FPS – Not just a First Person Shooter

Okay boys… lets chat about a unique boy issue. Most of my runs the past couple of months have been in the high 50s to mid 60s. Cold for this neck of the woods. As my runs got longer and the workouts became more difficult, I started to experience something that was odd. Intuitively, I understood what was going on but it wasn’t until I started searching the internet for this ‘symptom’ that I discovered it is quite common, especially in cold weather running. I also found out there was a name and an acronym to make it easier to refer to this ‘condition’.

I am talking about FPS (or replace the P with any other letter denoting your word of choice). FPS is Frozen Penis Syndrome. Now of course, the little man isn’t actually frozen, but certainly looks and feels as such. When I first encountered this, I was taking a leak after a run and noticed my dude was white a ghost and icy cold. Of course, my initial reaction was WTF??? I thought he was a goner. It actually didn’t last long and I realized that this was a natural consequence of strenuous activity. As muscles are activated and worked, blood flow is diverted from less important (ya right) areas to your muscles and internal organs to address the increased demand for oxygen and energy consumption. Apparently your brain thinks you can survive without winky and the boys, so blood flow to them is minimized.

This redirection in blood has the side effects I was seeing and feeling. Fortunately things return to normal fairly quickly, but it can certainly be a shocker if you’ve experienced this biological function.

I found a variety of suggestions online about how to counter this problem. Some wild and some practical. For instance, I came across this post:

Seems the most common suggestions are windproof tights/underwear and/or a loose sock on Mr. Johnson and the twins.

I have discovered many things related to running since starting this journey, but this is certainly one of the strangest and initially startling things I have come across. There is no actual medical literature on this that i was able to find. Just a lot of people over the course of decades talking about it and the related ‘turtling syndrome’. This post is not meant to be medical advice. If you are experiencing something out of the ordinary, it is best to consult your physician about it.

Happy running and may your junk be warm!