During my marathon training, I discovered that my clothing doesn’t cut it. I am getting chafing from my pants! When I go swimming after running or shower, I practically want to scream from the pain of the abraded areas. I’m definitely not wearing my SkirtSports “Marathon Girl” skirt, which resulted in chafing between my thighs that eventually scarred my skin after less than an hour on the treadmill.
I’ve been wearing underwear. Is that a mistake?
I will try to Body Glide myself up, but it would be nice to have clothing that doesn’t abrade me in the first place during a 2.5 hour run (the longest I will run in practice).
What do you wear (style, brand) that works for you? I am expecting around 16C weather for the marathon itself.
I suspect it’s trial and error to find the clothing that works for you, your body shape, size etc.
Personally, I love running distance in my Ronhill Skort but I also have some things that work for me (Pearl Izumi shorts) and some that don’t (2XU shorts).
The one thing I swear by is Lanacane Anti Friction gel. Groin, back of the armpits & a contact lens case of it in the pocket for unexpected bits that show up a couple of hours in.
Where are you getting the chafing? If thighs, I’ve found snug, compression type (but not as tight) shorts at least 6" inseam eliminate chafing there. Gusseted crotch is better than seam in the crotch.
Butt crack? Only thing I’ve found helps there is gooping up.
Chafing? Something is cutting it. There is nothing wrong with going commando so drop the panties. As mentioned previously, clothing is all about trial and error. Buy different pieces from various brands to find what works best for you then stick with them. For me, Bodyglide is a waste of money so I use personal gel. Platinum Wet is my favorite and works well on my feet.
I wear nearly every brand on the market without a problem other than the fit. My favorites are Desoto, The North Face and Zobha.
I’m with you on the Skirt Sports! I got chafing on my hooha wearing that and had to walk back to my car in tears.
For me, I use SportsShield in the creases. It only comes off with soap and water so if you go to the bathroom it won’t come off when you wipe. It also doesn’t absorb into your skin or the clothes.
I always run in compression shorts. I like 5 - 7" with some support. Grippy tape on the inside of the leg seam that keep in in place is ideal. No chamois!
Trial and error is correct, but, I have to apply bodyglide all over the place. Armpits, bum, leg creases.
I do know a couple of folks who wear undies… but they are non-cotton wicking type. I’m one of those if I’m wearing tights. Plus it’s an extra layer on my bum - which tends to get cold (this winter has been very cold and I run almost 100% outside), so it helps with that. I found the seams on the tights bother me, even if gusseted.
Do you use some type of anti-chafe lubricant stuff like the other ladies mentioned? I’d start there for sure.
Vaseline works too. My annoying spots tend to be from sports bras, in the front where a HRM would go…
I’ve discovered that everything chafes if worn for long enough, unfortunately. Thus the vaseline. That said, I would write the company a letter about that skirt!
I probably should write to SkirtSports. Why would they call it Marathon Girl if it’s not suitable for marathons? Or maybe they should call it “Thigh Gap Marathon Girl” because that is who it would work for. It’s a skirt attached to a pair of briefs. Cute as hell, but not meant for long distance running.
Did some research today on compression shorts, thanks for the suggestion! I looked into 2XU, CW-U (?), Under Armour. Although I know that they don’t help much with performance, I want the anti-chafing tightness, but worry about leg bulge. I worry about sizing, since I have a post-baby waist of 29, and hips of 35, I fall into the ether world of athletic mothers that has no place wearing compression stuff.
I was hoping it would just be a problem with the clothing, but sigh, to hear that any clothes will chafe given enough time, then I do need to look at some sort of skin protector. I looked into the suggestion of the Lanacaine (Walmart online! $9.34 for 28g, not bad) and Bag Balm (just for men? At Lee Valley online for $12 for the green tin), and last but not least, BodyGlide.
Tried going commando today with some bib tights, but too many seams and too loose around my crotch. I am thoroughly annoyed that I have to spend even more money on my marathon dream for wicking underwear or BodyGlide or compression shorts. I thought I was done with the spending!
I get the chafing in different places depending on how ill fitting my clothes are. Lately I’ve been running in the rain and snow. So that makes it worse.
Chafing is on the crease between my bum and back of my upper leg, if I had a crease there, near the inside. Another spot is my hooha (hahaha!). And whoopie doo, I have an infected super painful bump where my underwear rubs my skin where my pubic area meets my leg in the front. Not sure how to deal with THAT lovely thing.
Seems if I can get my pants to fit me properly and lie against my skin instead of loosely rubbing it, that might be the solution.
I’m not using any lubricant at all. The first time I got chafing, I chalked it up to ill fitting pants (they were). The second time, to ill fitting underwear. Next time I’m going to try tight fitting with some kind of skin protectant.
I probably should write to SkirtSports. Why would they call it Marathon Girl if it’s not suitable for marathons? Or maybe they should call it “Thigh Gap Marathon Girl” because that is who it would work for. It’s a skirt attached to a pair of briefs. Cute as hell, but not meant for long distance running.
I have a drawer full of tights left over from my ice skating years – I like to wear capris under run skirts + briefs (just like under skating dresses and leotards). Not too hot, and no chafing, and I get a lot of compliments at races when I wear them.
For running I wear a pair of moving comfort compression type shorts that don’t compress too tightly (never wear underwear with them). I also have a variety of running skirts that have compression shorts attached and some have leg grippers so the shorts don’t ride up. The skirtsports styles are cute but are made for people who never have thigh chafe issues!! Take a look in the title 9 catalog they might have something that works. The money is well spent when you find the shorts that work for you.
I probably should write to SkirtSports. Why would they call it Marathon Girl if it’s not suitable for marathons? Or maybe they should call it “Thigh Gap Marathon Girl” because that is who it would work for. It’s a skirt attached to a pair of briefs. Cute as hell, but not meant for long distance running.
Erhm, this is actually exactly what I wear for all of my long distance (30km+) running. Not SkirtSports (way too pricey for me), but a New Balance version of the same thing. BodyGlide between the legs does just fine; I’m far from having a thigh gap, but I’ve never even had to re-apply during a 6-hour or 50k.
Bag Balm (just for men? At Lee Valley online for $12 for the green tin)
Actually “just for cows” - it was originally formulated for cow udders. It may well work, but I find it doesn’t wash out of clothing as it’s a lanolin base.
Tried going commando today with some bib tights, but too many seams and too lose around my crotch. I am thoroughly annoyed that I have to spend even more money on my marathon dream for wicking underwear or BodyGlide or compression shorts. I thought I was done with the spending!
At $7 or less for a small stick, try the BodyGlide first. I have trouble with tights bagging around the crotch area, too, causing chafing of the nethers & that weird between-the-bottom-of-the-cheeks area, but the 'Glide usually does the trick.
Okay, thanks again all, for the advice. Here’s what I’ve done so far:
No undies (thanks, Tri3);
Bought Zoot Ultra Run Thermo Compression Tights (because that was what was on sale);
3 Bought Lanacaine Anti-Chafe (which I bought before MistressK’s advice was received on just getting BodyGlide!); and
Will wear the capri with skirt combination (thanks, Gee)
The tights will be too hot for the actual marathon. I may experiment with the Skirt Sports and the anti-chafing stuff on one of my longer runs. Sorry to make fun of the skirt/brief combination (Sorry Mistressk!). There’s nothing wrong with having a thigh gap; it’s just that I don’t have one! I bought four Skirt Sports configurations for $15-20 a pop when Skirt Sports was fairly new and they had clearance sales for rock bottom prices.
I’ll look into getting those shorts as suggested by Ironmom1 for the marathon itself.