Chafed! (But I ran a 10k!)

So last weekend on Saturday, Feb. 4, Coach Charles and I ran up and down the streets of Lemoyne, the quaint town where he resides.  I never knew there were so many HILLS in Lemoyne!  We ran 5 miles together and had a lot of time to chat since it was just one-on-one coaching that day.  Our Gamut Girl Squad is a pretty busy bunch of ladies, and I was the only one available for the Big Run that we try to do once a week whether as a group or on our own.

One of our chats was about a running phenomenon known as Chafing.  Apparently, in the running world this is a problem of varying degrees of magnitude, so much so that a product has been invented to help runners through this irritating experience.  You slide this anti-chafe on to your body wherever you chafe the most and then let its magical properties go to work.  I listened politely.  I have never chafed myself when running.  I have never even come close to chafing.  The word itself even sounds a little silly when saying it over and over as I have so far in this blog post.  Chafing, chafe, chafed...

At the end of our run, sipping Gatorade and eating homemade organic energy bars (Charles should post the recipe on our Blog – hint, hint…), Charles turns to me and yells, “Presents!”  (Which he does from time to time, because he is awesome like that, and knows that every girl likes a present now and then.)  He hands me a deodorant-like container of something called “Body Glide.”  I must share with you the claims of this product:

Body Glide: the original anti-chafe balm

#1 recommended since 1996

STOP CHAFING

Use it now – no worries later

Official sports lubricant since 2001 – USA Triathlon

Technically advanced skin lubricant – NO OILS!

Help prevent/relieve chafed, chapped, cracked skin

Great for daily use

No mess or waste

Neoprene safe

Sweat and water resistant balm

Glide on easy

Feet, thighs, upper body

Exclusive plant formula – no petroleum

He gives me my present, along with three more to give to Carolina, Bri, and Alexis, and sends me on my anti-chafing way. 

Fast forward to this past weekend.  Two months ago, Charles had told us about a 10k run (6.2 miles) called “Shiver by the River” held in Reading each winter.  Carolina and I put it on our calendars, planned to attend, and have been training for it as our next big milestone on the way to our 10 mile run on April 1^st.  After fighting blizzard-like conditions on my way home from work on Saturday night, we checked the weather for the following day’s “Shiver.”  Shiver, indeed!  With winds gusting at 25 mph, the anticipated “Real Feel” temp for Sunday was 0 degrees! 

Suffering through that kind of weather was not what we had in mind, and we decided that we would still run our 10k, but we would do at the gym instead.  So yesterday, Feb. 12, Carolina and I entered the gym armed with iPods, water bottles, and sweat towels to log our miles.

I must tell you that when I run outside here in the winter, I wear long sleeves and a light jacket.  One heats up quickly when running, but it’s also been around 30-35 degrees average when I’ve been running outside.  Inside the gym is a different story.  It gets hot – very quickly.  So when dressing for running in the gym, I wear sleeveless tank-top-like running wear, because after a minute or two, the hoodie is off, and I’m sweating like crazy.

Before yesterday, the most I had run on the treadmill had been 5 miles.  Two weeks prior, the Gamut Girls Running Squad had run 6 miles on the Stony Creek Rail Trail (see earlier post), so I knew I could do the 6.2 miles, but it was mostly a matter of fighting the “Treadmill Blues,” making sure that I could stay motivated to finish, because, quite frankly, running on a treadmill is super boring.

Music helped a lot!  I don’t think I could have done it without my tunes.  Charles likes us to do a combo of walk/run which has been very successful for me.  When we are outside, he times us with a one minute walk, two minute run, for the entire distance.  When I’m in the gym, I do a two minute walk, three minute run, because it’s easier for me to keep track on the treadmill.  Hitting the 4 mile mark was fairly easy, but as I neared the 5 mile mark, I noticed a strange discomfort on the insides of my arms.  It slowly dawned on me… I was chafing!  My bare arms rubbing against my sweating torso was causing a pain I have never known.  At 5.5, it really hurt, but I was determined to finish my 6.2 miles.  I thought about that stick of Body Glide still in its plastic package sitting in its shopping bag inside my closet.  I thought about me thinking how nice it was of Charles to get it for me, but that I would probably never need it.  I thought about how freaking long a ½ mile is when your arms are burning.

Well, I made it to 6.2 miles – a 10k!  This is the most distance I have done to date.  When I was finished, the insides of my arms were bright red.  And even as I type this blog entry the day after, my arms are still a little sore.  My Body Glide is now out of its package and marked with an “M” as to not get it mixed up with Carolina’s.  It is now safely tucked away in my running bag for future use.  Lesson learned: ALWAYS listen to your coach!

And to Bri and Alexis – I have your Body Glide presents from Charles, and I will make sure you get them this week!

Help us reach our goal for Gamut!  You can support The Gamut Girls Running Squad at http://www.active.com/donate/gamut!