What is Up with Nipples and Running?
If you are a guy and you have run for any extended period of time, then you will be very familiar with what I am about to talk about. If you are woman, then I have no idea if you go through the same thing but I suspect you do.
I made my nipples bleed the other day. That’s right – my nipples. Not something you hear everyday, and before I was even a runner I did not know that a guy’s nipples could bleed. I mean, I guess it makes sense that they can but it is not something I spend even an iota of time thinking about.
My nipple problem seems to flare up when I run in the rain. There is something about getting my shirt and jacket wet and the friction that creates to rub me just enough to open them up. I never really notice it while I am running – adrenaline, serotonin, whatever – but after I finish, take my shirt of and get down to some relaxation the burning hits me. You know the feeling – a pain that does not go away because if you put a shirt on the rubbing continues the irritation you and if you go shirtless the air freakin’ burns. No escape from the pain. I won’t even go into what happens when you get in the shower and the water pelts your nipples like a shotgun bringing a grown man close to tears.
I tried to explain the situation to my wife, but she had no sympathy explaining that our two kids took a round out of her when they were breastfeeding. This situation is not really something you discuss with the guys – “hey Frank, how are your nipples?†That could bring a guy more trouble than just bleeding nipples.
So here I am writing about my pain, using the only outlet I know of to talk openly about the plight of the male runner.
I feel you pain brother! I think bandaids are the best solution too – second comes running with the shirt off (best to remove bandaids first) and third comes bodyglide.
I never bother with anything other than bandaids. They do the trick just fine and are pretty cheap. I normally don’t need them unless it is very cold out or I am running a marathon, where it is more for preventative measure than because I will actually need it. It is a no-fun situation, that’s for sure.
Ha ha, its funny how you describe the whole bleeding nipple ordeal. I have always had this problem for years, but never did any research on it. Good to hear it remedied with band-aids or Vaseline. Happy (painless) running!
I thought I will quit from running after seeing blood on my t-shirt. I was at the middle of training for the 13-mile marathon. How can I finish a 13-mile marathon when my nipples just bleed after running for only 7 miles? Haven’t tried band-aid yet but it’s worth trying than quiting the marathon. Thanks for the tip…
After running regularly over the past three years, the nipple issue did not pop up (sorry) until recently when I was able to increase my distance up to 10 miles. That’s when I noticed the blood and — yeow — the shower pain. Been trying vaseline, which helps somewhat, but I ran 12 miles on Sunday and though no blood, I am quite chafed and not without discomfort.
As a hairy chested guy, the band-aid solution frightens me more since I don’t want to endure what the 40-Year Old Virgin had to face.
My personal (undocumented) theory on this topic is that the running increases blood flow, causing the nipples to become more prominent and therefore susceptible to irritation, chafing, and, ultimately, bleeding. Anyone ever read anything on this notion?
I must all correct you. Forget bandaid and all the other rest – go deal with the nipple-pain and much more important: show it to all the others with my new shirt: http://www.spreadshirt.net/shop.php?article_id=5100751&view_id=243
Know what i mean
Carlos “El Comandante” Pinto
Urban Sport Guerrilla
http://www.endorphinum.de
I have the same problem, and I was looking for a remedy. Thanks for the posting. Based on net literature 1)band-aide 2)valesine are the solutions!
What about Under Armor or other bra-like apparel? It seems to work for me. If you take away your shirt’s ability to chaff, you won’t get chafed, right?
In training for a half-marathon, I jogged for 1.5 hours today (about 10 miles), longer than I have ever gone before, without slowing temporarily to a walk. At the end I saw the blood on my tee. eek! Immediately, I knew what it was from, but what a shocker.
The marathon is just two weeks away, and until I visited this forum, I was afraid I might have to cut back from long runs. I so wanted to be able to finish the 13 miles under 2 hours, which has been my goal for a couple years.
I shall make an appointment with my doctor just to be on the safe side, but it was a relief to read that it is not an unusual problem. Thank you everybody for sharing.
glad to hear i’m not the only one with this problem, but for women, i feel it may be worse, only because we have no choice but to wear something tight (such as a sports bra) and therefore there’s absolutely no air in there! At times, I feared I was lactating, but totally not the case
Glad I can now attempt to remedy this
Man! What a surprise did I have when I came home after running 7km under a light rain… my t-shirt was blood-stained! I thought I had breast cancer and a lot of other bulshit… Luckily, now I know it is normal! =D
I find that when I run long distances (greater than 6 miles) I am prone to the chafe… I hate it! As embarrassing as it is, I have maybe an even more embarrassing solution. I wear a ladies sports bra, but no chafe! Face it, like most men, I have a hairy chest, so band-aids to me are almost as bad as the chafe. The sports bra hides easily under my t-shirt, and I can even get a little stylish with it. Go ahead and make fun… I’ll see you at the finish line… chafe free!
[...] What is Up with Nipples and Running? | TheRunningGuy.com 11 Apr 2006. By wobbly man on 04.13.06 11:21 pm. I never bother with anything other. and all the other rest – go deal with the nipple-pain and much What is Up with Nipples and Running? | TheRunningGuy.com [...]
Wow I am really relaxed now! I happened to be running for about 9 months maybe now mostly for a workout but I learned that i really like the sport. Today I ran the most i have ever ran in my life, 5 miles and guess what?! I get out of the treadmill and look at myself in the mirror and my yellow Brazil shirt has a red spot right on top of my nipples! I went and told my mom as soon as I got back to my room, she freaked out and told me to do some research on the web. Thankfully as i thought, I found out thanks to this blog that this is completely normal! I will keep in mind to always stick with the band-aid.
Thank you once again
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