Periods. The monthly female event that most dread. The barometer to hormonal health which disappears when the body is starved. It’s absence ignored until bones break.

After months of anticipation waiting for something to happen, it did. Finally. I told my family (my brother is still mortified) called my closest friends, text my coach and emailed my doctor.

Relieved and a little proud of myself, it was like I was announcing I was pregnant and my friends joked of a period party. A sign of health at last and not just a one-off fluke, as I’ve now had two periods.

Progress

Having a period is a great sign that my energy availability is coming into balance. My nutritional intake continues to improve with an increase in carbohydrates and daily calories. Consequently, I’m feeling energised and look better than I have in a long time. I’m embracing being told I “look well”, this isn’t a bad thing!

I’ve been under the misconception that carbs increase body fat and reduce muscle mass, however by restricting intake putting the body in a starvation state causes the opposite to happen. Metabolism slows in means of energy conservation and body fat increases.

Previously, I struggled to gain muscle mass, but now that I am fuelling well, muscles are appearing out of nowhere and my metabolism is kicking back to life. Muscles need feeding to grow (and hormones!)

As for running, the 20 minutes of run/walk twice a week has gradually escalated into something that’s starting to resemble that of an endurance athlete. Now running six days a week, I feel like a real runner again, particularly with a 70 minute ‘SLR’, the best run of the week.

A little bit of threshold running is proving that despite being sidelined for months, fitness is still there. Years of aerobic base is never lost. It’s clear how much of a benefit strength and conditioning has played and I’m now reaping the rewards with a smoother and more powerful form.

A review with my doctor this week was positive. She was happy to hear of no injuries or illness and a period. My recent blood work from Medichecks generally showed a healthy array of markers. My IGF-1 (Hormone Growth Hormone) remains steady with the increase in running and free T3 (a measure of thyroid function which is usually low in RED-S) was normal.

Unfortunately, my Oestrogen and Leptin has dropped, which in isolation indicates an energy deficit. Perhaps running has been more taxing than I perceived? My liver enzymes were also raised, which is a common response to strenuous exercise.

Fuelling myself improves week on week, but there are still times I don’t quite nail it. As indicated by my bloods, running is taking a lot out of me, therefore I have been unknowingly burning more calories to recover and repair. It’s useful to have this insight but I’m also becoming more in tune with how my body feels.

A key indicator when I’m under fuelled is not being able to hit heart rate zones in morning workouts. I lose that training intensity. Fuelling properly enables you to train harder.

Plans

With my recent blood tests and increasing running, I continue to work very closely with my dietitian, Alex (@thesportsdietitian). A particular concern is ensuring I go into morning runs with enough energy that won’t send me into the red later in the day. This involves close collaboration with my coach and I’m really lucky to have such a great team working in unison around me.

I’m also starting a new physiotherapy job, leaving the NHS for the first time. This transition and establishing a new routine around a new training schedule will undoubtedly be stressful, hyping up my already elevated cortisol levels. Appreciating a flexible approach in the work/life/training balance is key to ensure that my recovery isn’t compromised during this adjustment phase.

For me, one of the most important aspects of recovery is a nightmare – my sleep is terrible. Within the new plan, a rule of “no laptop, no phone” after 9.30pm has been set to ensure of those all important eight hours of sleep (full permission to kick me off social media if you see me active after curfew!).

As for returning to competition, the start of the cross country season with the Hampshire Cross Country league will be the mark in the sand for my return. It’s where I started as a naive U17 in basketball shorts. It was my last race since my injury.

The Hampshire League donning my Reading AC vest holds a lot of sentimental value, it’s my bread and butter. I’m incredibly excited to get back racing. I feel like a new runner again with the slate wiped clean.

With periods, pasta and no pressure. We progress onto a plan. Patience.

RELATED: The ‘P’ word

RELATED: Periods: the barometer to hormone health

Anna Boniface features in the ‘Fast 10: class of 2018’ and over the course of the year will share her running journey. You can read Anna’s previous posts here and further information about the ‘class of 2018’ can be found here.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patreon. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post The ‘P’ word take two appeared first on Fast Running.

The research led by Australian Catholic University’s Ida Heikura, and a multi-institution team of academics including Prof. Louise Burke from the Australian Institute of Sport and Dr. Trent Stellingwerff from the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific, aimed to “investigate energy availability, metabolic/reproductive function, bone mineral density, and injury/illness rates in national/world-class female and male distance athletes”.

