It’s not a pretty topic so cast your eyes elsewhere if you’re not keen to discuss it.

As about the least athletic person most of you could imagine, I’d not really encountered this issue before I started running a bit more seriously earlier this year. When I started pushing beyond 5ks, it started to get a bit sore a bit between my thighs – the ensuing web research pointed to Vaseline or running shorts as a solution – and £30 at Startfitness later, I had completely resolved this issue (I prefer my bright red Puma shorts to the more demure black Nike alternatives, but I wear them under normal shorts as I haven’t quite acquired that degree of exhibitionist tendencies as yet).

Over the last week or two, the nipple chafing has started to become a problem. Here, I’m told, there are three options:

1. Vaseline or Bodyglide. Sensei Paul swears by Vaseline.
2. Plasters (band-aids for American readers) or medical tape – or the ludicrously expensive and amusingly named Nipguards
3. Bleed like a boss (Sports bras are clearly not an option for hard running men)

The fourth option, which I tried and enjoyed yesterday, was running without a t-shirt, although that seems a slippery slope (and it did raise a number of eyebrows on a grey, blustery day).

I’m going to try options 1 and 2 this week, as option 3 is not one I’m keen on (the pain was more distracting than the muscular discomfort caused by my longest run ever yesterday). What do you folk use? Not going to try another survey, let us know in the comments. Is there a magical chafe-free t-shirt out there somewhere?