Running from an MSG migraine today

Boom-ba-ba-boom, ba-ba-boom!

My head is pounding like a factory machine today. Ugh! And I know why. That almost makes it worse.

We went to an extended family gathering yesterday, where they served rotisserie chicken from a well-known restaurant chain. The table fairly buckled under all of the sodium-laden dishes, which included chips and dips, deli-type appetizers, creamy-cheesy starches, and other snacky things. I picked and pecked a bit, but apparently I was unable to avoid the dreaded migraine trigger.

MSG is the most powerful migraine trigger I have ever encountered. (Chocolate and red wine are tied for second.) Plenty of migraineurs (people who are prone to migraines) tend to agree on this.

An MSG headache is a monster unto itself. I can spot it when it’s coming. The tunnel vision, the strange sort of reeling, are the head-encircling vise-grip are hard to miss. It also carries its own ugly aftermath, which sort of resembles a bout with the 24-hour flu or nasty food poisoning.

Honestly, I think the stuff should be banned.

MSG is a neurostimulant. Essentially, it gets the brain all excited and fakes us into thinking food tastes better than it actually does. Why can’t we just have food that really does taste great on its own merit?

Back to running.

I had planned to do my long-run-of-the-week today. And it’s gotta be done.

So I am off to pound sneakers, even while my head is pounding. Sometimes this actually helps to alleviate a headache, as long as I have hit the migraine meds in time. At other times, a whopper headache can pretty much sideline me for the day.

Gonna give it a whirl.

I have 2,018 miles to do this year, and I am basically on-track for that. Plus, I have a half marathon on the books in about 10 weeks, with several more longer races following soon after that. And there’s that full marathon coming up in the fall (my first ever).

So stand back, migraine. Runderdog is coming out swinging, as best as I can. 

Related items:

Ever have a MonStrous head-to-toe MS headache?

Migraines - Facing MS symptoms from A to Z

MS + MSG = Mess

Who wants to exercise, when  your head is pounding?

Images:

Photo adapted from public domain image.

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. Please visit my Amazon author page as well.