Running off a pressure headache

Last November's food panty effort

Today's run (treadmill): 3.1 miles

I had another tough night due to the onset of a pressure headache. I woke up at 4 AM and treated it with the usual combination of pseudoephedrine and aspirin. That combination helps, but it doesn't quite eliminate the problem. It also makes me groggy and I spent a few hours trying to sleep with little success.

About midway through the morning, I needed to decided whether I'd do a run or skip it for the sake of recovery. I usually reserve the weekends to do my long runs, with Sunday typically being the longer of the two. I listened to my body very carefully and decided on a treadmill workout. I thought that made sense because I could dial in a comfortable speed and use the big floor fan to stay cool.

I covered my "distance" slower than I would have outdoors, but that was fine because I was more interested in the overall time I put into the workout. The act of running seemed to help my sinus pressure and, though I felt tired at the end, I also felt a little better. Later today, we're heading to East Northport to volunteer at a food pantry. We did this last November and felt great about the experience. I'm glad to have done my run today, I think it will keep me energized for the work ahead.

Listening to your body will tell you very different things

Yesterday's run in the woods was an unexpected pleasure. I had set out for a long bike-trail run on pavement but ended up running the trails, on a crisp fall day. The interesting thing is that the run I had along Stillwell's paths didn't turn out to be my favorite part of yesterday's workout. It was the last half mile on pavement that made the run.

The challenge of staying ahead of the three runners who swept up behind me, as I left the last wooded trail, was an exciting and fulfilling experience. I'd expected to cruise this last section to cool down from running the trails, instead I ran the final distance like I was finishing a race.

This morning my wife mentioned to me that she'd added a third incline segment to her already tough workout this morning. I asked her why, and she said that "Listening to your body works two ways. Sometimes it tells you to rest, and sometimes it says push even harder." I totally understood what she meant by that.