Thursday, July 10, 2008

Tips. Really great tips.

A few days ago, I posted a question over at Marathon Mommies. If you recall, I ran a 5K in June after which my reward was a big, honking migraine. Since then, I've been a little nervous every time I've gone for a run in hot weather. I don't want to go through the pain again.

So, I asked the marathon mommies for advice. They gave me some great tips, many of which were so simple and yet so wise:

  • Hydrate. Well, yeah. It is so basic, I know. But, I'm not the best hydrator. Hydrater? Not sure. Anyway, I know I need to drink more water (in fact, I made it a post-vacation goal). I've always felt like I drink enough before races but maybe I don't. I know one thing: I am going to drink more!
  • Wear sunglasses. Wow. I guess squinting in the sun for 3.1 miles isn't the best thing for someone prone to migraines, huh? I'm now running with sunglasses and it is a different experience. I feel less stress in the head -- why didn't this occur to me, oh say, 10 years ago?
  • Stretch the neck and shoulder area. Another thing I'm not great about doing. I probably tense up in that area and will now make a conscious effort not to.
Now that I've incorporated these tips into my routine, I'll be able to run with more confidence on those hot, humid days (which, it seems, are every day recently). I thank the marathon mommies for that!

Other ideas are welcome, too. Do you have any advice to ward off post-race (or other hard exercise) headaches? If so, please drop a comment and share.

And if anyone has any good suggestions for how to keep sunglasses from fogging up during a run, I'd love to hear them! This fogginess is bad...

7 comments:

Frayed Laces said...

You're problem may not be dehydration, but the opposite. Confused? Read this post (http://therunninglaminator.blogspot.com/2008/05/running-physiologically-speaking-danger.html). This is from my friend, who helped me figure out my insane migraines. They have actually almost gone away. Good luck!

Frayed Laces said...

okay, so you can't read that link. Go to therunninglaminator.blogspot.com and go to his May 29 post.

Felice Devine said...

WHOA! I never would have known that rehydration could be a problem! That is such an interesting post. I'm definitely guilty of trying to rehydrate as quickly as possible -- I'll try the laminator's suggestions from now on. Good to know they helped your headaches!

The Laminator said...

Both of you are just too much! I can't believe people are using my old blog posts as reference...that's so crazy! I just hope my rehydration post will prove useful to you and help you get rid of your headaches.

By the way, the post where I describe running as a fickle lover can be found in this post.
http://therunninglaminator.blogspot.com/2008/03/my-relationship-with-running.html
(If the link doesn't work, then look for my March 30th post.)

Happy running!

carla said...

oooh oooh I have a suggestion:

BUILD LITTLE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ONTO THEM!

does that help? :)


MizFit

Felice Devine said...

Laminator: Thanks!

MizFit: Wipers -- maybe someone should invent those for sunglasses. I totally need them!

kara said...

I agree - dehydration can cause headaches and nausea. But if I drink to much water - I have to make pit stops :0
In my next race (in 9 days) I will force myself to drink more h20...Thanks!

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