This morning, I went for my first run in a while.
Just a few minutes in, my legs were uncontrollably itchy.
And thats when I remembered: oh, yeah.
Fortunately the itching tends to go away over time.
This might be what causes the itching or tingling sensation.
Histamineis released during exercise, especially at higher intensities.
Your body may do this to help dilate those blood vessels, or to help keep you alert.
Vibrationseems to trigger itching, as seen instudies done with whole-body vibration plates.
But Ill leave this question to the scientists.
What matters to runners is figuring out what to do about it.
Hives, also known as urticaria, can occur during exercise as well.
This is known as exercise-induced urticaria.
you could also get a different condition called cholinergic urticaria from heat or stress, in addition to exercise.
Thats been my experience as well.
My skin may itch; my shins may ache.
I remind myself that this isnt how it will feel forever, just how it feels today.
Here are some things that can help:
Take extra time to warm up.
This can mean walking for the first five minutes or so, before you kick off to run.
Some runners find this helps to reduce the itching.
Hydrate well.Maybe it helps with the blood vessel dilation, or maybe youll just be well-hydrated while you itch.
Your goal isbuilding that habit.
Walk until the itching subsides, then decide if you feel ready to run a little more.
Wear soft, comfortable clothes.
Dont try out a new laundry detergent just yet.
On todays run, I stuck with the slow to a walk strategy.
My lungs and legs felt fine to continue running, but the itching was driving me nuts.
In total, I ran less than half my planned distance, and that was already a short route.
But I know that next time Ill probably itch a little less.
And pretty soon, Ill forget that this was ever a problem at all.