The athletes in the study were separated into groups by reproductive function, testosterone levels and energy availability. This was calculated from seven-day training and food diaries.

With many athletes continuing to open up about their experiences of the female athlete triad and RED-S, the results from the research provide alarming evidence of the link between energy availability, reproductive function, bone density and injury/illness rates in male and female athletes.

In fact, the findings reported that bone injuries were four and half times more prevalent in the amenorrheic and low testosterone groups compared with others, as well as both male and female athletes with low energy availability.

Amenorrhea

Amenorrhea is defined as the “cessation in periods for six months in a woman (whether athlete or not) with previously regular menstruation”. This was highlighted by Anna Boniface in her interview with Dr Nicky Keay on Fast Running. In Heikura’s study, they defined three consecutive missed periods as a definition.

Within elite sport, there has been a normalisation of amenorrhea, and some coaches still misinterpret amenorrhea as a (wanted) sign the athlete is training hard enough.

When both athlete and coach refuse to address the issue, the problem is only exacerbated. An athlete may fear being kicked from a team or made to reduce the training they love if they reveal that their periods have stopped.

Some coaches even cultivate the sporting environment where amenorrhea is an inevitability. The heavy pushing of the idea that ‘light is fast’ above all else, including the importance of health and consistency in training, is part of the problem.

RELATED: Female athlete health: conversation is only the start

Stress fractures, illness and long-term health complications are the consequences and certainly shouldn’t be seen as normal.

Alongside this, the team looked at the robustness of diagnostic criteria from tools used to diagnose low energy availability in athletes, including tools that help identify possible contributors to the female athlete triad and RED-S.

Looking at the results from the research it highlighted that bone injuries were ∼4.5 fold more prevalent in amenorrheic and low testosterone groups. So if a female athlete has stopped having periods then she is four and a half times more likely to suffer bone injuries. That’s a huge number.

The study also discovered that current reproductive function tests (questionnaires/blood hormone concentrations) appear to provide a more objective and accurate marker of optimal energy for health than the more error-prone and time-consuming dietary and training estimation of Energy Availability (EA).

Simply if an athlete is experiencing menstrual dysfunction, it is a very good indicator that they do not have optimal energy for health, are more at risk of bone injuries and it should not be seen as simply part of being an elite athlete.

Male athletes are also susceptible to the risk of RED-s, bone injuries and long-term consequences. But there is not as clear an indicator as the menstrual dysfunction and one wonders if the sporting world appreciates the problem is there for both genders?

Yet Heikura states that there was a “relatively high prevalence of physiological symptoms of low energy availability in both elite female (37%) and elite male (40%) middle/distance athletes”. The ~4.5 fold prevalence in bone injuries was found in both male and female athletes with low energy availability.

If RED-s is a contributing factor to bone injury then treating just the bone injury could be ignoring the underlying major issue. When complete rest is needed but ignored, then in some athletes we only see a cycle of injury, recovery, injury, recovery. Without looking at the cause, an athlete may never solve the problem.

What can we do?

As a male coach and athlete, it still feels strange to write about this subject and I am far from knowledgeable on amenorrhea, RED-s and even how to discuss the topic with female athletes. Often I will wait for an athlete to bring up the subject rather than put it forward or just awkwardly do so, probably making things worse.

Yet we all just need to talk. Talk to female athletes, coaches, researchers, doctors, anyone who might know more than yourself. I even had a great conversation with my mum about the menopause and how it might affect someone’s life, running and training. I figured if I can chat to her about it then it might be easier elsewhere.

Athlete, coach and parent education is something that Boniface herself has advocated and Heikura also realises that “educating not just the athletes, but also coaches, other team members (physios, physicians, etc) and parents, is crucial”.

The researcher added: “The athletes tend to listen to their coach more so than, say, a dietitian. Coaches can also make a massive difference in the way they talk to their athletes about nutrition, body weight/composition management, etc.”

Ideas such as athlete mentoring for those going through puberty and improved access to medical support are other key developments suggested by Boniface on in a recent post on Twitter.

In the same way that a coach should never ignore the physical impact of an athlete’s job or mental stress of family relationships, a coach shouldn’t be ignoring a major factor in female energy levels every month.

