i have, but i’ve never found out exactly what the problem is. i feel like it’s because of my skin’s reaction to the dry air and the synthetic fibers on my workout clothes, so typically slathering on lotion before heading out for a workout helps a lot. good luck Sarah! hope this helps a little!

I wonder if it might be from the lotion that she wears and the reaction with toxins coming out of her skin while she works out. How long has this been going on with her? How weird! I think I would die if this happened to me! Good luck!

How uncomfortable that must be! I would think maybe a talc or baby powder might help? I have no idea. Poor Sarah!

Maybe its heat rash? It sounds awful! 🙁

I love the mini casserole idea! I just bought individual casserole dishes thinking I’d use them for desserts, but a casserole would be fantastic! I should whip one up for dinner tonight. Thanks for the idea!

And yep, I used to get it really, really bad in my abdomen and legs….sort of like she is explaining. 🙂

My nose runs when I run, which is exercise induced rhinitis. It’s caused by excess histamine and can also cause itchiness and hives.

If you search for exercise induced rhinitis you can find more information on it!

Sounds like it could be a very minor case of “exercise urticaria”. I used to have this problem too and my doc said to take an antihistine before working out. Then, once I started working out regularly and my body got used to it, the problem went away on its own.

I have had that problem as well the itchiness is related to a collapse of small capillaries from inactivity. When you start strenuous activity like running, the capillaries open up again but in the process it sends electrical impulses to the brain, which then reads the sensation as an “itch.” It should subside as you continue your running. Topical lotions won’t help.

HOPE THIS HELPS!

I know I have gotten itchy for a variety of reasons….primarily due to very cold weather which makes me itch and get hives. Another issue I have had was due to detergent with frangrance or dyes making me itch.

But the one thing I have heard again and again about itchy legs when running is that isn’t your skin, its your capillaries. There are millions of tiny capillaries inside our muscles which expand rapidly due to the demand for more blood that is brought on by exercise. When fit, these capillaries remain open allowing maximum blood passage, but when unfit and inactive they tend to collapse, allowing only minimal blood passage (which is sufficient for a sedentary person however). The rapid expansion of these vessels causes adjacent nerves to send impulses back to the brain which are interpreted as an itch. Usually this goes away as the runner improves fitness.

As Carrie mentioned, it is a circulation problem. When your heart rate increases (during exercise) and your body is not used to it, it can be hard to get enough blood circulating especially to your further extremities.

Most people get an “itchy” sensation in their quads/hamstrings, but abdomen and back are common also. It is almost like a tingling sensation, but presents as itchy also, it can be frightening if you don’t know what or why.

The more you exercise it will start to go away, as your cardiovascular system will get used to regulating your blood flow during high intensity workouts.

When it gets really bad, don’t completely stop or walk, your body needs to get used to the higher intensity. Instead, drop your pace to a slower jog, but keep the motion going. If it becomes truly painful then stop, but chances are it will start to subside once your heart rate levels off more.

Hope it starts to fade soon!

It seems like some others have experienced the problem. I hope they can help her figure out a solution. I sometimes get itchy on my legs, but I’m pretty sure it’s just dry skin and synthetic fabrics.

Sometimes my back/thighs/legs/booty area itches some when I workout outside. I always just figured it was because it wasn’t used to jiggling so much. LOL

For real though, I just started getting little patches of eczema this winter so I have to moisturize like a crazy person. My doc made me switch from cheap soap to Dove and good lotion too. Maybe that would help?

I’ve had this happen to me a few times! It’s usually on my legs and it’s so awful I have to stop running and all I want to do is shower.

I’ve never figured out the cause either. I’m in good shape, run often, and haven’t switched detergents or anything like that.

mmmm…..that casserols looks good! where do you find those cute little bowls? i copied your veggie fajitas wraps yesterday and this casserole would be perfect for dinner tonight or tomorrow 🙂

i hope itchy runner finds some relief! my husband is a landscaper and gets itchy sometimes, we switch detergent and dryer sheets when that happens.

This should help for the itchy runner

http://www.fitsugar.com/Itchy-Legs-Running-4514320

one more thing–like the person above who commented–DOVE is an awesome soap to use–CETAPHIL is also great. If dry skin is contributing to the itch, take short showers that are not too hot, rinse the soap off quickly and moisturize often.

I don’t have any solutions, but I just wanted to say that i have the SAME PROBLEM! i thought i was the only freak out there, lol! i usually get itchy all over my abdomen, hips & thighs. Sometimes I’ll even get raised little hives that stick around for a day or so. This happens ONLY when I run. When I do other cardio, such as my 1.5 hr dance class when I’m sweating like a maniac, I never get itchy. Only running outside. So weird. I might try some of these suggestions on my next run! Good luck, Sarah!

