Cowboy Hazel

As my monthly running approaches that elusive hundred-mile mark, I have been not-so-subtly reminded of a few of the less than pleasant side-effects of distance running. Exhibit A: Chafing. Holy crap. I went for a not-so-far run today, just 4 miles, but it was warmer than normal and I was wearing a thick, stiff cotton shirt and I had run 5+ miles each of the previous four days... wait, three days. Anyway, point is, when I got home and took my shirt off, I couldn't believe that my nipples weren't spraying out blood. They hurt so bad that that was what I was expecting. It was pretty much the worst pain you could imagine.

That got me thinking, why the hell do men have nipples anyway? Yes, they provided a great deal of humor in Meet the Parents – "I have nipples, Greg, could you milk me?" But, other than that, why?

The ends of my toes are taking a beating too. I've been putting lotion on them and bought the fancy socks, but they're still blistering and getting pretty damn sore. I hate to think of what they're going to be like after Saturday's run. I am going to finally tackle the 12 miler in the Park Saturday morning. This is the last weekend I'll have the opportunity for a while – next week I'm doing the Healthy Kidney 10K and then the Bolder Boulder 10K the week behind that, so it would be 3 weeks before I get another chance. So, wish me (and my toes) luck.

I can't be all negative about these aches and pains, though. In a way, they are somewhat comforting. They remind me that after this far too long hiatus, I am finally back on track, moving towards my first marathon. It'll be almost seven years late, but that's better than never.