Research in the field is still young, but academics like Heikura and the rest of the team behind this study are doing excellent work. She said: “While our findings are certainly interesting and unique in this athlete population (largest cohort to date with truly high calibre athletes), similar outcomes have been reported previously with smaller sample sizes, younger athletes, and sub-elite cohorts.”

Information from apps like FitrWoman can help athletes, coaches and parents too. The app lets users track their menstrual cycle and provides personalised training and nutritional suggestions tailored to the changing hormone levels. Co-founder of the app, Georgie Bruinvels, a research Scientist at Orreco, who recently completed her PhD at UCL, is passionate about the app and said: “I really want to empower women by helping them train smarter.”

From my discussion with Bruinvels, it soon became clear that knowledge and education about the menstrual cycle can also be seen as an opportunity to really optimise your training.

“It’s not just training stress that can cause the hormonal imbalance that leads to amenorrhea, but all types of stress,” said the academic, who has run a 2:37 marathon. “Understanding the best way to train alongside your menstrual cycle is one way to reduce this and FitrWoman can help you track your period and train smarter.”

With indications from research like this that show a strong correlation between amenorrhea and the likelihood of bone injuries, as well as menstrual dysfunction being an objective and accurate measure for athlete health we cannot afford to ignore the subject.

It doesn’t need to be rocket science or something we only talk to females about. Heikura said: “When it comes to athlete education, I believe explaining (in simple terms) the importance of adequate energy availability would be more useful than just telling the athlete to eat enough.”

Having open discussion and education is the biggest step we need to take. Heikura felt very strongly that if an athlete understands the signs and consequences of low energy availability and “how this chain of events eventually has an influence on bone injury risk and training ability, they may be more motivated to pay attention to adequate energy availability”.

The post Health is more important than fast times appeared first on Fast Running.

Dedicated. Focused. Determined. These are essential qualities for athletes to succeed. They’ve often been used when describing improvements in my own performance. I’ve heard many times people compliment my commitment to training and admire how hard I work.

There’s a fine line between dedication and addiction. It’s difficult to distinguish an athlete that is motivated to perform vs. an athlete that is addicted to training.

Obsessed. Compulsive. Addicted. The exercise addict is emotionally tied to training. They will continue to train regardless of injury or illness. They don’t take rest days, or they will manipulate some sort of exercise into a rest day.

They become very irritable if they cannot train. They are obsessed with complying to a training schedule or with exercising as a means of controlling weight. Complying to training is the priority above everything else, including performance. You can read more about RED-S and exercise addiction here.

Exercise addiction and eating disorders/disordered eating are a key competent to RED-S. The psychological overlay makes managing RED-S complex. Simply forcing the athlete to rest, relax and eat cake isn’t going to work. It takes negation, patience and an individualised approach.

The first barrier will be getting athlete “buy-in” and acceptance to the underlying problems causing the low energy availability. For me this has taken a long time.

Upon my diagnosis of RED-S, I was still fixated on doing the London Marathon. My rationale brain as a physiotherapist acknowledged my DEXA scan results, the years of no periods and the science behind how my actions were causing that. But my delusional thinking was more dominant.

RELATED: Anna Boniface: The ‘break’ in breakthrough

In the initial stages, my exercise was restricted. I was signed off work for six weeks. Without training or work, it left a huge void in my day. The break in routine was horrible.

Retrospectively complete rest during this phase would have helped my recovery enormously. However, I was not ready to do that.

The real challenges began when the boot came off and I started my rehabilitation plan.

Regardless of RED-S or not, rehab following a fracture is important. It includes strength work, proprioception and a gradual increase in bone loading.

Cross training plays a huge part in that. I opted for the traditional cycling and aqua jogging.

RELATED: Anna Boniface: cross-training faux pas

The main problem was that I wasn’t dealing with my irrationalities around exercise and food during a vulnerable time. Instead, I upped the stress in life and wallowed in self-pity about being injured. My coping strategy was to exercise more.

Patience and trust

When dealing with an athlete going through RED-S, it’s important to be patient, build trust and be mindful of psychological factors that may be influencing their behaviour.

I am very fortunate to have the patience of those working with me. I’ve been more honest about my compulsive behaviours and accepting my issues. We’ve now put better strategies in place to help me balance my rehab and recovery.

