I honestly and truly thought I had the whole chafing issue figured out. After my blog last year about this, I tried some new things and had great success. I thought chafing was in my rear view mirror, and marathon training for 2016 was full steam ahead. I was smug about having figured it all out.

What worked in 2015 is not working for 2016.

Until last night’s 20 mi run, that is. Ok, I understand that with a long run, the tried and true methods will likely be put to the test. And in the sudden upswing in the temps where I live (it was a real feel of 95 when I FINISHED last night), I also would expect some minor chafing, even with all the normal preventative measures. Oh no. There was nothing minor about how the insides of my legs looked after that run. And when I slipped into the ice bath after finishing, I thought I was going to scream and cry like the sound that came out of Wesley’s mouth when he was on The Machine in the Princess Bride (level 50, of course).

The good news is that my method for the bra chafing hot spots held up! I use pieces of KT tape to protect those areas. I have faithfully used this method for any run longer than 6 mi, and it has indeed proven successful. With shorter runs, I have found that body glide does work long enough to protect me. So I’ll stick to this plan…at least until it no longer works for me.

As for the groin area, let’s just say, the insides of my legs were raw, red and angry. And I even applied MORE body glide to this area before my run than I normally do. The result? Skin that kind of resembled raw hamburger. (Thankfully, it didn’t also effect my lady parts or my rear end, which I have read about from another female runner as being worse than the pain of childbirth!) After my ice bath and shower, I immediately applied some antibiotic cream to ensure it didn’t get infected, then walked around like a cowboy strutting into a saloon, legs held wide apart so my inner thighs wouldn’t touch any other skin until the cream absorbed. To offer some relief so I could maybe walk normally, I later put baby powder in the groin area. Let me tell you. For the first time in experience with chafing, this did not offer a relief to the burning and rubbing of the skin against other skin or my clothes!

Thankfully, this morning, the area in question has calmed down and I can at least walk normally again. As we do in the age of social media, I posted about this problem on Facebook last night, and my runner friends all not only sympathized with me, but they also gave me their tips to help in the future. I will have to try these one at a time to see what can help, as this summer weather will only get hotter as we go along. Thank you people for all your advice.

• regular stick deoderant
• A&D ointment
• Boudreaux’s Butt Paste

My post run beer (in the ice bath of course) helped distract from the intense chafing I suffered. Thank goodness for Caybrew!

I am hoping to find my 2016 cure for this affliction. Because apparently what worked last year is now, well, so last year!

Do any of these tips work for you? How do you prevent chafing? Or is it simply a losing battle? I can’t believe that it is…I refuse to give up hope that something will stop the chafing! Send your ideas and comments my way!