Running. And Chafing.

~ Live & Learn

weight loss, diet, exercise, health, eat, craving, running, run, walk, walking, chart

It all started at around 8pm last night.  Susan asked: “Do you really need that?“…this in response to my complaining earlier in the day about hitting new record highs for weight gain. And after my 4th trip to the fridge since dinner time.  The “that” was a peanut butter (Jiffy Creamy) and blueberry jelly sandwich.  Yes, I needed it. Badly.  And I didn’t need someone, anyone, scolding me. (Am I a child?) I continued lapping the peanut butter on the bread – jabbing the knife into the jar – spreading on a few extra layers.  I don’t lift my head.  She continues on from the other side of the room.  “You know, you should read this book on life style changes in what you eat.  You can lose weight by just eating healthier.  You are not getting enough proteins.  This is causing you to crave potato chips, sugars and salty foods.”  Blueberry jam dribbles out of the corner of my mouth.  I look up.  Fat man’s blood pressure building…readying himself for counterpunching.  I glance up and glare.  She continues: “You know that I’m just trying to help.”  I take the last remaining bite and jam dribbles down my shirt…well doesn’t that about capture it.  Enough!  My turn…trade a boulder for a pebble.  “I don’t need to read a bloody book to tell me that I eat junk and too much of it.  And I certainly don’t need you haranguing me about it.”  Now, if I had just stopped there.  Trade the ocean for a drop of water.  “So tell me.  If this book is so good.  How’s it working out for you?”  Nearing 30 years of marriage you know exactly where the nerve endings are and where to jab.  Yep, direct hit.  Then regret washes over me.  But not enough to apologize.  She knows I didn’t really mean it.  Right.

6:30 am: Took Advil PM last night.  Sleep situation problematic.  Did get a restful night sleep.  But the drugs have left me woozy this morning.  (I’m tired. I don’t want to run. Period.)

6:45 am: I put on my running gear. Check the weather.  41F.  Not bad. (Boy, I don’t want to do this.  Need to get out the door.  Take that first step. It will get easier.)

6:48 am: I’m off.  Slow start.  Like a cold car in the winter.  Needs a few extra cranks to getting moving.  (The Clampett’s jalopy rolling down hill, with Jethro having a firm grip on the wheel with a sheepish grin on his face. I can do this.)

6:58 am: Garmin GPS telling me that I am slooooooooow this morning.  (Mind is whirring now.  Middle age. Mortality.  Weight gain.  Read on WebMD that for every pound of weight you gain, it causes 4 pounds of stress on the joints.  This means I’m running with the equivalent of four ten-pound sacks of potatoes on my back. Is it any wonder that I’m slow?!  Kit-Kats and the Twix bars on Halloween.  Pumpkin pie and apple pie gorging at Thanksgiving.  Giving way to Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia pints in recent weeks.  Yes, plural.  Note that the chart above reflects actual weight gain from 9/1/12 to today.  I’ve tracked it daily for 10+ years.  And it wasn’t an accident that I cut out the vertical axis data points.)

7:08 am:  I’m beginning to feel an irritation on my legs.  Not enough to be painful, but an irritant nonetheless.  Begin wondering what is going on.  (OMG.  Could it be that my thighs are rubbing together?  This simply can’t be.  It  must be the baggy sweat pants that are causing the chafing.  This has never, I mean never, happened before.  Yes, I’ve experienced chafing in the chest area (TMI) during very long runs, but this.  Wow.  A new low.)

7:18 am:  Chafing has moved beyond the irritant phase.  My pace has slowed dramatically.  (Hoping that if I slow, I won’t rub raw the inside of my thighs. Normal person would stop and walk.  Not this cowboy.  Gotta keep the pace.  Slow as it is.)