I love rules, plans and clear goals. I have an agreed weekly training budget. I take a complete rest day every week. I’m working with my dietician to implement small, gradual changes to get me out of my energy deficit state.

I certainly don’t expect my relationship with food and exercise to drastically change overnight, but significant changes are happening. With the support of some great friends (the running community is incredible), I’m “sucking it up” and moving forward.

Cutting out my compulsive junk exercise allows the training that matters to really count. I go into training sessions feeling good, not depleted or tired.

These little discoveries are doing wonders in helping shift my mindset and strive for being stronger. I’m not fully there yet, but I’m learning to embrace being stronger, heavier and healthier.

My recovery process is by no means a perfect example. However, it’s the reality and represents the challenges that other athletes go through. I’ve certainly made mistakes and probably still will. But I am finding the balance between rehab and recovery.

I don’t want to be an exercise addict. I don’t want to use training as an emotional outlet or as a means of controlling my body. I want to train to perform, to run fast and achieve goals. I don’t want to run because I feel guilty. I am a runner because it is something I love.

I came across this a while ago by Lauren Fleshman, which I’ve written on the front page of my training diary.

Athletic Assessment

Anyone can dream, are you committed?
Anyone can train hard, do you have the discipline to recover?
Anyone can follow a diet, can you make exceptions and remain confident?
Anyone can react to a move, can you be the one that makes it?
Anyone can show good sportsmanship, can you be genuinely happy for your competitors?
Anyone can fail, can you do so without feeling like a failure?
Anyone can talk, can you listen?

Anna Boniface features in the ‘Fast 10: class of 2018’ and will share her running journey every month. You can read Anna’s previous posts here and further information about the ‘class of 2018’ can be found here.

The post When does training become a compulsion? appeared first on Fast Running.

The theme for the ‘ECN 6’ event on Saturday, April 21 at Athlone IT, is keeping athletes healthy and injury free.

Since bravely speaking out about her osteoporosis, European U20 Championships gold medallist Clay, who was Great Britain’s top-ranked 1500m junior in 2015 and 2016, has helped create awareness around the issue of RED-s (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport).

Clay is determined to help other young athletes in similar situations. She is equally motivated to steadily build back her fitness and run once again, and she will tell of her experience in an interactive Q&A session.

Also speaking on April 21 are Sharan Madigan, Head of Performance Nutrition Sport Ireland Institute, Sarah Jane McDonnell, Head of Rehabilitation Sport Ireland Institute and David Harmer, National Performance Institute Endurance Coach at British Athletics.

This event is open to all event group athletes, coaches and parents and promises to be an event not to miss.

It is not solely applicable to those focused on endurance, and Athletics Ireland encourages all coaches & parents from sprints, jumps, throws and endurance to attend.

RELATED: Broken dreams: why we need to break the cycle

There are only 150 places available once full there will be a waiting list in operation.

“We are incredibly excited with the line up for ECN 6 which is generic in nature and relevant to athletes, coaches & parents in all event groups,” said Athletics Ireland’s National Endurance Coach, Steve Macklin. “Keeping athletes healthy and injury free is a priority for coaches and extremely difficult to master.

“The experts speaking at ECN 6 will help share from their experiences working in development and high-performance sport. I would encourage every athlete, parent and coach to attend this event and really gain an understanding of what it takes to keep an athlete healthy & injury free.”

A timetable for the ECN 6 can found here, and further information on speakers here. To book your place follow this link.

The post Bobby Clay among speakers at endurance event in Ireland appeared first on Fast Running.

Dr Nicky Keay is no stranger to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). The sports endocrinologist has extensive clinical expertise in RED-S and worked as a research fellow investigating anti-doping of the human growth hormone.

A regular contributor to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Dr Keay has talked about her own experience with RED-S. A background in ballet, she didn’t start her periods until 32 years old. This was following the birth of her two children where she finally learnt how to relax.

From both her clinical, research and personal experience, Dr Keay enlightened to me the importance of hormones for both female and male athletes.

What is the difference between the Female Athlete Triad and RED-S?

The female athlete triad is part of the RED-S continuum. RED-S highlights that there is a broader spectrum of symptoms, affecting multiple systems.

