Saturday, April 22, 2006

Lift and Separate

So, I hope everyone finally got the obtuse little joke in my last post ... If you didn't, well, you've never been there, so don't worry about it!

To the rest of y'all who expressed worries: don't worry. Everything is peachy keen. I'm running ... but nobody said I had to love it, did they?? Alrighty then! Running is kind of like dating a bad boyfriend: you keep going back for more, because there's the occasional positive reinforcement. I just thought I'd list all the reasons I could think of that day that I love running, and well, that was the result. A bit of running humor. Hee.

Moving on. I would like to devote today's entry to a little-publicly-discussed running malady: chaffing. Specifically: Boob chafing. Oh you can find plenty about chafing in general on the Internet, always accompanied by the instructions that Body Glide (brought to you by the people who invented chafing) is the answer to all your chafing problems. I'm here to tell you: it ain't so.

A quick google search turned up mainly tips for men (shocker), along with the occasional x-rated site. (So tough to get those search terms right!) Where ARE ALL THE POSTS on women's chafed breasts from running? WHERE?

Now, my "girls" are good sized, but not huge. Not like freakishly huge. Not insubstantial though either. I wear this bra from Title Nine Sports Title Nine rates their bras with little barbells (so cute!): one barbell=no support (why bother?); 2=some support; 3=more support; 4=those girls aren't going anywhere. (They even have 4+ barbells bras. I shudder to think.) The Frog bra is a 4-barbell-er. The Frog bra is not so good in the lift and separate department; it's more of a mush them things down so they couldn't move if they wanted to. Wear the Frog bra and your girls aren't going anywhere. I wore it all thru marathon training last year, in the height of summer humidity, through long runs where I was SOAKED to the bone in sweat, and the worst that happened was some chafing along where the band is. And yes, I always wore bodyglide.

This year, my longest run to date has been 90 minutes. In 50 degrees (F). And afterwards? Eeee-oooouccch. (OK, this is gross, but somebody has to talk about it!) I had two lovely sores on the undersides of each, um, boob. Not where the band hits but right on the boob itself!! Like oozing sores! GROSS!

My BFF, a. maria, told me I needed to step up my defenses. She recommended this treatment: Throw out the bodyglide. Then, apply a layer of deoderant to the critical areas, and then a layer of vaseline.

Oh the humanity.

So I did that for this morning's 6-miler. Hard to tell whether it worked or not, since I'm still recovering from the damage I did on Monday.

My challenge to you: bring those girls out into the light! Let's share our remedies for this irritating problem, and demand that someone come up with a cure! They can put a man on the moon; they can solve boobular chafing. In fact, there should be a run devoted to raising money to solve this problem. (I'll have to look into that.)

Tomorrow I'll be running the George Washington Parkway 5k; the first race I ever ran back in 1999. After which I did no running for five years. So, I'll set a PR for that race at least. And, I'll be running with the blisters from hell on both bunions, and the impaired boobs (hey, at least I'm symmetrical!)

Next up: We are breaking free of the tyranny of weight, and the scale. (Maybe.)

26 comments:

Amy said...

I am now wearing a Champion-can't-find-it-on-the-internet-of-course bra that I love. I have 2 of them, both purchased by most greatest supporter (no pun intended) and best boyfriend ever. They were a Valentines Day gift. Anyway, minimal chaffing on the band area. I haven't found a way to remedy it when it does arise, but I do think it makes me look like I have fake boobs (ie, looks like scarring, I guess).

I know I didn't answer the question, but this is the best I can come up with.

21st Century Mom said...

My girls are tiny - they have work to fill and A cup so I'm no expert but I also buy cheap "jog bras" at Target and have no problmes.

Are you wearing the same bra that you wore through marathon training? I mean the same exact one? Because if you are it is probably quite worn out and needs to be tossed. If not, if you are simply wearing the same brand I'd try something different. Go for a cheapie and see how that works.

Anne said...