7:28 am: Chafing has shifted to pain. With every running step, there’s a rub of coarse sandpaper on my thighs. Left-scrape. Grimace. Right-scrape. Grimace. Left-right-scrape. Grimace.   (I’m almost home. I start running with my legs and feet wider apart to try to reduce the friction.  It doesn’t work.  Now I look and feel like an idiot.)

Time Check: Flat to last week. (More or less. What’s 30-45 seconds among friends?)

I strip off my sweat pants.  The inside of my thighs are fire-engine red.  I gingerly apply Aloe balm – hissing when the cool suave hits the inflamed area.  (Need to ask Susan about the book she was mentioning last night.)

Nap time.

Related Posts: Running Series

57 thoughts on “Running. And Chafing.”

  1. Oh dear, that sounds really sore. We have decided that carbs are the culprits, Protein and strangely enough, fat, does seem to keep the weight down. Dr Atkins certainly wasn’t talking rubbish. 🙂

    Like

    Reply

    1. Yep, I’m aligned Sylvia. Carbs are killers for me, specifically bread, pasta, ice cream….I went on Atkins 8 years ago, and lost more weight than I ever had and kept it off. And then I fell off the wagon. And here we are.

      Like

      Reply

  3. I had to stop several times because the visual you gave made me laugh so hard! Hope the thighs feel better. Women wear Spanx (body compressing garments). I hear they make them for men now too.

    Like

    Reply

  4. You had me LOL! Thanks! Love your story, your honesty, your diligence in tracking your weight so religiously, and your determination to keep at the running (and chafing). Guess mother nature is helping to make the point. Hang in there 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  8. Thanks for your candidness!! I hear you with the marriage nerve strikes and the weight watching. I liked the book, The Good Mood Diet, because it was all about eating to feel good, not weight loss.
    Love your posts.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Hi Brenna. Thank you. I haven’t read the book. It’s a matter of principle now. (I’ll sneak it when she’s not watching.) BTW, I was going to post a Treadmill GIF in your honor this weekend. Couldn’t figure out how to post it. It will happen. You still have me laughing on your spinning wheel story. Have a good weekend. Dave

      Like

      Reply

  9. Funny thing, I’ve gotten serious about my weight. I do have a weight blog losing the last 40 pounds. However, I’ve had it since February, and I haven’t lost an ounce. I put one of my posts on joyat60.wordpress.com. Actually talking to myself this past week has helped. (The post is about the TLC 600 pound woman. She was 42 and died after gastric bypass surgery. She wouldn’t take the doctor’s direction. I’ve lost weight at wt watchers, etc. I

    I eat for emotional reasons. I do like to exercise, but since I’m older I do water aerobics. It’s kept 20 pounds off me for 6 years.

    I know eliminating carbs is a good idea. I’ve done it before, but it’s hard to eliminate them all.

    But, I do know bread isn’t my friend.

    How overweight are you?

    My blood sugar was 113 this morning. Not so terrific. Don’t stuff like that is very motivating!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Hi. You eat for emotional reasons. I eat because I love food, the taste of it. And for emotional reasons. I happen to believe a modified Atkins Diet (low carbs) is the answer. I’ve done it – it has worked – and weight has stayed off. I need to get back at it. I’m 25 lbs over my playing weight many years ago. If I could get down 15lbs, I would be in a good place. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

      Like

      Reply

      1. Yes, I think a modified Atkins is my answer too. It’s something I did for many years. I’m kind of lapsing back into it. For sure, no bread and sugar this week. I guess the holiday season isn’t the best time to be trying it. Why does celebration have to have so much to do with sugar? No more McDonald Mochas for me!

