While running, that is. I’m working my way up to a marthon (Dec 8). Anytime I run more than 5-6 miles in a cotton shirt my (male) nipples get rubbed raw. Coolmax is much better, and essential for distances up to a half-marathon. Need tape after that.
I’m going with band-aids come race day.
I tried but I can’t resist! Man nips rubbed raw by cotton…damn! Now that’s a gay man fantasy!
<will I be banned for this?>
When cotton gets wet,it gets abrasive. I use a nylon singlet underneath and always wear Coolmax. Im running my 1st marathon Dec 2.
You all need to remember to get those pics of you running posted, like Scylla did. Sheer adult fantasy come to life.
A whole marathon, eh? Oooooh, and in December too!
Paint a shirt on…few people will notice the difference. Or cut out little nipple holes in a shirt.
Seriously, though, duct tape is the way to go. Duct tape fixes anything. I’m not so sure about Band-Aids, though. It would seem that if your shirt is being abrasive, it might cause the Band-Aids to fall off, especially if you’re going to be running 26 miles. Better give it a trial run.
I never in my life would have believed I’d have a use for this information. I read about this product in a Dave Barry column. It’s called NipGuards. Their site says, and I quote, “Protection Against Painful Nipple Abrasions and Chafing.”
I swear I am not making this up. 
Scylla posted pics of him running the marathon? How come I missed that? Linkety link please anyone?
Scylla’s marathon thread:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=99278
I’ll see what I can do about a photo of myself.
The thing that worries me about tape, etc. is that I usually have to take off my shirt (coolmax, that is) and wring it out at some point (I’m down here in the deep South, temps can get warm even in Dec). I like to run for awhile shirtless, and you start getting strange looks.
Augh, Playdeaux, the bloody nipple link - I did not need to see that.
Omigosh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t scroll down that far on the first page, and I only have a measley 15" monitor. :o
I’d go back & post a warning if I could…
Anyway, there are two more products I’ve seen in local drug stores that might work, yet not be visible without a shirt on. One is called “Liquid Gloves,” and it’s usually with diabetic supplies. Another is New-Skin® Liquid Bandage. I think there’s more than one company that makes such a thing, but this one actually says “it forms a clear cover that protects.”
By the way, I’ve never used any of these products, so this is not an endorsement. I just happen to spend a lot of time perusing these things since I have an allergic reaction to most bandaid adhesives, and a diabetic cat.
Two words–Duct tape.
[sub] duct and run [/sub]
All I’m saying is that “cotton shirt, nipples hurt” really sounds like it’s a line from a song.
Doesn’t it?
Good luck on your marathon, kelly. I helped staff an aid station at the Raleigh marathon last year (and will be doing so again this year on Dec. 2). One of the memorable moments was seeing the guy coming through in a white singlet, with huge red circles where his nipples were bleeding. We were begging the guy to take some Vaseline, but he wasn’t interested.
Since I won’t be at your race to cheer you on, I’ll do it now:
Wooo-hooo! Looking good! You’re looking strong! Keep it up!
(PS: Want to know why the gatorade tastes so bad? They have us dilute it to half strength, since they assume you’re more in need of the hydration than the flavor and the salt.)
JavaMaven: Perhaps to the tune of “Five foot Two, Eyes of blue…”
If you sweat too much for duct tape to stay on, try zinc oxide cream (Penaten is a nice brand).
DougC: I’m with you on the cotton sucks issue. Ironiclly, there’s a very popular 10k here in Huntsville, AL called the “Cotton Row Run”, that’s a throwback to the days of King Cotton. I ran it, without wearing a stitch of cotton. I consider my discovery of synthetic socks to be the first major breakthrough of my training.
YWalker, thanks for the encouragement. I must admit, opening this thread was a veiled solicitation for runner-talk. I have been in other events where they mix the Gatorade at 50/50. I’m not sure I like this, because I take it straight while training (I think the carbs do me good), and alternate with plain water. I guess it’s not going to change my approach, though.
Dude, yes! I guess only us musicians get it. I saw that and punked out loud “COTTON SHIRT/NIPPLES HURT!”. It’s such a punk song.
Isn’t it?
Back in school (in the UK if anybody wonders WTF I’m talking about), when we had assembly, the headmaster (who was a jogger) gave us a talk on joggers nipple. He told us that the best cure is Vaseline. He even brought in a little jar to show us what Vaseline was, and also his jogging top.
To date my longest race is a 1/2 marathon. I hope to double that come February.
kellymccauley, even coolmax betrays you at the longer distances? I was hoping that I could get by with a coolmax top and no tape/vaseline silliness. Maybe I’ll end up doing the whole run topless.
Good luck on your marathon (and to runner pat too) that’s coming up awfully quick.
Coolmax works okay for the duration of, say, a half marathon. But usually, my nips hurt the next day when rubbed by an undershirt. Never had bloodiness, though.