run with the arms wider, no rubbing on the sides.
For the nipples:
Tape or bandage them up or wear a tank top underneath your shirt. I got the tank top route.
Gear
Starting out, we really don’t need anything besides a pair of shoes. That’s the truth.
Eventually, the longer we run, we’ll want to go for quality gear.
- Tight base layer – I use ethika’s for my underwear and a hanes “beater” tank top as a top layer
- Socks – darn tough, injini
- Vest/ Pack – one that doesn’t bounce. (salomon 8)
And gear can get expensive…
But expensive is relative…
Is a $25 pair of socks expensive compared to a 6 pack of socks for $20? Yeah
But is a $25 sock worth it if we can run our race with no chaffing or blisters because it’s made a certain way? Fuck yeah.
How to treat chafing
Maybe we’ve dialed in our running form, we got the right gear, and we still chafe.
What to do?
Thankfully they sell products to help with this, some are better than others too. And if worse comes to worse, use whatever someone got.
- Body glide
- Vaseline
- Desitin
- Coconut oil
- Nut butter
- Bag balm
These products act as lube so our skin can glide past each other with little friction. There are differences in all of these products too.
Vaseline tends to rub off quickly, body glide for her is a moisturizer as well, desitin you’ll want to wear a glove when you put that shit on.
I appreciate your attention!
Run right, have the right gear, use lube, and you’re chafing will be a thing of the past.
Thank you so much for tuning in, LMK anything!!!
Go get your miles, Peace!!!!
Joe DiAndrea 