        Like

        Reply

  11. Oh this was painful. And funny (you tell great stories, Pal!). Been there. Under control now – most of the time. Big light bulb moment – realizing food DOES NOT TASTE GOOD when you’re not hungry. No matter how much you keep trying.
    All the best – you have tons of support 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  12. I love your pages and your form of self-expression, it is a pleasure to have you share your gifts through your pages Thank you. I have nominated you for blog of the Year please visit my page Blog of the year awards and nominations Thank you! Revised
    Posted on December 9, 2012

    Like

    Reply

  13. David as someone who has had to fight the Battle of the Bulge the last few years, I have sympathy. However it’s a war of attrition, and you have only begun to fight my friend. I lost over 50lbs by following the advice of a dietician friend, who only gave me five things to do. Eat 5 small meals every day, all saucer sized portions. Take a balanced multivitamin. Include some probiotic yougurt to your breakfast and have some skim or 2% milk with the other meals. Eliminate bread from your diet. Finally get my ass off the couch or work chair everyday for at least 30 minutes of moderate excercise. So your already ahed of where I was, you can do it David.

    Like

    Reply

    1. 50lbs down. Wow. That is a big accomplishment Keith. Good for you. Bread and pasta (and desserts – any kind) are my struggle. If I can get these three down, I’d be in a good place. And I completely agree with you Keith about getting out for 30 minutes a day. It is not a major commitment of time, but based on my reaction to it, it feels like I’m climbing Everest…it’s a bunny hill in comparison. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Keith.

      Like

      Reply

  14. Couldn’t help it …. laughed until I cried … Rhonda had to wait a long time before I could finish reading her your whole story. The vision of the “Beast” (Oh, Thank-you Eric) running wih his knees wider apart than his shoulders was indeed, priceless. Perhaps even more amazing however, is that after 30 years of marriage you still don’t know better than to go for the jugular! I gather your run didn’t garner a great deal of sympathy?

    Like

    Reply

  16. Oh dear, David, I am wiping away the tears after reading this. The visual of you realizing that your thighs were rubbing and then trying to avoid the chafing had me wheezing… Hang in there, buddy, I know it’s frustrating, but you CAN get a handle on this beast!!

    Like

    Reply

      1. Nope. Now you must cling to the hope that no one happened to be in the area with a smart phone set to videotape when you were going through your non-chafing mechinations. I smell a star turn on YouTube! 😉

        Like

        Reply

  17. Blimey, David. Sharing your chafing issues with an audience of people you have never even met: this takes bravery to a whole new level! I am in awe, truly. How to reciprocate? This is a two way street, after all. You can;t be doing all the giving here and we just sit and receive. That’s not fair.

    I could share with you my most embarassing episode as a Head Waiter (and there were many). Possibly it also qualifies as the most embarassing moment of my life. Would that cut it?

    Like

    Reply

    1. LAUGHING. My Dear Michael, where you have been? I’ve been missing the stiff Brit counterweight. It’s high time that some one jumped on the other end of the seesaw (or teeter-totter) and helped me out here. Yes, I would LOVE to hear an embarrassing episode as a Head Waiter. In fact, if you would oblige me, I would like to post it on my blog at the same time you run it on yours so we can spread the love. Bring it on. 🙂

      Like

      Reply

      1. You’re on! I will Blog it and acknowledge why I am doing so (so people will be coming to your Blog to find out what inspired me. Don;t worry, I am going to set this up SO carefully, ho ho).

        Maybe we can get some sort of Christmas “tell it all” movement going, some kind of amnesty? I suspect you may have unleashed something here, sir. watch this space!

        Like

        Reply

        1. I saw the set-up Michael. You were so careful (not). I’m all-in on a Christmas “tell it all” movement – but I’m afraid you and I would be the only ones on the field. I’m going to re-read your post and will need to comment and respond. Here’s Michael’s post for others looking to follow along – http://reallearningforachange.com/2012/12/11/my-most-embarassing-moment-disguised-as-an-article-on-leadership/#. Thanks for the laugh Michael.

          Like

          Reply
  18. Pingback: Days of imperfection « This Touching Life
  19. Pingback: » Another Great Story from the Web Let's Get Political in Billerica
  22. Pingback: My most embarassing moment. Disguised as an article on Leadership. | Real Learning, for a Change

Leave a Reply