On Thursday’s I do this radio gig for a local jazz station, and invariably the host talks about or asks about the whole marathoning thing I’ve been doing. Trouble with all the talk about running is that it gives the impression I’m actually GOOD at it.
I’m not. (Of course, the same can be said of all the talk about my singing gigs, but that’s another topic for another day.)
After the San Francisco marathon on Sunday, a friend sent me a YouTube video called “The Day after the Marathon.” It’s worth watching for the laugh (and if you’ve ever wondered what it feels like for us non-athletes after we’ve run 26 miles), but brace yourself for the last shot.
The first time I ever heard about nipple abrasion, I was SURE the guy telling me about it was just trying to freak me out. Truth was, he was just warning me. Naturally, I didn’t listen so the first time the blood began to flow I was irritated in both senses of the word.
(It’s really disgusting and painful…and during a marathon can sure quiet the spectators as you pass by.)
It’s funny to see the grimaces on their faces, though.
I always TRY to remember to tape up before I go for a run now…though you’d be surprised how many things I forget to do considering I run almost every day. And for marathons I even try to remember to bring extra band-aids just to be safe. So on Sunday when a guy was passing me by and I could see the blood trails on his white shirt, I sped up and asked him if he wanted a couple of the band-aids. He said, sort of resignedly, “No thanks, it’s too late anyway.”
Tell ya what…it’s NEVER too late for band-aids in my book ’cause the bleedin’ don’t stop the pain. And when it’s happened to me, it means I have to take off my shirt and run, beer-belly bouncing, down the street.
And THAT is scarier for the spectators than blood. (I’m grimacing just thinking about it.)
UPDATE:
I went to the Post Office today and found I’d received a gift from my co-workers Stephanie and Amber:
It’s nice to know they care (though kinda odd). That’s what I get for the excessive-sharing I do in this purportedly work-related blog. I’ll need to back-check some of these entries to see what other anatomically-related gifts I might expect in the future.
