What You Need to Know About the Menopause and Running
Today I want to talk about a subject that’s very close to my heart- perimenopause, menopause and running. Specifically, why they shouldn’t be a thing that stops you from lacing up your trainers, and getting out your front door. I did a lot of my journey through this experience the really hard way, a story I will share here at some point, and because of that, plus my years of experience as a running coach training women (and men) of all ages, I think I have some wisdom to share that may be of help.
First up, let me start by saying, I know (I really, really do) that running can feel like pushing treacle up a hill when you hit perimenopause. I get it, you feel rubbish, your muscles are sore, your bones actually ache, your running kit feels a bit more snug than usual and you feel like your upper arms have been replaced with your Nan’s (yes collagen has well and truly left your body); all you need is a hankie to keep down your bra and a flowered pinny and you feel like you might never be able to face leaving the house again!
But I’m begging you to not give up running. It doesn’t have to be hard work as you get older, it should be a time of new potential, an opportunity to begin the next chapter with new possibilities of becoming a stronger, more resilient, and experienced runner.
Now is the time to not only understand what’s going on with your body but preparing to work with it and not against it- trust me, that doesn’t work. And yes, there might be a period of grieving that you’ll need to go through. A a sense of loss as you realise that after a weekend of over indulgence, 2 days of eating just toast won’t shift the extra pounds anymore. Please don’t hate me for saying this, but I had to give up alcohol 3 years ago after the realisation that if I wanted to feel better mentally and physically I had to say goodbye to one of my best friends, Sauvignon Blanc. And it was hard, we’d been friends since my early teens and we’d had some amazing times together (some not so good times) but the relationship was just too toxic, and I had to let it go.
Things will change, and any change is challenging and takes time to get a grip on. But you don’t have to put up with constantly feeling like crap, they might be hard choices, but please know you do have choices.
Transitioning from perimenopause to post menopause is tricky when you’re a runner, some of the symptoms can be indistinguishable from the “normal” aches and pains runners experience and live with on a daily basis.
Thank goodness the landscape has changed round the menopause transition, there is now a wealth of information out there and menopause is no longer a dirty word. But the research is still limited when it comes to female runners in the “menopause transitioning” age bracket.
If we consider that only 6-8% of sports research is done on female-only groups, most data collected in sport research is primarily conducted on male and mixed participant groups, this male biased data is then translated into the real world and “generalised” to women. Women are yet again missing out on huge pieces of the improving performance jigsaw, especially when there are limited answers to the questions of how the decline of hormones impact not only the performance but the recovery of female runners.
If you add the destructive and often comical view of women in midlife it comes as no surprise that women are trying their hardest to ignore the signs and symptoms of perimenopause in the vain hope that it will just go away- but it won’t. I all too often see women who believe that they won’t ever be able to improve their running performance as they get older and sadly just give up running altogether. We need to change the narrative, become role models for the generation below us, break the mould and rip up the stereotypes.
Thanks to the wonderful women who are at the helm of the Sports Science world and role models like Jasmin Paris, Courtney Dauwalter, Candice Burt to name a few, and my 60-year-old runner who collected her first London Marathon number on her 60th birthday in April this year, the landscape is now changing. Studies are showing that women are reducing the performance difference to men with advancing age in the Ultrarunning world, and since 1984, due to the growing number of female participants over the age of 40 who are participating in marathons, Boston Marathon created additional qualifying age divisions that go up to 80 years old. There are many positive things happening in this area that feel truly groundbreaking and galvanising if you know where to look for them.
And so to business- what happens to the body during Perimenopause and how it can impact running.
Perimenopause - This is the transitional period before menopause (menopause is the day a year after your last period, after this you are post menopause). Perimenopause can last anywhere from 4 to 10 years and can begin sooner than you think. This is the time when your oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels start to drop, not in a straight line, they fluctuate over the years which is why it can seem impossible for us to recognise and navigate the ever changing, one size does not fit all symptoms.
Here are some of the things that might affect your running as you approach your 40s. There are over 34 symptoms of menopause, there isn’t an area of the body that is not affected by the decreasing levels of hormones. I’ve just chosen a few to focus on for today’s post (and I have plenty to say on this subject, so it won’t be the last).
•Weight Gain
• Incontinence - Urine and Faecal
• Heavy, Irregular Periods
• Hot Flushes
• Night Sweats
• Insomnia
• Emotional Changes
Weight Gain
Women tend to gain weight as oestrogen levels drop for several reasons. It’s time to ditch the yo-yo diet, uncouple from the diet culture we grew up with and eat the right food, especially carbs, trust me your body will thank you. And start weight training, by adding in strength & conditioning sessions into your weekly routine, it kick starts your metabolism and builds much needed muscle mass. It’s not as simple as that of course, but it’s a real start.
