Female Problems on the Run
Let’s face it there are some extremely embarrassing female bodily problems when it comes to running. Whilst our male running counterparts will happily fart, belch, sweat and can take a pit stop literally anywhere, the only thing they ever complain about it would seem is nipple chaffing. However, we have a host of problems to deal with from sanitary wear to holding everything in from sweat to urine. Cassandra Davis has experienced and lists some solutions to a bunch of problems you won’t find answers to in any of the running books.
Knotty hair
If you are like me, and you have very long fine hair, you will have noticed that if you run in the rain when even if you have your hair tied back, it manages to bounce itself in to an unsightly Rustafarian birds nest. This adds at least an extra 20 minutes to your bathroom routine as you have to fight with various untangling products with a good comb and lot of patience. What I have discovered is that the best solution to this is to run with a peaked cap with all your hair stuffed up inside it. This also prevents the drops from landing straight onto your scalp and dripping in your eyes, and especially if it is cold winter rain, this has the added advantage of you even forgetting that it is raining at all. Only problem is if it is windy as well!
Sanitary towels
Periodic protection is always a very personal issue, but when it comes to running it can be a positive dilemma. Tampons have a tendency to jog themselves out of you while you are running which can be very awkward, and sanitary towels even thought they are now engineered to super slim, can show up in running gear especially tights. For heavy days you could try and insert a double tampon, which may work better to preventing them from jogging themselves free. If you are having a very heavy period and going for a long run, it is a good idea to carry a fanny pack with some spare equipment. However, what you can also do is to wear two sanitary towels one on top of another, then halfway through your run you can discard the top one. When you have a period it is always a good idea to run with a long T-shirt or jacket to cover your butt.
Dry lips
Running in every condition, wind sun and cold all add up to dry chapped lips. To prevent the flaky lips syndrome, it’s a good idea to get into the habit of always putting on a lip balm, and with sunscreen in Summer. An alternative, which I swear by, is Vaseline. I smear it on my lips and around the eyes before every run to prevent dryness. Another good tip is if you have long nails to dig one of your nails into the Vaseline pot so that you have a refill to draw on if necessary while you are running.
Unsightly feet
Runners have got to have the ugliest feet in the world. Black toenails, hard skin, healing blisters, it’s enough to make you want to keep them covered all year around. However, there are just a few things that you can do to make them a little more attractive. I always wear dark toenail varnish, even in the middle of winter, it covers up everything. I’ll even admit painting varnish on the skin to give a trompe l’oeil effect for a lost nail. You never know if you might have an accident! Invest in some podiatry equipment to keep hard skin filed down and in check. Once again, Vaseline is another excellent friend for the feet, if you rub some in before every run, you will find your feet are softer and blister-free!
read the article that leads on from this – Further Female Problems on the run which is Part 2
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