Why do my hands go weak & toes turn blue sometimes after a long run/workout?

As you said. Poor circulation or possibly you are exhaling harder than your inhaling, giving you less oxygen in you blood. See if taking slower breaths deeper breaths improves your condition. If not than I would suggest going to see a doctor to make sure your not aggravating a heart condition or something else.
Running can cause your blood to pool to your feet if you have poor circulation but you should also notice swelling of the feet.

Um… no, @Pandora. It’s not possible to exhale more than one inhales, and how ‘hard’ you do that hardly matters.

As far as the coloration issue, “turning blue” is obviously a matter of blood circulation. That may require some medical investigation / remediation. On the other hand, the issue of “weakness” can also be a matter of general conditioning.

I’d say that you may be overdoing things. Cut down on the intensity or length of the workouts for awhile and build up your stamina and conditioning. If you have any concerns at all about your circulation – and I think I would if I were you – then that’s a good reason to get a clean bill of health from a physician. You don’t want to kill yourself as you try to improve your health!

I would take this up with your doctor.

Probably before working out again.

You need to tell your physician about this. What you are experiencing is cyanosis and it needs to be checked out.

It could be linked to Raynaud’s or not.

If it’s only happening after a run, you may need a cardiology work up.

Do you take in a lot of caffeine? Is your blood pressure normal? Are you getting enough water?

Caffeine is one of the more common vasoconstrictors in our lives, so it could cause poor circulation to your extremities. Especially during exercise.

Dehydration is really easy to overlook when you’re exercising, especially during the summer when it’s hot. You lose water surprisingly fast when you’re sweating. It can cause your heart to race, weakness, and feeling tired as well as low blood pressure (Hypotension).

Of course not recommending against going to the doctor, but those are some things they’ll look at and ask you about. Maybe give them a try in the mean time?

Yowzers! Thanks for all your input everybody – now you got me worried (in a good way I guess since I tend to just let things go)

I guess I’d better watch my overall hydration and maybe also call for an appointment with my doc. My vitals have all been average so blood pressure isn’t an issue – but I do have a 3 cup coffee-routine everyday, so maybe I should cut down although that’ll be hard :(

It’s strange though coz I’m pretty fit and have run a few marathons etc. but the numbness/blue toes cropped up only in the last 2 years and only occasionally – maybe once every 7 or 8 times after a run, so I just didn’t think too much about it. ...

Don’t forget that Jim Fixx, a very famous runner, proponent of the sport and author of an earlier generation died while running because of a previously unknown arterial blockage. “Feeling” healthy is nowhere near as certain as “knowing” that you are healthy.

@CWOTUS Ha, you got me there. What can I say it was late at night, but what I was talking about is labor breathing. It can cause you not to take in enough oxygen. You are blowing out the oxygen faster than your lungs can process what it needs.
If they also have poor circulation in their legs than that could also be why he notices the lack of oxygen in his toes.
I don’t get why his hands feel weak. The only thing I could think of, is his heart may also be a problem.

@intrepidium I was at the gym today when I realized I had tighten my laces a little too tight. Is it possible your sneakers are a little to snug and is making it really hard for the blood to circulate or even that your shoes are maybe causing pressure on you toes when you run and you are kind of bruising the nails?

@Pandora That’s a good point – I never really noticed coz I’m the sort who just slips on the shoes without adjusting the laces (I am That lazy!). It doesn’t seem to address why my toes turn blue only occasionally but still, it’s a possibility – I’ll make a mental note of that, thanks!

It also doesn’t explain hands being weak.

@SpatzieLover Nope it doesn’t but it could just be a coincidence that two seperate problems are happening at the same time. My legs are sore after going to the gym and my scalp feels sensitive as well. Its not the exercise that is making my head scalp sore but often the tight rubber band I pull my hair with.

I’d also thought about the weakness in my hands and wonder if there’s anything wrong with how I hold my hands while running i.e. slightly bent at the elbows and held around navel level. I don’t clench my fists tight though – I just let my hands relax and dangle loosely and pointing downwards mostly. Could it be that the jostling drains circulation to my hands? I also get achy in the shoulders sometimes after a run…

@Pandora I guess there’s no harm watching for coincidences and ruling factors out by process of elimination! :)