Week 14 - Word of the day: chafe

chafe - verb - to become worn or sore from rubbing.

I completed week 14 of Hal Higdon's Novice 1 marathon training program. It's a stepback week and today's run was only 14 miles. Once again, I finished strong with a negative split.

However, when I was showering I noticed that my skin was raw in my underarm area. Chafing is one of the hazards of running. You hear stories about guys who put bandages over their nipples to prevent them from bleeding. Typically it's worse when wearing cotton clothing which tends to absorb sweat and becomes more irritable to the skin. I was wearing a technical shirt which is supposed to wick the sweat away and be less prone to chafing but it didn't help in this case. I won't be wearing that shirt for my marathon. I'll also have to give more thought about using Vaseline or Bodyglide as a preventative measure.

The Portland Marathon is now only one month away! Next week is the peak week for my training with 40 miles total for the week and a 20-miler as the long run. After that, I'll begin my taper where the training load is reduced to allow my body to rest in preparation for the marathon.