Dealing with Headaches after a Run......

Hi All

There was this very curious problem that I had encountered when I increased my mileage, started progressing from 5k to longer distances.  I would end up with a bad headache by afternoon the day I would run more than 6k. In the beginning, I dismissed them as usual headaches that I used to get.

What made me suspicious was that I got them only on days of my run and never on my rest days and my usual headaches earlier were towards the end of the day generally when I was hungry. Still initially I reached out for the OTC painkillers.  But I realiozed that these headaches on every run day would need a long term solution and I could not be eating painkillers 3 times a week.

I searched various runners forums, consulted some friends who were into running, and all fingers pointed att dehydration. But I always carried water with me while running and would drink on the way. During the whole day, I make it a point not to forget drinking good amounts of water. So it was difficult for me to make sense in this reason. What seemed to be possibly happening was that I was not replenishing salts lost during the run.

The next day, I added glucose to my water and when I returned I drank a galss of water, followed it up with another glass with a pinch of salt in it after half an hour. Before leaving for office, I had another galss of water with salt. And I had no headache! I did that for every run that is more than 5 k and the headaches have never come back. For the record, I dont get my usual headaches too caused by hunger earlier. 

So, when you run, its just not water that you lose while sweating, but some essential salts too. If they are not replenished, there is a imbalance created resulting in headaches.

It was a simple problem with an easy solution that worked for me and I don't know if it would work for all. I have read on various forums, how it makes no difference to many people. But hope it helps some who have the same problem.

Back on Track - Overcoming Injuries

Hi! Sorry for being away for such a long time. So here is a summary of what all has happened since my last post.....

I followed up my first 10k with another one the next week. Towards the end I could feel some pressure on my knees. After the run, i did my usual stretches and iced my right knee that was hurting. The next day I observed slight swelling which went away by end of the day. Knees continued to hurt, squatting was impossible without screaming in pain, climbing stairs was painful and there was this crunching and grinding in my right knee which was irritating.

My reasearch on various forums online confirmed that I had runners knee, a common injury among runners, caused due to bad running form, overpronation, running on hard surfaces and is common among women more. I even looked at vidoes of overpronation and underpronation and it just made me more confused. I read stories of other runners who had to take a break from running in order to heal. The break was anywhere from a few weeks to an year. This was very depressing for me, I dint want to meet with the same fate as it happened while learning tennis.

The first thing I did was give myself a 10 days break. However on the 8th and 10th day, i went for long walks. The second thing I did was start running in a park which had a jogging trail. The park is near my home and the entry ticket cost is nominal. The third thing I did was promise myself to start all over again and progress g r a d u a l l y. I added a few more stretches for the upper leg muscles. I also did some exercise to strengthen my upper legs and my abs during the 10 day break. It was my way of countering my depression, as everything that I did during the ten day break was to strengthen myself as a runner.

I got back to running on June 07- did a 4k that day, followed up with rest the next day and did another 4k after that. There was no pain! I did 8k on Jun 12 (I broke my third promise! i did it too soon after getting back). But the best part is that I recovered from 8k run in a day. My knees are so much better now. The speedy recovery from my run though has surprised me.

The learning for me has been that an injury can make you stronger and better, depending on how you decide to tackle it. Having a positive frame of mind is essential. Remember, running is strenous making you prone to injuries. So do not ignore the warning signs of your body. It is important to stop at the right time, otherwise it can aggravate the injury. Most of the time, body is able to heal itself without medication. And dont rush to a doctor with the first sign of trouble.

By the way, I am off running again for the last 3 days - this time the culprit is a neck strain due to wrong sleeping posture! The remedy is the same - REST!!

Eating Right!

I had been invited to a lunch at a hotel and sometimes it is just not possible to avoid such occassions. As I was telling my friend the other day, eating healthy does not mean starving or denying yourself food. Eating healthy means choosing wisely what and how much you eat.

So here I was at the hotel with an elaborate buffet laid out in front. While others went for the usual large helpings of starters, I avoided them completely. I had a bowl of soup, a small piece of grilled fish, steamed rice with aloo mattar. Had two spoons of curd rice (yummy!) and induged in one small piece of chicken. Steered clear of the dessert section. I did not over eat, took small helpings and remained well within my calorie count for the day! Still I enjoyed my food and did not feel guilty in any way.

Just for the record, I do not tak any beverages, hot or cold, just an occasional cup of tea that too not everyday. I am teetotaler and I don't smoke. For 4 months now I have not eaten my favourite samosa. i am off from chaat, gol gappas and all kind of junk food. It is not that I have taken an oath that I will never eat them. What I have told myself is that I willl eat if I make it at home. So a samosa, pakoda, poori, halwa, pizza, burger, ice cream they are all allowed as long as made at home. This has two effects - whatever you make at home is more hygenic and you know what is going in and second such occassions of making and eating at home are few!

Think before picking something to eat and whenever you feel the urge to snack, try drinking water. Drink lots of water during the day, more so during summers.

These are sme of the things I do to eat right. You can develop your own plan whatever works best for you!

Good luck and Healthy Eating & Healthy Living!

My first10 K run - May 20, 2011

Hi! I am back.....ran my first ever 10K on May 20 - two days back. I had been planning it for sometime, my target was mid-May. So I am akmost on track. But more than that its a great boost to my confidence. My eyes are now set on 15 k, which looks do-able!!

But yesterday had been as painful as could be. My day went in applying ice on my legs, knees. The pain was so much especially in my knees when I would sit, squat that I had to so some research on the net. The symptoms indicate runners' knee. Need to rest and ice the painful legs.

Lets see, it has been really good till now. My weight is down to 63 kgs. I was 66 kgs when i started running. Hope to bring it down further as I continue running.

The Story so far.....

On April Fool's Day, year 2011, I decided to take control of my health and life! 

For two months I had been recovering from a leg muscle injury which made me (almost?!) give up my dream of learning tennis. I had been learning since October 2010 and had my husband as coach. In Jan I had just begun to play rallies when I had to take the forced break. My sports doctor's medication and advice were of little use as a week's rest soon turned into 2 months! The only thing I remembered were my Doc's words "playing strenous sports without fitness will lead to injuries again and again."

I realised that the foremost objective of any exercise, physical activity or sports should be FITNESS. And the key to this was patience. I decided to try running/ jogging. I had run before but not for more than 4 kms and only for a month. And my two months of rest had made me lazy, non-commital until i decided to wake up at 6.00 AM on April 1 and decided to stop fooling myself.

I didn't have my running shoes, so made good of my tennis shoes and set out. I did not run but only walked but I chartered my route for the run the following day. Next day I ran a little, walked a lot and before I knew i was running 3.5 kms on day 8! Day 12 I ran my first 5k and that gave me a great sense of achievement. it was highly motivating and I realised I was enjoying running.

Though the journey started well, there have been many ups and downs! And before i share that a little about myself - I am 32 years old (!) without any inclination towards sports / exercise. As a kid basically stayed away from the play ground! At 165 cms my weight stood at 66 kgs (6 kgs over the normal threshold). I am a working woman married to a guy who loves sports/ exercise. A typical day in office is 8-9 hours with work at home too.

Currently, I run 3-4 days a week averaging 20k per week. The longest I hve run is 8k. today I have run 5 k in 35 mins.

About my bumpy road to achieving this, I will continue to write tomorrow.