In Defense of Sweat - Afterthoughts

First, an ITB update. I ran about 3 miles today. BTW, I did it earlier in the morning to avoid the heat. It was a little over 80 degrees at 9 a.m., which in the sun still translated into runny sunscreen.

I tried two new things in the effort to cure and/or get through this. I wore a calf sleeve. I used to wear one a few years ago when I was having problems with shin splints and before I realized that my shin splints were actually the beginnings of stress fractures. It is basically a supportive device for the calf area and looks just like the sleeve of a tight fitting shirt. Feels like it to. I got the idea from another runner I met in NOLA in February who said it helps with her ITB.

It didn't work for me.

I also tried stretching at various points during my run. I always stretch after the first half mile. But this time I did it after every quarter mile or so.

No change.

I still ended up in a sort of walk/run. I ran until the pain affected the stability of my knee; walked until the pain subsided. Not very effective and definitely not very fast. I will not be breaking any PRs on Saturday.

The only positive that came from all this was more concentration on my upper quad and gluts and focusing on making more complete movement of my leg. When I could keep my focus, it relieved some of the tension on that ITB. I definitely need a PT who specializes in running to analyze how I run.

Now for my afterthoughts.

Sweat is sexy. It's all in how you define sexy. Sweat makes the skin shine, even sparkle in certain light. If you remove the cultural bias against strong smell and add in standard human attraction to shiny things, sweat on the human body is sexy.

Take it one step further and think about cars, appliances, windows, diamonds, and water.

Do you look twice at a body of water that is mucky or dirty? No, because you can't see the shine. But, clean that water up and put some sunshine on it so it shines and sparkles and the next thing you know, you want to jump in. It draws you closer.

What do guys do with their cars? (OK, chicks do too, but we are more apt to do it at the carwash!) They wash and wax them. No matter what the model, make, or year (unless its a battered POS), any vehicle looks more appealing when it has a sparkle and shine on it. Especially the vintage ones...

Apply this to appliances, jewelry, windows, dishes, the guy you have your eye on at the gym (just don't get close enough to smell or touch). The list is practically endless. Shine it up and it will catch anyone's eye.

So, I say, rejoice in your sweatiness.