3.3 miles Easy
Road
FYI: This post might get a little awkward and at times be too much information. If you're still interested read on.
As I was musing about this weekend's runs I had a thought. If somebody came to me and asked, "Cha, which would you prefer, running for 2+ hours in wet shoes or running 2+ hours comfortably only to find out in the shower later you had been chafing the whole time? Cha, wet shoes or chafing?" Which would I choose?
Call me crazy but, I would, without a doubt, go with sweat-soaked shoes every time. Even with the threat of blisters and all the other crazy things that happen with feet, even with the reality of leaving the treadmill soaking wet after long runs or leaving wet foot prints through the city of Boston-- Did it rain? No, that girl must have stepped in a puddle or something. Eh, wrong! I am the puddle...or something-- and, even though I have been on the verge of tears a few times over the uncomfortableness of it all, there is no comparison. Chafing or "rug burn" as I will call it from here on out (chafing just sounds dirty) is no joke!
It happens a lot. Most runners deal with it in some form or other. I will not discuss specifics here but I will just say that if it touches fabric, it has the potential to chafe. It's usually all good until you step into the shower and the water hits you. Then, what was supposed to be a nice refreshing cool down becomes a mortal struggle for hygiene. The fight or flight reflex kicks in and you bite your lip and stomp your feet to resist the urge to quit the shower entirely. The neighbors perk up at the yelps and involuntary exclamations and wonder if there is to be a full moon tonight. The roommates come running, startled by that initial cry for mercy. "Ah no no...every thing's fine in here! Just a little ah...rug burn." The whole thing lasts about 5 minutes as the initial sting wheres off but depending on how bad it is-- the rug burn that is-- the healing could take weeks.
The only worse thing about not knowing your getting a rug burn until you get back is knowing you're getting one while you're running. Some times you feel every bit of the grind and there's not a thing you can do about it while you're out on the road. Sure, the books say bring extra Vaseline or Body Glide or what have you --the stuff wears off with sweat-- but REALLY? Am I really going to stop and "reapply" during a race? Probably not. The only other option is you just keep running and hope there's some skin left when you stop. Gah!
Week 5 Highlights
- Hit 500 miles on Tuesday. So pumped as my goal for the year is to run 600 miles!- Friday's run was awesome! 14.5 miles at a good pace. Farthest yet!
- Took some extra rest this week and felt good about it. :)
No comments :
Post a Comment