I did the leadman 250 last Saturday 6 days ago. It was very cold and rainy conditions and my hands were numb and freezing the whole time
after the race my fingers were still numb, or felt like they were asleep, and they still feel the same 6 days later. Has anyone experienced this?
how long did it take to regain feeling? Is it long term peripheral nerve damage? I always get cold hands and feet but this was the worst I have ever had.
Thanks
Mine are just now coming back. All week i have been worried too… My right pinky is still lagging but seems to be getting better every day
The prolonged numbness indicates severe cold injury to the superficial skin nerves. Google “chilblain.” Like frostbite, it’s best to rewarm your hands as soon as possible. Information is lacking about prognosis after untreated chilblain. Recovery will likely be slow… could take weeks until normal. Best not to let your hands get cold until full sensation returns (expect increased cold sensitivity). Also, best not to apply heavy pressure to the numb areas.
Be careful as your hands will likely be more sensitive to cold from now on. After riding and racing in marginal weather for a few years, my hands and feet are both much more sensitive to the cold.
Never a bad idea to bring full fingered gloves to any race that you may have cold weather.
Not sure what to tell you about regaining feeling in your fingers. It may take time. but in the future here is what I would recommend:
The addition of a simple tube of hand cream to your arsenal of cold weather gear could be all that’s needed to transform your outing from miserable to sublime.
Just before heading out, apply a generous dab of cream to your hands and feet. The action of rubbing the cream onto your skin stimulates circulation, and the layer of cream on your skin acts as a vapor barrier keeping warmth and moisture in and cold out.
When you first head out, if you can wiggle your fingers and toes for a few minutes that will also help circulate more warm blood to your fingers and toes, Keeping them nice and toasty.
After using this simple little trick, I’ve finished many runs in single digit temps bare handed. Try it. You might be surprised with the results. You might not end up bare handed, but your hands will be warm.
Read my blogs on all things running and shoe related at:
http://www.discounttrisupply.com/blog/category/running-guru-bill/
You’re not alone. Mine are slowly coming around. The worst for me are the index fingers, especially my left hand. I suspect that finger sustained significantly more nerve damage in my years of swinging knives in the kitchens though.
I was also one of those ones that came in to T2 and could not get my helmet off. Thankfully someone helped me with the buckle before they headed out for their run. I, in turn, passed on the favour. Certainly glad I didn’t have any laces to tie.
You may have Raynaud’s syndrome. Didn’t hit me until my 30’s or 40’s but now I get numb white fingers anytime it gets the least bit cold. Apparently 10 percent or so people develop this. It’s a real nuisance trying to cope with this when living in a cold climate