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.
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.
