Running The London Marathon At That Time Of Month

[icyfroth]

Spoiler

Woman runs whole London Marathon without tampon to fight the 'stigma of periods' - Health & Families - Life and Style - The Independent

“The marathon for me was about family and feminism,” she said – the latter being because she “ran the whole marathon with period blood running down [her] legs”.

Gandhi explained that her period began the night before the big race, but that she decided she didn’t want to have to wear a tampon while running 26.2 miles.

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She wrote: “I thought, if there’s one person society won’t f*** with, it’s a marathon runner. If there’s one way to transcend oppression, it’s to run a marathon in whatever way you want.

“On the marathon course, sexism can be beaten. Where the stigma of a woman’s period is irrelevant, and we can re-write the rules as we choose. Where a woman’s comfort supersedes that of the observer.

“I ran with blood dripping down my legs for sisters who don’t have access to tampons and sisters who, despite cramping and pain, hide it away and pretend like it doesn’t exist. I ran to say, it does exist, and we overcome it every day. The marathon was radical and absurd and bloody in ways I couldn’t have imagined until the day of the race.”

FGS what's liberating about running a marathon without using an adequate hygiene product?

[icyfroth]

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

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@*julia*2010 wrote:

sweat is natural and periods are taboo

no.  periods are natural as are other

bodily functions but for some reason

we perform them in private or keep 

the activities concealed......

i wonder why that is......could it have

something to do with being civilised ??

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It used to "civilised" to keep menstruating women hidden indoors. It used to "civilised" to consider menstruation unclean (and many cultures still do). It used to be "civilised" to ban women from churches and religious ceremonies whilst menstruating (and many religions still do). In "civilised" society menstruation used to mean that women were weaker physically and emotional at that time of month.

I don't think bringing "civilised" society into the discussion is really a satisfactory argument.

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I'm sorry, but I think it is.

We train our boys not to scratch themselves on the crotch in public,  expect men not to adjust in public , not to stare at women's   breasts, not to fart loudly in front of our girlfriends, not to pick their noses while standing at the lights. All quite natural functions.

We expect to be civilised and socialised and we don't want them to embarrass us.

Then we run around letting menstrual fluid leak freely into our pants because we're "raising awareness about taboos".

I mean, really? What sort of message is that sending?

[k0llectable5]

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

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@secondhand-wonderland wrote:

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I can see possible fungal infection happening there, think about it, sweat, blood, chaffing, heat, 5+ hours. After that long wearing those type of sports leggins, you'd be very irritated down there I reckon.  May not be a fungal infection but it would surely be a bit of a mess and verging on unhygenic, most likely smelly etc... Not saying it's unnatural just a little bit yuck.  

And imo the way sanitary pads are so absorbant these days and somne are so thin, 5 hours in the same pad wouldn't cause excessive chaffing in those type of pants, and by the look of it, she definately wasn't on a heavy flow day... 

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I have never heard of a woman getting a fungal infection due to her periods. I am assuming everyone is talking about yeast infections (which usually occur at the end of a period)? But if she was going to get a fungal/yeast infection, then having a pad would surely make this worse as it will make air circulation and heat much worse?

And I still don't get how it is unhygenic or smelly. Would be if you were wearing a pad for sure.

Chafing would probably be more of an issue with a tampon. But as mentioned, there is no chance that you could keep a pad in over a 5 hour run, tight clothes or no tight clothes. I can't even keep them steady over an 8 period of barely moving when I wear them to bed!

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Lets say a fungal or yeast infection isn't possible, I think you've raised a good point.  Do you think she'd be irritated at all?  Having ran for five hours in leggins which would be damp from sweat and blood.

Her leggins would have to be damp with blood, what happens when she sits down somewhere?

[Anonymous]

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@icyfroth wrote:

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

However, I have had to remove a painful tampon midway through a 2 hour strenuous hike once so I understand what it means to be uncomfortable because of products at that time of the month. 

Are you sure you were doing it right?