OK. When it comes to bra chafing, I am an expert. 15 years of abrasions in every area imaginable -- and I mean every area. But right now I'll focus on boobs. Mine are big and I've had the same sores you described, plus the band rubs and shoulder sores. Body Glide didn't help. Vasoline didn't either. Never tried deodorant.

This year I tried the double-bra method and it has worked like a charm. I wear a Champion bra that "lifts and separates" first, then negate the cleavage advantage by placing a stretchy "frog-bra like" sports bra over it to hold everything in place. It works. And everyone thinks I've lost weight from my new "smooshed uniboob look."

a.maria said...

whoa. double bra??!?! that's friggin intense anne! holy moly!

just fyi here... i ran 18 this morning (hells YEAH i did!) sweaty and stinky and...

no chafing.

this morning? deo. vaseline. new bra. (i was wearing the same i trained in last summer. its now just a gym bra!)

i've yet to shower (ew. i know. i'm all salty) but i already KNOW there will be no salty-boob-stinging.

cuz that sh*t's the worst!

Anonymous said...

Oh man, I am so glad to see this addressed cause no one ever brought this up in my pace group last summer and I have a huge problem with chafing. I'm a C-D cup and found a bra that seems to really help with chafing. It's Champion 2166 - had to look at the tag..not sure of the official name, but it's available in Fleet Feet, Metro Run Walk (G-burg and R-ville, respectively) and I've seen it in the Title 9 catalog. The weird thing is it's not one of those mash your boobs down kind of thing, which is good. I do the Body Glide too and that helps me. That and once I've built up my mileage on the long runs, because I didn't chafe at all in the MCM. Good luck!

Brooke said...

I am like you C-D cup and the double duty works wonders for me. As does the body glide. Good luck in your search.

P.S. Target workout clothes are the bomb!!! (I'm channeling a little Randy Jackson--American Idol lingo today)

Nancy Toby said...

Hmm. Sounds icky. I've never had it there. I guess mine are too little compared to my massive jiggling stomach. I do, um, strategically tape for half and full marathons, though. Like Nipguards. Only waterproof tape. Nexcare used to have some wonderful thin stuff that would stick on anything, but I haven't found it recently.

m said...

I have large breasts and have never ever chaffed. I buy the most expensive sports bra's out there though. My longest run is 1:58 and I only got a blister on my foot(and I couldn't walk right for a couple days, but no chaffing) I did see a man at the last half marathon with blood running down his shirt from both his nipples. It was not pretty. I wish someone would of given him a coat or something. He wore it like a badge of honor.

Bolder said...

hmmm, as always i'm here to help.

i think we should have more discussions on this topic, and photo montages.

toooo much men in skirts lately. need to get me back, um, centered.

Rae said...

This is so exciting! First up - good luck in your race today!

Like a lot of the other ladies I wear Champion C9 sports bras from Target - $16.99, hell yeah! I'm pretty small, just a B cup. I put Bodyglide all over and don't have any issues. I read somewhere a sports bra only provides support for 6 months and then you're supposed to toss them. There's nothing worse than jumping in the shower and getting that stinging feeling, ugh!

Noames said...

Okay, first of all, this sentence, "They can put a man on the moon; they can solve boobular chafing. " absolutely made my day. Pure poetry.

Don't have much new to add to the solution, though. I had the same problem, but body glide mostly helped.

Taunya said...

I'm glad I'm teeny-tiny in that region--I haven't had any problems so far. But then again, I'm not doing many miles yet. Good tips to keep in mind.

Love the bit about running being the like "bad boyfriend"!

David said...

If it were me, I'd go in for breast reduction.

21st Century Mom said...

I was so busy thinking about boobs I didn't even wish you luck on you race. So how was it??

Jon (was) in Michigan said...

Fit has got to be critical. I think that a bra is going wear out eventually and then the fit fails, and you get chafing. New bra seems to be in order. I'd need pictures to verify though.

And I just got "jkrunning". Just Keep Running. I am so slow.

