This week's Saturday social had me thinking about the more, well, icky side of running. The side of things that people discover once they start getting any decent distance under their belt. If you're lucky, all you'll need to worry about is the odd blister. If you're unlucky... well, even Paula has got caught out.... Here are a few tips to keep the icky stuff to a minimum.
* Make sure you wear technical, wicking material - anything not specifically designed for running will rub, and will hurt.
* Don't start longer runs in brand new clothes, they will rub, and it will hurt ('longer' = over 8 miles in my personal experience). Break new clothes in slowly, as you might for shoes.
* Don't skimp on socks. Buy good quality twin-skinned ones to prevent blisters.
* Vaseline. Lots of it.
* Gents : plasters on nipples, well-fitting pants. Those are areas you really don't want chafing, right? There's a good article on 'crotch chafing' here!
* Hot showers really hurt on rubbed bits. But it does help. So man up.
* Don't eat just before running (obvious, right? So why do so many people do it?).
* Don't have fizzy drinks just before either - not only will this make you potentially chuck up, it can also give you stitch.
* Don't try anything new (gels, jellybabies) on longer runs. Again, obvious, but I've seen this a lot.
* Don't 'glug' water while out on your run, or you will simply chuck it straight back up again. Sip, often.
* Stay hydrated. Drink plenty before and after running. This helps with all of the icky bits...
* Sometimes, simply going too hard or too fast will result in your body protesting with a quick vom. Listen.
* Go to the loo before you go running. Twice. And then once more, just to be sure....
* Plan routes to have loo stops at about 5k. If you make it past that, chances are you'll make it to the end.
* Take loo paper and a plastic bag. In an emergency, you can normally find dog poo bins to leave any (ahem) deposits.
* If you do need to 'go', make sure you check very carefully where you plan to use, even when apparently in the middle of nowhere - when having a sneaky mid-run emergency wee I once accidentally exposed myself to the (very full) Penzance to Paddington train somewhere near Bristol <blush>.
* Dogs have a habit of creeping up on you unexpectedly and sticking their nose anywhere they think is interesting. I'll leave *that* story for another day....
* Imodium works.
* The feeling that you need to go doesn't disappear so don't try and run through it - you won't like the outcome....
* Make sure you wear technical, wicking material - anything not specifically designed for running will rub, and will hurt.
* Don't start longer runs in brand new clothes, they will rub, and it will hurt ('longer' = over 8 miles in my personal experience). Break new clothes in slowly, as you might for shoes.
* Don't skimp on socks. Buy good quality twin-skinned ones to prevent blisters.
* Vaseline. Lots of it.
* Gents : plasters on nipples, well-fitting pants. Those are areas you really don't want chafing, right? There's a good article on 'crotch chafing' here!
* Hot showers really hurt on rubbed bits. But it does help. So man up.
* Don't eat just before running (obvious, right? So why do so many people do it?).
* Don't have fizzy drinks just before either - not only will this make you potentially chuck up, it can also give you stitch.
* Don't try anything new (gels, jellybabies) on longer runs. Again, obvious, but I've seen this a lot.
* Don't 'glug' water while out on your run, or you will simply chuck it straight back up again. Sip, often.
* Stay hydrated. Drink plenty before and after running. This helps with all of the icky bits...
* Sometimes, simply going too hard or too fast will result in your body protesting with a quick vom. Listen.
* Go to the loo before you go running. Twice. And then once more, just to be sure....
* Plan routes to have loo stops at about 5k. If you make it past that, chances are you'll make it to the end.
* Take loo paper and a plastic bag. In an emergency, you can normally find dog poo bins to leave any (ahem) deposits.
* If you do need to 'go', make sure you check very carefully where you plan to use, even when apparently in the middle of nowhere - when having a sneaky mid-run emergency wee I once accidentally exposed myself to the (very full) Penzance to Paddington train somewhere near Bristol <blush>.
* Dogs have a habit of creeping up on you unexpectedly and sticking their nose anywhere they think is interesting. I'll leave *that* story for another day....
* Imodium works.
* The feeling that you need to go doesn't disappear so don't try and run through it - you won't like the outcome....
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