Saved by Skin Doctor
Updated: Feb 2
"Alex walks funny" Chelsey said on stage 5 of the Patagonia Expedition Race 2018. She was right. I was in agony. I could barely focus on nav or anything else because of the intense discomfort created by the chafing in my pants.
My back door was on fire as if I had eaten Dan's size of jalapeño peppers. At the moment my mind was clouded with thoughts like "I can't take this shit anymore" or "I'm finished" and "this is my last race". As you may know, we use Skin Doctor in races so I was using it, but my condition was too advanced to be healed in the middle of a race when on the move and constantly wet.
In the end I was able to manage it with all kinds of strategies and we got to the finish line. Chelsey wrote this excellent article about PER if you wish to know more.
I've been trying different things over the years but as my issue solved by itself shortly after races it was always hard to really address it. My Doctor had told me to increase my usage of chamy cream as I was in a constant state of inflammation due to sweat in training and racing, but it did not solve the issue.
Fast forward to Expedition Panama in February 2022, I'm again having bum issues. After the race I was resolute about solving this thing, it was not going to be the end of me. I was gonna get to the "bottom" of it.
Luckily, we were scheduled to race again two months later at Expedition Canada. Our pre-race protocol includes hands and feet Skin Doctor treatment, so I decided to extend it to the middle of my body. For two weeks, I treated myself with Skin Doctor every night when going to bed.
On day 3 of Expedition Canada, after spending loads of time with wet undies, on trek and bike, I realized my @ss was tip top! Boom baby! Brand new! As if I was not even racing! The protocol had worked! It felt like magic to me! I was saved from the agony and the demons! I can now say with confidence that Skin Doctor saved me from wanting to stop expedition racing, and that in itself is really amazing because I don't know what I'd be doing good if I had no racing plans!
So again we reveal one of our not so hidden secrets, Skin Doctor does not only work wonders in the moment but it also be used prepare yourself (where ever your problem area is) for hard conditions to come!
So, take my advice and save yourself and use Skin Doctor! And even better- follow this link and use the code BendRacing at check out to save.
