I can’t figure it out. This seems to happen every once in a while after a long run but never on the bike. The run was the same as last weekend but no problems on that run. 10 miles, 85 degrees in a duo-max polyester shirt. (don’t know what I had on last weekend). Do you remember getting pool toe as kid when you played all day in the water and rubbed the bottom of your big toe raw? Well this feels like pool-nipple and I don’t like it. How can I prevent it from happening again. It was especially fun later in the run, sweating profuse amounts of salty sweaty on to the chafed poor little guys.
It’s usually caused by your shirt rubbing against your skin. I apply a generous blob of vaseline before long runs. For long races (e.g. marathons), I’ll even use a Dr. Scholl’s Corn Pad over the nipple to prevent rubbing. I’ve seen other guys use small band-aids as an alternative.
It doesn’t happen on the bike because there isn’t the constant up-and-down motion associated with running. Therefore, there’s less chafing.
One of the first-aid tape manufacturers, might be 3M, makes a waterproof foam tape. The stuff’s sold in Wal-Mart, etc. for a few bucks. A 2" strip works great, and is cheaper than some other solutions. Won’t come off even if applied before the swim.
Of course, if you don’t shave…removing the tape can be a little painful!
band aid brand now makes these clear small round versions that I find perfect for this problem…tear off the little absorbent pad and you never know it’s there…until races end when you notice you still have nipples
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I unfortunately, had some experience with this. I never had a problem until I ran a Marathon in the rain. The heavy wet shirt almost ripped my nipples off. I am now cognisant of it on every long run. The band-aid and vaseline fixes all work but look a little funny. For a less obvious fix I have used “liquid band aid” which creates a nice protective layer with out the geek factor of band aids on your nips.
As an aside I’ve become a big fan of liquid band aid for protecting blisters as well.
Yep, raw nips are painful. Makes me cringe to see guys with BLEEDING nips in some longer races. I prefer to protect with Bodyglide. With a hairy chest, it’s tough to use any sort of bandaid solution.