I distinctly remember the day I found out that I was in perimenopause. I had been experiencing mood swings, unpredictable periods that would be very light one month and a veritable bloodbath the next and I had started to gain weight around my midsection. As an endurance athlete that grew up in the peak of diet culture, I found this to be most alarming. I explained all of these things to my doctor and she said it sounds like you’re going through “The Change”. I was like what on earth do you mean? She said “You’re going through perimenopause”. How could I be going through perimenopause and running straight for menopause at this point of my life?
I was 45 years old, surely that was far too young for this to be happening. In my mind menopause was something that happened to women in their 50.s + 60’s. WRONG. The average age is 51. I also didn’t realize that there was a whole process that happened beforehand that could last UP TO 10 YEARS. Good times.
What’s Going On
Estrogen and progesterone are the two main sex hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle. They are the primary drivers for getting your body ready for pregnancy. Once these hormones start to go into flux, that’s when all of these changes start.
Our sex hormones are responsible for so much more than just getting our bodies ready to create life. To quote Dr. Stacy Sims “they help conduct the symphony of our entire mental, physical and emotional being”. When these hormones start to decline, they can impact everything from your overall well being, to your performance and recovery. The most frustrating part is that the decline isn’t linear. It fluctuates throughout peri-menopause so it makes it a challenge to track and predict symptoms.
How Perimenopause Affects the Body
The fluctuation of estrogen and progesterone can cause a whole host of changes.
- Decreased Muscle Mass and Strength. Estrogen plays a vital role in maintaining muscle mass and strength. As levels decline, women may experience sarcopenia (muscle loss) and reduced power output. This can impact endurance activities, particularly in maintaining pace and climbing hills during cycling or running.
- Changes in Bone Density. Lower estrogen levels contribute to bone density loss, increasing the risk of stress fractures and other injuries.
- Reduced Recovery and Increased Fatigue. Hormonal fluctuations can lead to increased inflammation, disrupted sleep, and slower recovery. Athletes may feel more fatigued than usual or find it harder to bounce back after intense sessions or races.
- Mood and Motivation Changes. Perimenopause is often accompanied by mood swings, anxiety, and depression due to fluctuating hormones. These changes can affect motivation to train and overall mental health.
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What Can You Do to Change Things
Yes, this phase of life can be challenging but the good news is, there are several ways to help combat some of these unwanted changes to keep you performing at your best.
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Prioritize Strength Training.
As a coach, I think this is the most important thing endurance athletes can do to maintain their longevity in sport. Strength training helps combat muscle loss, it helps improve bone density and improve power output. The goal is to build up to being able to lift heavy. That doesn’t always mean using barbells. Increasing the amount of time you spend under tension (TUT) can also be very effective in building strength. Follow a periodized program that aligns with your race calendar. Aim to do 3 sessions per week in your off season, base phase, tapering to two sessions in your build phase. Including plyometrics (jump training) will also help with maintaining power. Something as simple as jump rope is a great place to start. Keep your dosage small when you start out and gradually increase your volume.
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Don’t Neglect the Top End.
As we age, we start to lose our ability to generate force and hit high intensities in our training. Strength training can help mitigate the decline in force production a little bit, but you should also aim to train it in a sports specific way. Adding in plyometrics (jump training) is great for developing explosive power on both the bike and the run (and it’s great for bone health as long as you are able to jump). You can also look at incorporating Sprint Interval Training (SIT) into your routine. Sprint Interval Training is bursts of short, max effort work, no more than 20-30 seconds at a time, with at least 2-4 minutes recovery between each interval. The goal is to be able to hit that interval at max effort. You can do these on a bike (my favourite) or you can do them running uphill (also my favourite).
If you’re not a runner or cyclist you can do these in the pool or on a rowing machine or ski erg.
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Prioritize Recovery.
Slower recovery times require intentional efforts to avoid overtraining and injury. Setting up good habits around recovery can help with your performance. Prioritizing recovery doesn’t just mean taking rest days. It’s looking at your training session from start to finish. Making sure you’re going into your session well fuelled and ensuring you do a good cool down to help kickstart the recovery process. Refuelling post workout will also help with recovery, especially if it was a longer or more intense session. Working on Improving your sleep hygiene to help with your sleep quality. Incorporate active recovery like yoga, regular mobility work and walking.
Staying on top of tissue care with regular massage and foam rolling. And, most importantly periodizing your training to make sure you have rest days and de-load weeks to help facilitate recovery.
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Optimize Nutrition.
Nutritional needs shift during perimenopause. As endurance athletes, we still need carbohydrates for performance but we also need to focus on upping our protein intake. The recommended target for active women is around 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight. I strongly recommend working with a sports dietician or nutritionist can help give you a better idea of how to fuel your activities.
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- Including calcium and vitamin D rich foods will help promote bone health
- Incorporating healthy fats (e.g omega 3’s) can help reduce inflammation and support hormone health.
- Making sure you get at least 25g of fibre a day
- Focus on whole, nutrient dense foods.
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Monitor Training Load.Â
If you’re a self coached athlete, or even if you are working with a coach, it’s really important to monitor your training load. An experienced coach will help you do that but paying extra attention to your HRV (heart rate variability) and your RPE (rate of perceived exertion) can give you some insight as to whether or not you are recovering from your sessions. Being honest with yourself about how you are feeling and being ok with adjusting sessions if you’re not feeling recovered will help you enjoy training so much more than just constantly trying to push through to get the workout done. Understanding your body as you go through menopause can help make your running improve because you are more ‘dialed’ into what you are going through.
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Seek Community and Support.
When it comes to this phase of life, community is so important. The menopause transition can be a difficult time for many women and having a group of likeminded people you can train with can help keep you accountable and excited for your training. Connecting with other women going through similar experiences can make you feel like you’re not so alone in what you’re feeling. Perimenopause can also impact mental health, with symptoms like mood swings, anxiety, and depression being common. These factors can influence motivation and focus during training. Incorporating mindfulness practices, stress management techniques, and seeking support from a therapist or peer group can be invaluable.
While training and running through menopause may require some adjustments, it’s also an opportunity to reassess training habits, set new goals, and focus on overall health and well-being. Many women find that with the right approach, they can continue to thrive in endurance sports during this phase of life.
By understanding the physiological and emotional changes of perimenopause, women can make informed choices that empower them to train effectively and enjoy their athletic pursuits well into their later years. We can look at the phrase running into menopause and not be scared by it. Rather, we can be empowered by this concept. Let’s take the idea of running into menopause and embrace it.
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