Incontinence - Urine and Faecal
Why don’t we talk about this? When did you suddenly need to pee or poo when you are on a run? Have you had to dash off suddenly to poo behind a bush, I know how awful this is, how do you clean yourself afterwards? It’s embarrassing and it can be really upsetting, especially if you’ve got someone waiting to continue the run with you or worse they nip to the same spot for their wee! Are your toes curling in shame, yes well, I’ve been there. But I want to reassure you that it’s normal, the decline of oestrogen during this time has an impact on our bladder and our bowels but you don’t have to put up with it! There is support available with specialised Pelvic Physiotherapists who can help you with any incontinence issue.
Heavy, Irregular Periods
You may have gone from the perfect menstrual cycle, every 28 days that lasts for a few days, you know what to do and how to fit it in with your training runs and races. Then BOOM heavy, gushing, big blobs of blood clots are now your periods that appear out of nowhere, with zero prior warning. How do you deal with this when you are training or racing, where do you carry your tampons and your fuelling? How do you dispose of your used tampons on an endurance race? Are there any toilets on the race route? If I’m caught short, how will this affect my time, will I have a DNF? All these questions put real barriers up for women, so much so that many don’t run or even think about racing again. Thank goodness for influencers like She.Races who have campaigned for portaloos at races to stock sanitary products to support female runners, this just takes out so much of the stress of worrying if you are going to be caught short.
If your periods change, you can download some amazing apps that offer advice and where you can make notes of the changes to your body. All this information is useful to take along to the GP to discuss your symptoms and get treatment.
Balance App , Wild AI (This app is brilliant, it provides recommendations to woman to help optimise performance and includes info on peri-menopause and post-menopause) or FITR Woman
Hot Flushes & Night Sweats
Hot flushes on a run when the temperature is already high is no fun, but don’t give up. Wear breathable layers, run with water, soak a bandana in water and wear around your wrist and watch for any triggers that set a hot flush off. Night sweats can play havoc with your sleep so again breathable clothing, cool bedroom, cotton sheets and HRT have all shown to help with these symptoms.
Insomnia
Not enough sleep can have a negative impact on your training, if you don’t rest and recover properly you can lose all sense of attention, purpose, and focus. It can then feel as though every training run/session is like running through quicksand especially if you’ve not had adequate recovery. The decline in our hormones, especially progesterone, diet and stress are all shown to be responsible for broken sleep, we know that getting a good night’s sleep is like having a mini-MOT for our body every night so this a key area for runners. Supplements like Magnesium and/or Cherry Juice, HRT, removing technology from the bedroom, having soft red-light bulbs in your bed side lamp, and eating cherries, nuts or drinking milk have all shown to help with a broken night’s sleep. Sleep is very individualised so sometimes it’s trying a few things out to see what works.
Emotional Changes
Please do not underestimate the emotional changes that go hand in hand with perimenopause, we tend to ignore these and shove them under the carpet as “my life is just busy” or “feeling down is normal” and yes, it is entirely normal to feel irritable, angry, sad but for some women these feelings can be significant and can last for a long time.
Depression, anxiety, intrusive and suicidal thoughts, lack of motivation and loss of identity can have a huge impact on a women’s life during this time and can seem even more overwhelming if you stop doing the things that you enjoy doing, i.e., running, because you don’t feel any good at them anymore.
You might be comparing yourself to the younger, faster runner that you used to be, you could be looking at your Strava runs from 6 months ago and now you feel fatter and slower than you ever were. These changes can affect your identity, sense of worth and value which can ultimately lead to a lowering of self-esteem. Sadly, the highest rate of female suicide is found between the ages of 45-54 years and whilst we can’t be too simplistic about a complex issue there needs to be an acceptance that psychological changes can make us feel isolated and alone.
Ultimately, the point of this post is this- you don’t have to suffer in shame filled silence. Getting help and treatment doesn’t start when you haven’t had a period for a year- the best time to start treatment is when you are perimenopausal.
Please don’t give up! There is light at the end of this tunnel, I am a stronger and faster runner than I ever was, I no longer have to worry about how my periods will impact my running and racing, and there is help and support available.
These are good places to start with a wealth of information. If you have any more, please share in the comments!
https://www.newsonhealth.co.uk/
