“Your body can do things other than make babies – including run.”

– Runners World, K. Aleisha Fetters

If you haven’t yet read Maria Dalzot’s race report on the Lake Padden Trail 1/2 Marathon Championships, check it out HERE. If you did, you know that she had to battle through the uncomfortable but obviously recurrent tidal wave of a woman’s monthly visitor – le period. I, personally, am useless on day 1 of it and am haunted with fear that said first day should fall on a goal race day. But then I think that I’ve had a relationship with my period that’s made me miserable for about a decade now, so there’s no use in worrying about the future of it – it is what it is. Many of us in BDP have been met with goal race day and period collisions, and have looked to one another or online to figure out the best ways to either offset, distract, or deal with it. This is what I’ve found:

– Your hormones affect your performance all month long, just in different ways. The two key female hormones: estrogen and progesterone, fluctuate all month long, which influences your body, your body’s ability to convert food into energy and your ability to fuel your muscles with oxygen.

– During ovulation/mid-cycle, progesterone levels peak. This causes you to retain water/bloat and your body temp to increase. If you’re running or racing around this time, take in extra hydration and dress cooler than you would normally.

– During the first 13 days of your cycle, estrogen is at its lowest, which also means that your body uses carbs as its primary source of fuel. So, typically, tempos and speed workouts will be benefited at this part of your cycle. On days 14-27 your estrogen peaks and remains high until your period. Higher levels of estrogen means that your body uses fat for fuel and is more efficient for longer, slower distances. “When you use fat as fuel, carbo-loading becomes of little benefit. While fats can help fuel low-intensity endurance exercise, without the ability to efficiently convert carbs and glycogen into fast-acting energy, you may feel sluggish and will have trouble kicking it at the end of the race. Also, since your body stores 3 grams of H2O with every gram of stored carbs – and you aren’t burning those – you begin to retain water during this phase.”

– In the midst of your period, you’ll be losing Fe/Iron. If you’re already low, or have anemia, you’re in the hole and should look into taking supplements. Consult with your doctor first and have your levels checked. For some of us in BDP, there have been issues with absorption, so it’s good to get yourself rechecked, checking back in with your doctor after a period of time to guarantee your body is effectively utilizing and absorbing iron. If already taking iron, note that it is best to alongside a meal and accompanied with vitamin c. Avoid taking iron with your morning coffee as it affects absorption. In taking iron, some are affected with a change in BM’s – check out this article for more information: Do Iron Supplements Always Change BM’s? Also note that Iron Toxicity/taking in too much iron is not good, hence the importance of communicating with your doctor.

– If you’re just starting training, or entering into a new exercise regimen, this can change your cycle, in part due to changing levels of body fat. If your period becomes irregular or stops completely you should see your doctor.

– It is widely discussed that running on your period can ease symptoms through the release of endorphins, can alleviate cramps/fatigue, and help you de-bloat.  By running, you’ll increase the blood flow to your kidneys and increase the glomerular filtration rate (speed at which your kidneys separate the waste from your blood). So, instead of feeling doomed, perhaps think of Flushing, Processing, Increasing blood flow – all positives. But, if you’re like me, running and exercise do not provide release – I need a crazy amount of running to get the same amount of endorphins where others might not need as much. But, I find camaraderie in Julie M. Levitt, an M.D., 14-time marathoner and board-certified OB/GYN with the Women’s Group of Northwestern in Chicago’s statement, “During the hours immediately before and after your period starts, your uterus is busy churning out prostaglandins, compounds that make your uterine muscles contract (aka cramp up worse than a Charlie horse), and force out your endometrial lining…Whatever your hormonal advantage, it’s hard to power through all of that.” She suggests that if you wake up race day with cramps, to use “a heating pad or light warmup. By increasing your core temperature; both will speed up your body’s breakdown of these inflammatory compounds. A warm-up will also increase circulation and production of pain-killing endorphins to help ease your pain. While NSAIDS might help, they can cause stomach troubles, so it’s important to know how they affect you before loading up on race day,” she says. Be sure to practice intake of NSAIDS prior to race day.

– You might find that some workouts are gentler on the body than others. For instance, if your period is accompanied with cramps or back pain – include swimming/aqua jogging or yoga to your training or as a substitute.

– Many birth control pills, especially low-estrogen, can reduce bleeding, cramping, bloating and fatigue. Anti-inflamms, like ibuprofen and naproxen can be effective in the prevention and treatment for such symptoms.

– Your diet can greatly affect period symptoms. Try to take in foods that are rich in magnesium, B-Complex, Calcium, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish and beans.

There is all this information out there that breaks down exactly what goes on within, why we feel the way we do, that we’re all in this together. I feel community in women’s running for reasons beyond just running, but you sit here with all this information in your lap and then what? You try to find a system of approach for what works best for you, and you hope it works better than not doing anything at all, and sometimes you’re successful, and sometimes you have the “off” day. We’re human. And this is nature. If you get discouraged or fear the upcoming race and your period’s collision just think about Paula Radcliffe, who woke on the morning of the Chicago Marathon in 2002 to find her period, and through cramps broke the marathon world record. We’re not all Paula, but we all have potential.

 

Resources: How Your Period Affects Running, Women’s Health, Racing Through Your Period
Interesting reads: This Woman Ran a Marathon Without a Tampon to Fight Period Shaming, Ask Lauren Fleshman – Getting your Period on Race Weekend, Paula Radcliffe: Sport has not learned about periods