Subject: Bike shorts for half marathon - TERRIBLE idea!I just did a half marathon today, which I signed up for last second as I'm traveling for work and my friend in the area wanted me to run it with him. I forgot my running shorts, but oddly did bring bike shorts in case there was a hotel gym bike, and since they fit really well on the bike, figured it'd be no big deal to just run in the bike shorts. Wow that was a HUGE mistake. I started chafing at mile 4, and by mile 8, it was bad enough to be the biggest worry on my mind despite a very hard running effort. It didn't slow my run down, but I definitely will pay the price in the next few days. I've not got big, angry welts on my backside at the edges of the pad where it rubbed. They're so painful in the shower that it literally feels like I'm pouring boiling oil or fire on my skin if it comes into contact with water. Yeeouch!! I also can't walk normally at all because of the chafing fabric. So now my new colleagues at the work conference probably think I have a medical abnormality causing this. I now also know why triathlon bib pads are often made of thin felt - for this exact reason. So bottom line - if you're planning to use bike shorts, even well fitting ones, for runs of HM distance or longer, I'd StRONGLY advise you to reconsider. Luckily enough though, race went well. I ran a 1:37 last week at a half ironman, and despite having dead legs all this week, ran a 1:29 today with a solid negative split. Still got passed by hordes of men and women - scary how many people run sub-7 minute miles. Edited by yazmaster 2012-09-16 1:38 PM
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