Dawn - Pink Chick Tris said...

I'm a double D gal and I used to double up with an underwire bra and a sports bra until I discovered this awesome bra by Brooks. I swear by it and no more doubling up. As for chaffing. I'm cheap and I use stick deodarant - any brand. Heck I'm still using the free samples I got at another race.

It really works, as long as I remember to apply it. I use it for under boobs and in a few other choice areas.

Anonymous said...

I'm small in the front, but my back seems to be awfully large, so I get chafing on my back. Yeah, I'm not sure how it works, but something about how it fits across my broad back causes lots of welts and burns. Also under my arms. I was swollen for days after Pemberton!

Viper said...

Did this REALLY have to be my intro comment on your blog? Whatya gonna do?

I have no breasts, at least I TRY not to. But I do put bandaids on my chest. Didn't once and school was in.

Like all runners, I've looked eye to eye with the chafe monster and vaseline seemed to be the answer. Now I'm doing spandex under the running shorts for the long ones and Under Armour is the latest crowned prince. I know they are expensive but they are the best out there so you might look at their women stuff.

That's about all I can offer since I lack ... boobs. Not that I'm not a fan, I just find myself currently sans breasts. I'll let you know if things change.

Anonymous said...

All great advice for the future. my problem is on my 20 mile run this last Saturday i chaffed horribly under my breast. it looks like someone burned me with a curling iron under each one. I was bleeding and am in so much pain. but the worst of it is my marathon is in 6 days, that's right, this Sunday at Disney World Orlando.
i have no idea what to do now.
If anyone has any suggestions on what i can do to get through this week's light training and my 26.2 miles on Sunday, i'd be eternally greatful. i've been running forever and have never had a problem. i use body glide and great sports bra's. no idea what happened on Saturday. but the timing couldn't be worse.
and yes I'm a big chested girl, "D" and only 5'2". i used to think i was blessed, not so much right now.
PLEASE HELP ME AND QUICK!!!
thougt i was "born to run"
Running Mel

jeanne said...

running melody, please send me your e-mail address:
jeanne.notborntorunATgmail.com

Anonymous said...

I have just begun training for a half marathon and went for an 8 mile run this morning. It was the first time i've ever experienced this chaffing under my boobs.
First, I am a c/d and where a pretty decent Champion from Title Nine. I have been wearing this type for years and this is the first time I've experienced this.
I wonder what is wrong with Body Glide? I will try the deoderant/vasaline combo after running with large bandages for a few more days.

Anonymous said...

ahhhh well i love your sense of humor. it seems to make the situation a lot less worse than it is hahaha so i have DDs and i don't run and exercise and all that huhbub but i do chafe. now thats not fair is it? ah i get these huge narly sores in the middle of my boobs like where they touch by my heart and now i cant wear anything cute so sad

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I'm a D-cup race walker. I try to wear a different brand/style of bra every day to minimize contact in the same areas. Once I have the chafing problem (under my breasts), I use Desitin (the same stuff for baby diaper rash). If I put that on before I got to bed and wear a clean t-shirt over it so it doesn't get on the sheets, the problem is usually cleared up in the morning.

Gold Bra Strap said...

Good one!
Thanks a lot for sharing.

Blog Author(s) said...

I have a very ample bosom and have had a massive problem with chafing the last year. Cheap bras are better. I took seven months to heal for me. I had huge burns after tubing down a river in a too small on top swim suit last summer. It rubbed a lot of skin off beneath each breast. I tried all kinds of remedies for six weeks, powders (Johnson's, Gold Bond, Caldascene), ointments and only found relief when I tried Boudreaux's Butt Paste. It is a diaper rash ointment skin protectant containing zinc oxide. I globbed in on both sore areas and wore a thin white t shirt from JC Pennys under everything I owned for six months until the two massive burns on each side healed. This paste was the only thing I have ever found that took away the pain. The lack of air hinders healing so it takes awhile to clear up sadly. Good Luck. I hope you heal soon.