What does this mean? is it seroius?

[MFT]

Ive been backing into a solid lifting routine for a few months now and things have been going pretty well for the most part. About 2-3 weeks I decided I wanted to drop a few pounds of body fat so I started to run 3-4 times per week. Running has been great thus far, ive experienced more energy in the gym and more energy in general - and my total distance, speed and stamina have all greatly increased quite fast.
The problem is that two days ago (the last time I ran) after about 30 minutes of running, I got a good nights rest the night before and was pushing myself extra hard, I started to feel like my left leg was "falling asleep" (having ants crawling on you, as some people describe it). I pushed through it initally and after about a minute got a little worried cause I was actually concered about a heart attack - this is do to people saying that the left part of your body goes numb before it --- so I stopped and walked for about 5 minutes then finished off the run with a 5 minute slow jog back home.
Im 6'1 180 lbs 23, male, with relatively low body fat (I bench my own weight without too much struggle .... if that is any indicator of an estimate of my body fat). So it seems a heart attack is pretty out of the question but i wasnt sure of what to make of the "tingling" in my calf during a run.
I did my normal stretch pre and post run and since the run I havent had any pain or anything in my leg/calf so it seems ok
Do you guys have any explination for this?

[Dave I]

First off, I would say call your doctor. Asking for medical advice over the Internet is very hit-or-miss, and with your heart you really do not want to take that chance.

I would say at your age and stats, a heart attack seems unlikely. The caveat is, there is no way of knowing of you have some preexisting condition. I tend to associate heart attacks with some sort of chest pain a/o pressure, so is seems possible (presuming you have not experienced any chest pain) that you did something to a nerve in your leg, or maybe there is a localized circulation problem in your leg. If it has you worried or even just has a chance of disrupting your daily routine (e.g. it keeps you from running at high intensity and getting the maximum cardiovascular benefits), it is worth getting it taken a look at.

Anyway, it is one of those things that is probably nothing, however what is it going to hurt to call your doctor? If I'm right, you might waste an hour or two seeing you doctor. However, if I'm wrong and you find out there is something wrong once things take a serious turn . . .

-Cheers

[klosey]

Originally Posted by Dave I

First off, I would say call your doctor. Asking for medical advice over the Internet is very hit-or-miss, and with your heart you really do not want to take that chance.

I would say at your age and stats, a heart attack seems unlikely. The caveat is, there is no way of knowing of you have some preexisting condition. I tend to associate heart attacks with some sort of chest pain a/o pressure, so is seems possible (presuming you have not experienced any chest pain) that you did something to a nerve in your leg, or maybe there is a localized circulation problem in your leg. If it has you worried or even just has a chance of disrupting your daily routine (e.g. it keeps you from running at high intensity and getting the maximum cardiovascular benefits), it is worth getting it taken a look at.

Anyway, it is one of those things that is probably nothing, however what is it going to hurt to call your doctor? If I'm right, you might waste an hour or two seeing you doctor. However, if I'm wrong and you find out there is something wrong once things take a serious turn . . .

-Cheers

possible poor circulation or trapped nerve, as above see a doctor

[Grizzly]

See above.

One thing I wanted to add: a person's strength is no indication of their body fat. Just for future knowledge =)

[niggles]

yes. see a doctor. even if people her have experienced similar, its possible its not the same reason. unlikely it could be your heart. might be a nerve. but a doctor is the best way to go.

and like what grizzle said, benching doesnt show your bodyfat. ^_^

[President Wilson]

Two things

1.

I did my normal stretch pre and post run and since the run

We just finished a study on this very topic. We had elite runners stretch before a run. It not only decreased performance but it also made them less efficient, meaning for every meter they ran they were expending more calories, reflecting more workload on the actual musculature. In essence stretching decreases the stiffness of your tendons and speeds the onset of fatigue. So if you did this, and were "pushing" yourself extra hard as you indicated, then perhaps you were dipping heavily into anaerobic pathways, or at least working at a very high percentage of your maximal oxygen uptake. During times like this its common to experience shortness of breath, dizziness, or possible difficulty in oxygenating optimally the working musculature like the calves.

If you didnt experience any heart pain while pushing yourself it probably was nothing other then exertion. And yes, possibly the swelling in your leg from stretching(which damages the muscle) and intense running may have impeded blood flow and 02 delivery to the leg.

Always a safe bet to talk to your doc, but as the others said, I doubt its a heart problem

[Trench]

wow, stretching before runs can decrease performance. Thats a new one for me prez.

[President Wilson]

Originally Posted by Trench

wow, stretching before runs can decrease performance. Thats a new one for me prez.

Yep! That was static stretching and in our current study we are finding dynamic stretching also lowers performance!

[Trench]

So whats the best way to get a light cardio session in? Just get on the treadmill and go?

[bigbear6708]

could very well be your shoes also...are they the right type...worn out...etc, etc. i have to do quite a bit of running due to the nature of my profession (army)...and once my shoes wear out 2 things usually happen, i can feel my feet starting to fall asleep...or my knees start to get sore...i get new shoes and the problem is gone! so, it might be something the doc has to look at..or could be as simple as you just have old shoes