nancy drew and the case of the numb arm

may 2009 - month #2 in kentucky. moved to a new town, new hotel, new co-workers. started adding in long runs again to prepare for nyc training. almost half of the month's miles (60.17) were run on the lovely treadmill. began putting up with heat and humidity in the latter part of the month in attempts to get "used" to it sooner.

total mileage: 147.12 (30 miles less than april? what???)
time spent running: 21:27:06
avg pace: 8:45/mile
days off: 6 (none were really planned)
abs/yoga: 2 ab workouts / 1 yoga session
avg resting hr: 53.67
avg max hr: 182.45
pushups: 856

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i saw this article today on cnn and am wondering if it could perhaps explain the numbness i've had in the past. my left elbow/forearm/hand has become numb and tingly on previous runs, although thankfully i haven't experienced it since february. the article talks about talking on a cell phone too much and having your pinky/ring fingers go numb, but it also says the problem can be attributed to other repetitive activities as well.

the numbness is due to stress or strain on the "ulnar nerve", which travels through the forearm and into the hand. it becomes stretched when the elbow is bent past 90 degrees, which is fine for small periods of time, but can cause damage if done longer or more repeatedly. i noticed myself propping my elbow on my desk and holding my chin in my hand while working reading your blogs, and i'm sure this is a regular habit of mine. perhaps on those days when my arms/hands went numb it was from over-stretching that nerve, and then running irritated it further.

i noticed on my run today that my arms are pretty much always bent more than 90*. (i feel like my arm-form is normal though). it seems like the ulnar nerve strain is a plausible explanation since my numbness/tinglyness was along the part of my arm and hand where the nerve runs. i'm working on not propping my elbows as much and hopefully won't experience the discomfort again.