These directly impact performance. Further research is ongoing to elucidate the details in some areas, as RED-S is a relatively new concept.

However, the crucial importance of RED-S, beyond the established female athlete triad, is that by highlighting these other elements, it helps detect those without stress fractures and includes male athletes. Using the triad alone, these athletes can slip under the radar.

Potential performance effects of RED-S

Not having periods. Sounds like an advantage? Why are periods important and how can they help performance?

What makes you run faster? Training hard. We train to gain physiological adaptations. Better VO2 max, shifting the lactate curve to the right. Stronger, more efficient muscles. But what drives these adaptations? Hormones.

Abuse and manipulation of hormones are a frequent method of doping. Performance is enhanced and dependent on hormone levels. They are stimulated during sleep and recovery, which are essential for the adaptation process.

Hormones are anabolic. They are responsible for bone health, protein synthesis, tissue repair and muscle growth.

Key players include:
– Human growth hormone (IGF1)
– Oestrogen
– Testosterone

This does not advocate using performance-enhancing drugs but highlights why it is important to have healthy hormone levels.

Periods are a barometer of hormonal health

This is dependent on the balance of training, nutrition and rest.

Men have no obvious indicator of their hormonal health. This makes problems difficult to detect, although regular morning erections is usually a sign.

Careful monitoring of frequency of colds, fatigue and “not feeling right” despite rest is often a sign of hormonal upset in both men and women.

The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis)

The hypothalamus is your neuroendocrine gatekeeper. Integrating internal and external inputs.

It interacts with the pituitary influencing our hormones, which is essential in the body’s homeostasis regulation.

The HPA axis works on a feedback loop. Chronic stress through overtraining, under fuelling, poor sleep and excessive anxiety can desensitise the HPA axis. The stress hormones cortisol and noradrenaline cause the body to interpret a constant “flight or fight” response.

The body’s perception of safety is threatened and amenorrhea occurs.

The oral conceptive pill. Is this the answer to amenorrhoea?

The oral conceptive pill gives you a withdrawal bleed.

This is NOT a period.

Athletes are often given a false sense of security taking the pill. Essentially it is reinforcing a medical menopause and masking amenorrhoea.

Does this pill protect bones?

Oestrogen is not the only influencer on bone health. IGF1, Ferritin and Testosterone are also involved.

Research is now indicating that the pill can increase binding protein globulins which reduces IGF1 and testosterone levels, therefore impacts bone health.

It advised not to be given the oral conceptive pill for the treatment of amenorrhoea.

Amenorrhoea – what actions should an athlete take?

Primary amenorrhoea is not starting your period by 16. Secondary amenorrhea is cessation in periods for six months in a woman (whether athlete or not!) with previously regular menstruation.

Either one of these is not normal.

It firstly requires further investigation for a diagnosis of exclusion. Could there be a medical cause for the amenorrhoea?

RELATED: Anna Boniface: the “P” word

Sinister pathology must be ruled out before confidently saying its functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea. A medic should only give the RED-S diagnosis once all else has been excluded.

When seeing a GP, be insistent on further investigation or specialist opinion. Not having periods should never be brushed off as just exercising too much.

Getting periods back

Fuel in the tank – never run empty: Energy deficits for the smallest amount of time will cause problems. Restrictions within diets can play havoc with hormones even if meeting caloric demands.

– Fuel immediately on wakening and regularly through the day.
– Nail the 30-minute window for post-training replacement.
– Top up during training.
– To run fast, don’t fast. Always eat before training.
– Carbs, protein, dairy, fats – keep them good quality and don’t exclude them.

Temporary taper: During recovery of RED-S scaling back the training will help bring the body back into balance. Some even remove themselves from training completely.

– Regular rest days.
– Plan training around life commitments.
– Monitor metrics such as heart rate and fatigue scores.
– Ensure any training limitations are clearly set and are reviewed regularly.
– Avoid double days.

Destress: RELAX. This will be specific for individuals. Learning how to switch off is paramount for happy hormones and reducing cortisol levels.

Medication
– Not the oral conceptive pill!
– Hormone replacement therapy may be required.

Keeping periods whilst keeping training load

As it’s been highlighted, calories in must be equal to calories out. If this achieved, training load should not impact menstruation.

A great example is triathlete Gwen Jorgensen posting her training metrics. She demonstrates that you can be a world-class athlete AND have periods (and a child!).

