numbness

[ajb422]

I had a rather miserable run today and I'm not really sure what to do about it. It was a bit chilly so I did the unheard of for me and put on long sleeves and a beanie (aka toque ). I decided to throw on zems with the hope I could take them off once I'd warmed up. By the time I finished my 7 mile run my arms were numb up to my elbows and my toes were completely numb. And I was running fast (for me). Now I'm sure you see my chapter and are thinking oh freak blizzard in L.A. huh? Nope it was 52 degrees. The midwesterner in me is crying and protesting that 52 is the PERFECT workout weather, but how can I argue with numbness? I even had that horrible prickly pain once my fingers and toes started warming up. The kind that I used to get after playing in the snow for too many hours :-(.

So now my question. Since there is obviously no way I can get frostbitten or anything at this ridiculously high temperature should I just be ok with running on numb feet and trust the zems to protect me until my body mans up and learns to deal, or is numb feet in minimal shoes just as bad as numb bare feet? I could probably put on socks but well frankly this is ridiculous, and I'd rather my body learn to deal with the cold if it isn't going to cause me any harm, but I also don't want to hurt myself. What do you think?



p.s. I hate you California for making me weak :-(

 

[Mike]

Was it raining or foggy?

Was it raining or foggy? uzzled:

 

[ajb422]

nope, it wasn't even dark

nope, it wasn't even dark out. Which granted it won't get much colder than this but once I start running in the dark this will be the pretty standard temp for a few months at least.

 

[saypay45]

Minimalist shoes are weird

Minimalist shoes are weird animals because in the cold, they also cool down (it probably happens in regular shoes too, but you don't notice as much). So in colder weather, especially on surfaces like blacktop, your feet can be colder in shoes than if they were bare. I notice that a lot, especially in temps where my feet shouldn't be getting cold (i.e. 52 degrees).

Also, in colder weather my motto is to always wear more than you think you'll need. This is opposite from what I used to do when I wore shoes...and I wore as little as I could get away with so I didn't get hot and sweat through my cold gear. If you're going minimalist or bare you need to bundle up so that your core is warm, and therefore your body will have enough warmth to send down to your feet.

I'd say in weather like that, try wearing a vest and some gloves. And maybe even take off the shoes.

Also, it will get easier the more you expose yourself to cold weather. I used to get numb feet with temps in the 40s. Now I can run into the teens barefoot.

 

[Mike]

I have never had my arms go

I have never had my arms go numb before... All I can say is dress warmer, if your arms got that cold then I would assume your core was not warm enough. For me warm core = warm arms/hands, especially when running. I also wear thin gloves when im running in cool temps, it keeps the cold air off my fingers.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I am completely stumped as to

I am completely stumped as to why you had this problem. You need to try to replicate it once again and maybe again after that to see if for sure you are that sensitive to the "not-so-cold," or to see if there could be something else going on with your body. At any rate, after experimentation is over, bundle up more.

 

[ajb422]

saypay45 wrote:  This is

This is opposite from what I used to do when I wore shoes...and I wore as little as I could get away with so I didn't get hot and sweat through my cold gear. If you're going minimalist or bare you need to bundle up so that your core is warm, and therefore your body will have enough warmth to send down to your feet.

I tended to always take this philosophy as well, I never really minded being cold but I hate being hot. Numbness I'm not a big fan of though. I guess its time to admit defeat to climatization and put more clothes on.

 

[NakedSoleNate]

 are you sure the numbness

are you sure the numbness was due to you being cold, and NOT due to lack of blood flow..i.e. a pinched nerve, etc...or something else (neuropathy)....if there was a lot of tension in your body, that can hamper blood flow too...I'd keep an eye on it and not necissarily attribute it to air temperature...

 

[Abide]

ajb422 wrote:I never really

I never really minded being cold but I hate being hot.

Hey I used to be that way too...then I moved to AZ and now it is the exact opposite. Well so far it has gotten down to 45 here in the morning and that was cold for me. I wear a sweatshirt or a longsleeve shirt now when I run. I sling way more F'bombs in the winter, that is for sure.

 

[Barefoot Mary]

Also be careful about how

Also be careful about how your feet land when your feet are numb! I took a faceplant earlier this winter and gashed my knee because my foot was numb and I literally tripped on my toes! Stupid foot....

"A numb foot is a dumb foot." --Barefoot Ted



...boy was he right about that.

 

[ajb422]

  @Nate and TJ- It did go

@Nate and TJ- It did go away when I got to the gym (where they blast the heat). But I've been dealing with some anemia issues, and always have very low blood pressure which could probably adding to the problems. I guess I'll see whether it repeats itself tomorrow and bring more clothes just in case.



@Abide- yeah I mentally threw a bunch of those in a row while trying to hurry this morning. I just wanted to be home.



@Mary- I'm so clutsy I'll trip on my own non-numb feet. So I'm fairly careful about making sure to at least wear socks. Today was sort of special but at least I had my zems on so I didn't have to worry about rocks and such.

 

[twinkletoes]

ajb-  this is so frustrating,

ajb- this is so frustrating, and I can relate:

I have Raynauds, (as well as low blood pressure), as do a few others around here. I used used to experience exactly what you described on extremely pleasant days and be baffled how it could be so warm out and my fingers and toes would be white following a 7 mi run.

I swear though, running and walking BF has changed things for me overall this winter- where before I was always ice cold from fall to spring, my feet and hands are warmer much longer and it's usually when I have some sort of shoes on that my toes start numbing up.

I agree completely with Saypay- load up the core, and wear gloves even if it seems too warm. I also make sure I drink very warm or hot water after a run. My coldest BF run to date was 30 degrees F last week and I had no numbness in my toes whatsoever after the first 3/4 mile when they warmed up. I stayed warm even when I got home and took my time getting into a hot shower where before I'd be desperate to thaw out. It has helped my fingers too- it was bad enough that I was afraid I would have to completely quit running in the winter because the condition is dangerous if it continues- blood vessel damage is a risk.

 

[ajb422]

 Good to know bf running

Good to know bf running helps this then . Now maybe I have a curable issue for bf running to help. I did as suggested this morning and left the house with a ridiculous amount of clothes on. But by the end I had been able to ditch the beanie, gloves and zems with no numbness. I guess the two long sleeve shirts made all the difference. Good thing its black friday soon, I don't have nearly enough long sleeve shirts and pants if I'm going to be wearing them all the time.

 

[twinkletoes]

So glad to hear your

So glad to hear your experiment worked and that you find over time it gets even better- My stepmom was amazed today that my hands and feet are still so warm even several hours after my BF run- it is terribly cold out right now too and I just don't feel it like I used to.