Are headaches common after running a race?

Question

I assumed it was a hydration issue, but I've had water, orange juice and gatorade. Still have the headache.

Thanks Rosie, but I live in Florida...LOL...it was about 80 this morning when I ran. I think my brain got jiggled...lol

Answer 1

if its cold out, the cold air could be causing it...when my ears get cold when running i often get headaches...try running with ear things on

Answer 2

No, I don't think it normal to have headaches after a race. Since you have tried all the hydration techniques, perhaps you could try adding a bit of protien right before. Protien is good for your blood and it aids in keeping your charbahydrates working as they should.

I can think of two major reasons for headaches: improper blood flow, due to some sort of constriction in blood vessels, be it in the brain itself, or elsewhere in the body, and a drop in your blood sugar levels. I know when my blood sugar drops really low I get headaches and nausious. Do you experiance any quesiness too, or just the headache? You don't have to be quesy to have low blood sugar, but a headache and a quesy tummy are two major signs. I know this because I have borderline hypoglycemia, and it plagues me off and on, especially if I eat too much sugar without enough protien.

I suggest you speak with your physician about this situation. It could possibly be a symptom of something more serious, such as a contricted blood vessel in the brain, and I don't wish to alarm you, but which could lead to bursting, which could lead to a stroke, or just a quick and relatively painless instant death. I really do not mean to alarm, and I am serious about discussing it with your physician. Sometimes these small things can be a warning sign of something very serious. When we don't listen to those warnings is when tragic events occur.

Anyway, it is not normal, and it is a good idea to just discuss it with somebody who has the education to lend the proper advice. Also, some physicians tend to not take women very seriously, and brush off our concerns as hysteria, or worse, hypocondria. If I were in your shoes I would ask for a full checkup and even a MRA, which is a brain scan that checks out your brain vessels. It is different than an MRI, in that an MRI simply takes a photo of your brain, while an MRA takes a detailed look at your vessel structure and how they are functioning. I had one done a few years ago because I have one pupil that is larger than the other. My physician was concerned that it was a symptom of an impending annorism, though it also could be from a time when I had a serious blow to the head. He said better safe than sorry, and it turned out my vessels where healthy. Thank goodness! Whew! lol

I hope it turns out to be nothing at all, but please do consider discussing it with someone with some real medical experiance. Even a pharmacist might be able to give you some ideas to try. It is worth a small chat to find out if yours would be willing to give you some options to try in order to relieve the issue. I always told my kids that it is surely a "no" if they don't ask, but if they do, they know for sure then what the answer is, rather than wonder what might have happened. lol

Good luck and a very Merry Christmas and New Year.