Do you have any allergies that make your skin itch, Sarah? I have a friend who gets these huge bumps on her skin because of some allergy. They still have not figured out what she is allergic for. But she told me once that she has it with certain types of high intensity workouts as well.
If you don’t have allergies that make your skin itch, then I agree with the others that it is probably the blood vessels.

I have that itchy problem ocassionally. I think it’s called exercise Urticaria. I’ve heard that taking Benadryl before running can help. It hasn’t happened to me in a long time, knock on wood, but it was horrible when it did.

I’ve had that problem and it is caused by a histamine release. I read about it a few years back in Runners World. I would take a couple of benadryl or any other anti-histamine before my runs and it makes a difference. You should also check with an allergist.

i have a friend that is extremely temperature sensative. she breaks out into hives and begins to swell when her body gets really cold or really warm too quickly. Yours may not be nearly as severe.

I’ve never heard of such a thing, but it sounds like there’s some great ideas. I hope she finds some relief soon!

Great looking casserole!

I haven’t suffered from itchiness but good luck on finding a solution! That sounds awful!

I used to get this in my legs when I played basketball in high school, and we would practice in a cold gym in an empty school on Saturday mornings. I believe it happens when your body is cold and you warm up really fast. Maybe try a slower warm-up time to give your body more time to get used to it?

This happens to me once in awhile too! I get it on my face, arms, and stomach. I always figured it was some sort of allergy reaction and blamed it on the air circulation in the gym…sometimes it is a bit too warm in there!

This is crazy. Just yesterday when I was running I experienced something similar for the first time and I was bewildered as to what was happening; about a mile in, the top of my feet starting itching really intensely. I had to actually stop and itch them! It was so strange. Eventually it died down around mile 3, and it didn’t happen again today. The conditions were pretty windy and around 50F, if this makes a difference. I dunno. Weird.

Caitlin: I just got around to reading your race report. Good job lady! Reading about your swim really help me to understand the whole journey from start to T1. Thank you for explaining it so well. I was cheering you on as I read your swim journey. That was really awesome. I have swim fears and I still do even after reading your review but it gave me such hope that my fears can be conquered if I tried hard enough. Really really proud of you for sticking in there.

Also, I use to get itchy after intense running or exercising. It was a tingly kind of itchy. It just started one day but I haven’t had it in a while. I never figured out what it was or what I could have done to prevent it. I am thinking maybe it is just all the blood flow going on. Weird, I thought it was just me but seems like this is common.

I’ve never experiened the itchies while running but it made me think of something. During both of my pregnancies, I got really, inredibly itchy in my first trimesters. I was told that it was due to the increased blood flow in the body, especially at the surface. It didn’t really make sense to me but it seems like this could be likely for the itchy runner!

I am a trainer and I actually have a client who is allergic to exercise. A fight or flight response is triggered when her body temperature gets too elevated, along with her heart rate and she starts to get weird symptoms. She gets itchy, tired, faint. She blacked out one time while running and now always has a needle on her just in case her body goes into shock.

Everyone already beat me to suggesting laundry detergent. I used too much at one time and I would itch where the top of my socks were.

For me, it’s a circulation problem. I itch like CRAZY if I try to run outdoors and am not wearing warm enough clothes. If I stay insulated enough, I don’t have a problem. But also, DON’T SCRATCH…it only makes it worse!

I have to go back and read the comments, but I *do* have this problem if it’s colder outside. My legs would itch so bad it would drive me absolutely insane. I always attributed it to my skin getting cold while hot blood was coursing through at a higher rate. I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but I find if it’s cool out, and I’m going to be out running or hiking, then I put on an extra layer to keep my skin warmer and that seems to alleviate the problem. Also, sometimes when I sweat a lot I get itchy – but I think that has to do with the salt in your sweat. Again – total hypothesis…

I can relate! If I power walk, jog, or run, my legs and sometimes stomach become very itchy. My hands and feet also swell up and turn red. I stay well-hydrated. I’m not sure what any of this could mean.

This happens to me all the time. Usually, it’s when it’s cold outside and I have my legs exposed. It’s very common. It’s capillaries expanding due to increased blood flow.

Thanks for starting this great discussion. I get itchy legs after exceptionally intense runs. I’m glad I’m not the only itchy runner!

I have the same itchiness problem. I was told it’s a combo of the capillary thing other commenters have said plus an allergic reaction. Here is what I was told (may not be exact, but I think it’s close):When you run, your foot strike releases mast cells which release histamine. The combination of this circulating histamine combined with the capillary stuff makes the histamine build up and cause the itchiness. When I ran, it would build up in my quads and the entire tops of my legs would be red, itchy, and hot. I started taking allergy medicine (Allegra), and have had no more problems since.