TOUCHY SUBJECTS (PG-13)

Heads up, this upcoming section deals with the realities of running that include words like "bleeding," "nipples," and "bleeding nipples." You've been warned.

Finally, to wrap up this section, I want to talk about something you're almost certain to experience as a runner of any caliber: chafing and blisters. We're going to start with your feet and work our way up. When it comes to blisters on your feet, there are a few common reasons for this, but the likeliest culprit is the pair of runners that you're wearing. If you experience blisters on the sides of your feet, then that likely means that your shoes are too narrow, and you may benefit from wider shoes. Alternatively, if you feel blisters near your ankle or your toes, this is almost certainly due to the size of the shoe. When looking for the right shoe, try them out and be sure that you can easily flatten your toes inside the shoe. If you do this, you will do two things: prevent blisters and also leave room in your shoe for proper running form.

Working our way up to your private parts, people tend to experience chafing, which is when your skin gets irritated and red because of continuous rubbing. There are a few solutions to this problem. The least messy is to buy anti-chafing products from Amazon or your local running store. A cheap and effective solution is to use Vaseline or baby powder on the affected areas before your run so that the rubbing doesn't occur to the same degree. In a best-case scenario, you are never going to worry about your private parts anymore.

Coming up to our chest, I tried to find a more appropriate way to say this but I couldn't, so here goes: nipples, nipples, nipples. When it comes to nipples, they tend to get irritated and, if not attended to, can bleed during longer runs. While at first, it might feel pleasant, this sensual feeling WILL turn into pain. There are a few solutions, the easiest being either to tape them with medicinal tape, band-aids, or anything else that will stay on the skin tightly and will be unlikely to move around.

Over the years, I have had many female clients with large busts. A big problem that is not often spoken about is how the larger nature of the chest causes the breasts to violently bounce and, although the movies present this occurrence as sexy, it is often painful and can be extremely uncomfortable. As such, if this situation applies to you, have no fear. Here is the leading trick from my clients of various ethnicities, ages, and athletic abilities: doubling up the sports bras. This sounds pretty crazy for some, but the idea is quite simple: wear two sports bras for an extremely snug fit. Although this will not perfectly solve your problem, this is the most effective approach we've found to date.

Finally, the last common chafing spot you are likely to experience is the armpits. When it comes to armpits it tends to be the same problem as with private parts and you can either solve them with the same solution or to wear a shirt that is tighter in the arm to prevent skin on skin contact.