What's your grossest training session?

Yeah, been right where you were more than a few times and even went through it in a race. (Very Hot Dry and Hilly Race) Thankfully, the finish photos did not catch me at the right angle.

As for my gross out moment in training:

I run on the treadie from time to time at the gym and I am certain there is a rant posted someplace on a running forum penned by someone who had the misfortune of running on the mill next to me during one of my more intense workouts.

I tend to sweat quite a lot in the gym (Belt gets slippery after a while) and I do get quite stinky. Not to mention that during harder intervals I sound like a Peterbuilt chugging up the grapevine hauling a load of avocados.

To anyone who has ever had the misfortune of running next to me, I am truely sorry

The night before a 26-mile training run, my friend Kim thought it would be a good idea to do a photoshoot with me and our coterie of exotic pets.

Rosie, my tarantula, wound up shedding a bunch of urticating bristles right into the crease of my leg between the front of my thigh and my abdomen.

The area puffed up like a grapefruit and the skin was totally raw and irritated. The next day, doing 26 miles worth of those parts of the skin rubbing together, despite copious amounts of Bodyglide, it just got the hairs in deeper, which irritated the skin even more, ETC. ETC. ETC.

By the time I was done, it was like a big raw nasty stinking wound. EWWWWW

I also had a cut on my tongue from the rat mistaking it for cheese, the finger from the parrot mistaking it for (well, probably, a finger), and had slammed my thumb into the car door. But those didn't actually interfere with or get worse from the running.

HA!!! My 5 year old son keeps asking "mommy, what's so funny!" as I read these things! Ironically, he just announced he has to go poop. Hmmmmm osmosis?!

And a tarantula's hair episode would totally freak me out! woa!

I have so much to look forward to!

 I believe you experienced what is known as a "shart."

OMG, this is the best thread ever! Thank you for having the nerve to share it. It is funny, but honest at the same time because I think we can all relate to some extent. I've gotten close to what you experiences a couple of times but luckily was able to find a bathroom with seconds to spare.

Funny thing is that there's a podcast called ironmantalk.com and on their previous post they talked about just this very same thing. In fact they offered the following words of advice...

1) Hold it in for as long as you can
2) Grab handfulls of leaves when running.
3) Unzip, detach or remove what you can while still running
4) Find a quiet spot.
5) Take a wide stance and squat.
6) Use the leaves well.
7) Finally, Be responsible.

They also included the following link to a very, um, telling picture...not for the faint of heart.

http://www.tritalk.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=36208&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=255

This isn't a training experience, but it's athletic in nature... so I thought I'd post.

My wife and I were in Hawaii (on the big island) a few years back and snorkeling at the Captain Cook Monument.  It was a beautiful day... mid-80s, sunny, and sparkling blue water with fishies and eels galore.  We stopped our snorkeling to grab lunch, which we had kayaked along with us a little earlier.

After lunch, we read our books and digested for a bit.  We felt good, so we decided to hit the water again.  About 20 minutes after starting the swim, I felt my stomach getting a WEE bit upset with me.  I got out of the water and started walking up a path along a stone/lava wall trying to find a bathroom, porta potty, big bush... ANYTHING that would help me out.  Nothing was available.  Too bad my stomach wasn't going to wait.

So I hopped over the lava rock fence (which was only about 2 feet high), dropped my suit and relieved myself.  When I was finished, I looked for something to use to wipe myself.  No leaves.  No shrubs.  No bushes.  Just lava rocks.  So, when in Rome...

I doubt Hawaiians use lava rocks as toilet paper, but I did!  I swam again just a few minutes later, but my arse was a little tender for a few days.

-Joel

Poor guy, but he did none of the seven steps, except maybe #1.

I'll bet you never let Fido lick your face after that! LOL

I'm laughing so hard my stomach hurts!! These are great

LOL - brings back memories - many years ago, while training for half marathons, a training partner always used to run with a supply of toilet tissue tucked into his sock, and used to suddenly dive over walls / behind bushes etc.  every now and then during our runs.

Strangely, he too only ever had a problem in training - never in races. (but I always made sure I was AHEAD of him - just in case!)

Triassic 

So many comments are coming to mind but two things that stand out in this picture.  One, I love looking at the people in the background staring at him.  Two, dude at least in these pictures doesn't seem the least bit phased by said explosion.  He's going about his business (the race that is) as if nothing ever happened and he's about to PR (not BM)!