By Zach M., September 2006
The topic of underwear under running shorts seems to be a complex one. I hear about runners who wear running shorts with the standard built-in liner and nothing else. I have tried that and it doesn't work for me. I tend to become aroused very easily in running shorts, obviously, and I would never dare go out in public with such a tent in the front of my shorts.
That is why I cut out the liner and wear nylon underwear instead. For a long time, I was very anxious to hide any bulge and restrict any movement, so I would pull up the underwear very high, to the point where the waist band was higher than that of the shorts themselves. (I would tuck my shirt into my shorts to hide the underwear.) It worked well, but I grew tired of the tightness and the extra coverage.
Recently, I found the courage to just wear my underwear "normally", like I do when wearing pants. I only pull up the underwear enough so that it covers my package. Then I pull my running shorts up and look at myself in the mirror to make sure I'm (relatively) decent. I realized that I am the only one who immediately sees the bulge in front, and that it can only be seen by those on the jogging path who would stare at it, which can't easily happen since I'm on the move.
I appreciated the relaxed fit so much that I decided that it was worth the potential embarrassment of those occasions when I become aroused and my thing grows sideways or diagonally... Even then, it is not that obvious since I wear loose shorts that flap around a lot. I would bet that it would show more if I wore longer shorts, which is out of the question anyway... The arousal does pull up the shorts' leg openings a bit more, though, which is just fine. I require my shorts to be very short, but also as very ample as possible at the hem.
I also liked the fact that less skin is covered under my shorts, which helps to keep me cooler. I guess all this is obvious to experienced runners, but in my case, I have had to deal with my eternal shyness in short shorts. I used to assume that everybody would look at me with the same obsession about my shorts that I had, which is evidently not the case. People around here are used to see men running in short shorts, and my bouncing bulge isn't the first one they see, if they even bother to look...