Cold feet and a cheerleader

Forgive me for the amount of complaining to come but winter has gotten me to this point and I am over it! I'm sure many others are with me on this sentiment especially after our lack of snow and cold last winter. I know my daughter is done with it too as she asks daily if we can go back to Costa Rica!

First I want to thank the city for my great run yesterday and was tempted to write this...

Dear City- Thank you for the opportunity to run not once, not twice, but three times on the highway yesterday due to your inability to clear the paths next to the road. I enjoyed the adrenaline of knowing cars were heading towards me but I prefer to not do it again any time soon!


Next my hands and feet are ready to fall off! I've had issues for as long as I can remember but this year is extreme. I have improved a little with compression socks and compression arm sleeves but always end a run (or even quick walk into a store) with numb painful fingers...
45 minutes after my run yesterday when it was 20+. Pretty nasty! Love the line of blue then white fingers (really the picture looks much better then reality).

I am still running in my massive mittens and hate it! Combine this with hand warmers and it still hurts. I think I only had to pull these things out a few times last winter and here I am in March and still using them!

Yep, I run in these massive babies nearly half the year. 
My self-diagnosis is Raynaud's but who knows. I would love any suggestions on things that have worked for others. I'm not ready to give up winter running but am ready to give up the painful hands and feet. Anyone else with this problem found a good solution? Worst part for me is even when I do seem okay during a run, it is still awful afterwards for up to 1 hour.

One final complain about winter and I will be done. We are sick again. It started with O and now I woke up today with a sore throat, stuffy head, etc. I made the smart choice and slept in, skipping spin class but not much more to do now. And can it be worse timing? I have my first race of the year on Saturday where I was hoping to run strong. Time to rest, drink lots and see what happens.

And now a little smile to balance the negative, someone must be starting to feel better...

Comments

  1. She's an adorable cheerleader!!! Sorry to hear about your hands! That sounds so painful! I remember Sarah Bowen Shea from Another Mother Runner talking about having Raynaud's as well. She was recounting a painful experience! I'm over winter too...bring on the thaw!

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  2. I was going to mention Raynauds too :(

    there should be a nice place in the world that is temperate, where you could run all of the time without being too hot or too cold. I think that place is San Diego. I think we should all move there ;)

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  3. Wow! That picture of your hands is shocking! No wonder they hurt. I think your self-diagnosis is right. I tend to have cold hands, but I don't get the color change, and I have had two medical professionals tell me I have Raynauds, but the medical professionals were my orthodontist and my optometrist. I don't think I have it.

    What kind of hand warmers are you using? The kind I have need a few minutes to get warmed up. If that is the kind you use, you may need to get them activated sooner, so the hand warmer is heated up right from the start and doesn't give your hand a chance to get cold. I also recommend layering gloves under the mittens.

    I hope you find a solution that works for you.

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  4. My fingers do the same thing but not quite as extreme since i don't run when it's that cold:). I self diagnosed raynaud's too. If you find any solutions let me know:)

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  5. I am completely over the Winter! As I sit at my desk and see giant fluffy snow flakes flowing out of the skies currently. Argh.

    Your poor painful fingers! Several people in my family have Rynauds, but I have seen that bad of a reaction. :(

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  6. Hugs Jen. Sounds and looks like we have another similarity. Renaud's syndrome. Prolly TMI, but my itty bitties get cold too LOL. BTW, I say send the letter anonymous!! :D

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  7. I am ready for winter to be done as well! I have the same problem with my fingers turning white and staying numb after running. I start wearing light gloves at around 50 degrees (yet I will wear shorts down to 35!) and am sporting my mittens as well. The only thing I have had moderate success with is running my hands under warm water for a long time post run.

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  8. Definitely ready for summer too! I hope you can get your hands figured out - you might want to see a doctor about your circulation. Maybe try running on an indoor track or treadmill?

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  9. Raynaud's - have it - it sucks. My feet are much worse than my hands - I wear toe warmers on top of my feet in my shoes, duct tape over the outside vents of my shoes and hand warmers in my Brooks Utopia mittens. There are still bad days, but these things make it more tolerable.

    Kim

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