Lets Talk About Nipples

First of all, you should be ashamed of yourself for thinking like that!  This is a runner's blog, not a pornographic website!  Now that the reprimand is out of the way, imagine if you will, you are running and all of a sudden, you feel a burning sensation on your chest in your nipple area.  It progressively worsens and the next time you look down and you see red spots on your shirt.  By the end of your run, you look like this!  It's chafing & that's not my bag baby! 

As I discussed in a previous blog, cotton is the worst material you can run in.  Moisture + cotton = friction.  Friction + skin = chafing!  Not a fun equation, and bloody nipples do not make for a great finish line picture!  Bloody nipples are a real issue in the running world, but it is avoidable.

There are several ways to help prevent the dreaded bloody nipples.  High tech & low tech methods are out there, and hopefully I can shed some light on these for you, but first, a personal story.

Hello, my name is Chris, and I suffered from chronicly chafed nipples.  Not just as a runner, but even before.  My wife used to joke around and say she was going to buy me some "pasties."  These are basically stickers that are made for women when they wear evening wear when they cannot wear bras.  They are supposed to prevent accidental exposure by keeping those areas covered.

I'm sure these would help, but they are about 2" across.  WAY more than I need to cover.  LOL!  So, when I started running heavily in Korea, I had to find something as I would come in from the gym and have the dreaded blood spots on my shirts.  I asked a few friends what I should do... some of them ran track and stuff in high school, so hopefully they would have something for me.  The most I got was to try wrapping an ACE bandage around my chest before I ran every day.  Not really as easy as I'd like.  Yes, I'm lazy!

So, I went to the BX on base to try to figure out what I could do.  I was looking for pasties to be honest, but they didn't have any, but I did find some waterproof tape that I figured I'd try out.  So, basically, what I do everyday before I go on my run is cover each nipple with a small piece of waterproof tape, and it prevents the rubbing by my sweat soaked shirt.  This is probably the lowest tech method you could try.  This works surprisingly well.  What I did learn though, don't just pull the tape off as soon as you get finished!  OUCH!  Wait until you are in the shower & use the heat & from the water to help ease the removal!

Obviously, one of the higher tech methods is the use of Technical Shirts.  These shirts, like Under Armour, are made of moisture wicking material that transports the sweat from your skin, to the exterior of the shirt for rapid evaporation.  In fact, I use the Under Armour Technical Shirt, I prefer the compression gear, and the tape methods together.  I have yet to get bloody nipples after I started this practice.  Under Armour, while not the cheapest, is one of the better brands that I have seen talked about in the forums.  Several companies make "hydrophobic" Technical Shirts, even some that are really cheap & considered generic.  It's all about what works for you as a runner.

The last method I will cover is what I would call a medium tech method.  It's called Body Glide.  Body Glide is a deodorant stick type balm material.  You can put this on your skin before runs and it helps prevent chafing & blisters.  Now, I'm not exactly sure what this stuff is made of, but according to their website, this deodorant type stick is rubbed on before you begin your exercise and it penetrates the skin and and creates an invisible, comfortable barrier against friction and moisture - without clogging pores or trapping perspiration; feels ‘dry’ to the touch.  Check out their website HERE.  I bought a 2 pack as they were on sale on Amazon.com a month or so ago.  I have tried it on a spot on my heel and it prevented a blister from getting any worse.  It was dry to the touch, so I can say that that part is a true statement.  I haven't gotten much past 6 miles on my runs, and I think this is probably what it is designed for, so I will follow-up after I try it. 

I equate this to seeing a movie about Steve Prefontaine, one of the greatest runners in history, where before a run he used a stick of deodorant under his arms, then used the same deodorant stick on his inner thighs.  It was kind of gross when you think about it, but using deodorant is not all that uncommon.  According to Madetorun.com, using deodorant when you are out of whatever type of runner's glide product you are using, is not only acceptable, but encouraged by their staff.  As they put it,

Personally I’d rather my nipples be fresh and non-odorous than chafed and bleeding!

I tend to agree... no matter if it's your first or 100th marathon finish, bloody nipples are no way to celebrate!  By the way, Steve Prefontaine has the most pimp-tastic mustache & sideburns I have EVER seen!