By: David Wallach
Living in Chicago means being cold, it’s a part of the deal. If you are training for long distances, eventually you are going to find yourself outside in the freezing cold.
Last January, I found myself outside, running, in the cold in that exact scenario, outside on a frozen path with Cubicle Dad, running along in the -10 degree conditions. As it turns cold again, I wanted to share my story with you.
Before we headed out into the frosty tundra, we did a pretty good job of covering up, we knew we were going to be outside for a while and I thought I was prepared.
We were cold, but we were making it through, until, I felt the call of nature and had to stop to relieve myself. Peeing during a run is a part of the program on long runs. Only on Marathon Day do the alleys of Chicago smell just like the streets of New York, lots of pee stops!
I stopped, took care of business and caught up with Dan.
Note: When you are a boy and you pee while running, you may not pay as much attention as you need to the follow up of your business, and you may dribble a bit. It happens, when you are running sanitation drops on the list of priorities.
So I dribbled, a bit, no biggie, we kept on going in the arctic conditions. I started to feel a pain “down there,” I reached down to shift things around, I quickly realized that wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought. My dribble had in fact frozen and stuck my manhood to my underwear! (Think Flick in A Christmas Story) It was really beginning to hurt, but there was no way I was about to yank him free, so we ran, and it got worse.
At the end of the day I got home, jumped into a very hot shower (undies still on) and released my friend from captivity, he was a little beaten up, but OK. ”
Apparently I am not alone with this problem that I like to call Frostbitten Buddy, others call it Blue Tip. There is even an underwear that you can wear to help keep the boys warm and dry, the New Balance NBx Wind Brief.
From their web site: Designed for the performance runner who is looking to brave the elements no matter what the thermostat reads. A windproof, breathable front panel ensures the ultimate in cold weather protection while the brief’s compression fabric provides maximum support. 5 inch inseam( I needed twice that).
With my pride gone, my manhood in jeopardy and another cold weather run coming up, I called New Balance and asked them for a pair of these miracle undies to test. I needed it, my boys needed it, my future children needed it. After three months of testing, I have to say Viva New Balance!
I have worn these babies in all kinds of cold, I have “recreated” the same conditions, and I can say without a doubt the New Balance NBx Wind Briefs are great at preventing Frostbitten Buddy and are a much better idea than the Cock Sock (picture in Red White and Blue).
If you’re training for the Shamrock Shuffle grabbing a pair of these might be the thing you need to keep your Pot of Gold from getting cold.
If you don’t want to drop $30 for a pair of running undies, I reached out to the endurance community and got some other helpful tips on how to prevent Blue Tip.
“Yes, some call it “blue tip” and it can be avoided. Run into the the
wind first (before you are sweaty), and wear an extra layer in the
general vicinity.”
“A normal grocery shopping bag will due. What you do is break the
handles so that you can stretch them and tie them in the back, and
then shove the plastic over the front of your bits and pieces. It is
nearly free, and highly effective, and makes you ‘crinkle’ when you
walk/run. I have heard that this can be adapted to the women for their
upper bits and pieces, but do not have any first hand knowledge of how
well, or if this works, or is even a real problem.”
“If it’s real cold (<10F) or windy here in MA, I’ll stuff an extra
hat or fleece mitten in my pants for protection. Works for me if I put
it between my compression shorts and tights. I run outside year round
and have been cold.”
From now on when it gets cold out, I am well protected. If you are looking for cold weather gear, make sure to check out our Deerfield or Clybourn stores for everything you need to keep you warm and Running Away.