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that's what i was thinking.

its not meant to be painful unless inserted

incorrectly.  

i've been reading comments from other 

runners in response to this woman and 

they didn't have an issue with using one.

the only concern i would have would be

TSS. 

[i-need-a-martini]

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@*pepe wrote:

martini you can throw any argument you like at this, its still not going to be any less disgusting than it is.

There are elite and amateur sportswomen faced with this issue every single day and they manage to go about their business still.

She did it for attention, no other reason.

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It's only "disgusting" because she spoke openly about it. Or are you suggesting womens periods are "disgusting"? Bringing up hygene, fungal infections are excuses to hide our own embarrassment I think. I hope that changes soon for my daughters sake.

Here is an article about eleite sportswomen on the subject: http://www.mamamia.com.au/lifestyle/menstrual-cycle-in-sport/

Made world wide news when she talkjed about getting her periods. All the articles have words like "shock", "taboo", "mortifying", "nightmare". Seriously you would think that something major was happening.

Interesting comments from fellow tennis players who were "shocked" that another player would mention the word "period". How ridiculous is it. Mind you she only called it "girl things".

[icyfroth]

Nah speaking openly about it was not the disgusting part. People speak openly about it these days.

The disgusting part was letting it run into your pants and trying to make some sort of women's liberation statement.

If she'd had to urinate or defecate, would she have let that run into her pants as well? She seemed to be able to hold on for 5 hours in those cases.

[i-need-a-martini]

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@*julia*2010 wrote:

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@icyfroth wrote:

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

However, I have had to remove a painful tampon midway through a 2 hour strenuous hike once so I understand what it means to be uncomfortable because of products at that time of the month. 

Are you sure you were doing it right?

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that's what i was thinking.

its not meant to be painful unless inserted

incorrectly.  

i've been reading comments from other 

runners in response to this woman and 

they didn't have an issue with using one.

the only concern i would have would be

TSS. 

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I was doing a 2 hour rough terrain hike for goodness sakes. Every part of my body was moving including my lady bits. I wasn't walking sedately around the shops for 2 hours!

A **bleep** isn't a steel tube that stays put. It is flexible and it moves around. Gees, it moves so much a baby can even exit it lol!  A tampon stays in place because of muscles. If those muscles are moving up down side to side, then anything inside is going to move around. 

[i-need-a-martini]

Didn't realise I wasn't allowed to say the correct medical word starting with a 'v' for the bit where a tampin goes.

Far out ebay mods...

[Anonymous]

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

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@*julia*2010 wrote:

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@icyfroth wrote:

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

However, I have had to remove a painful tampon midway through a 2 hour strenuous hike once so I understand what it means to be uncomfortable because of products at that time of the month. 

Are you sure you were doing it right?

---

---

that's what i was thinking.

its not meant to be painful unless inserted

incorrectly.  

i've been reading comments from other 

runners in response to this woman and 

they didn't have an issue with using one.

the only concern i would have would be

TSS. 

---

I was doing a 2 hour rough terrain hike for goodness sakes. Every part of my body was moving including my lady bits. I wasn't walking sedately around the shops for 2 hours!

A **bleep** isn't a steel tube that stays put. It is flexible and it moves around. Gees, it moves so much a baby can even exit it lol!  A tampon stays in place because of muscles. If those muscles are moving up down side to side, then anything inside is going to move around. 

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huh ???

tampons are designed to stay in place

during physical activities lol

i think you just didn't use the right one.

and anyway sport tampons have been on

the market for some time now 

[Anonymous]

The disgusting part was letting it run into your pants and trying to make some sort of women's liberation statement.

if she didn't shave her armpits i might

have considered she was legit. 

(still disgusting though)

[i-need-a-martini]

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@*julia*2010 wrote:

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huh ???

tampons are designed to stay in place

during physical activities lol

i think you just didn't use the right one.

and anyway sport tampons have been on

the market for some time now 

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Huh?? 

Sports tampons aren't a different shape. They just are better at preventing a leak when you move. Would have made no difference to me as leaking wasn't my issue.

Anyway, come back and argue it with me after you've tried doing something like rock climbing or running a marathon with a tampon in place.