– Prioritise sleep and recovery. That’s where your hormones have the greatest impact. Don’t let your training go to waste by neglecting it.
– The pill is a FAKE period. It is not bone protective and could even be destructive.
– Never run on empty. Don’t restrict, don’t fast, eat regularly and eat balanced.
– Relax – protecting the body from the flight or fight response and feel in a safe place.

Track and record menstruation like any other training metric. It’s the barometer to your hormones!

Dr Keay is chairing the British Association of Sports and Exercise Medicine Spring Conference with world-renowned speakers in the field of sports endocrinology. Athletes, coaches and health care professionals are all welcome. Further information can be found here.

The post Periods: the barometer to hormone health appeared first on Fast Running.

I never imagined my life would hang on something that most females dread each month. I’ve reverted back to my 15-year-old self, waiting with anticipation for something to happen.

A period – puberty is bad enough the first time around and I’m doing it all over again!

The start

I was late hitting puberty. I wasn’t running apart from doing some school cross country. I started my period on the first day of year 11 (funnily enough, this was also the first of wearing a skirt to school).

That following winter I joined Reading AC and ran my first cross country season.

Running regular, periods irregular

I spent my post GCSE summer teaching sailing and intermittently running. I had lost some weight from the hard work in the holidays and my energy balance was starting to seesaw.

My training volume was unremarkable, running a few times a week. My nutritional intake wasn’t adequate and I remember not coping well with the pressure of A-Levels.

My running had started to improve. I proudly represented Berkshire for the first (and last) time at the English Schools Cross Country Championships in 2008, finishing 144th.

This is when my periods first stopped and I was dragged to my GP by my mum. I was reassured that my amenorrhea wasn’t a problem.

The return of the cycle

During my last year at school and throughout my gap year, I was injured. I became unfit and my physical activity was next to nothing.

My periods came back, but it was short-lived.

Gone again

The summer before I started university, I did Camp America teaching sailing and lifeguarding. I started running again during my three months in Massachusetts.

It was a very isolating environment and difficult to escape the “camp bubble”. I suffered a lot from culture shock and going for a run gave me some respite. I wasn’t eating well and being very physically active, I lost a lot of weight.

Since that summer in 2010, I haven’t had a period. I don’t count the three artificially induced by the contraceptive pill. Even with the synthetic hormones, they still eventually stopped.

There’s a common trend with my amenorrhea:
1) I was running/training regularly.
2) I wasn’t eating enough.
3) I had a busy lifestyle balancing work, training, socialising and health – read my athletics weekly article “the balancing act”.
4) I was stressed.

Can your personality affect your periods?

I am your classic high stress, type A personality. That’s just who I am.

Particularly over the last few years, my life has been a constant balancing act. Juggling training, my physio career and socialising, there’s little time for relaxation and recovery.

A high achieving stressed person in an energy deficit. It’s no wonder my body doesn’t perceive that it is “safe enough” to reproduce.

It’s fascinating how potentially my personality traits are contributing to my amenorrhea. They are typical athlete traits. Arguably this is another reason why RED-S is such a common problem.

This is a concept based on the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol.

Do relaxed runners maintain menstruation?

Perhaps it’s the laid-back athlete that can maintain their period whilst still training hard?

These athletes are disciplined in their recovery. They can move on from a bad training session with ease and they aren’t compulsive about training.

They are more relaxed about their diet. They can switch off, watch Netflix on the sofa all day with no guilt.

The question is can I be that athlete?

Despite hormone replacement therapy increasing my oestrogen levels, I still haven’t had a period.

I’m told they can take a while to return, but its clear from my latest bloods – I am still doing too much.

As my fracture has essentially healed, I’ve talked myself into a false sense of security that I can train near normality. My “cycle commute” to the gym escalated into cycling everywhere. Although not effortful, it was still too much physical stress alongside my rehab and cross-training.

I’ve realised how impatient I am. I’m itching to get back racing. I’m desperate to be as fit as possible for when I can run. I keep reminding myself that harsh reality is, if I return to running now, I will break.

I never anticipated how much I would need to cut back to allow my hormones to recover. Six months in, the rest and scaling back is still incredibly challenging.

I am a compulsive and obsessive person, particularly about training. I’m sure other runners can empathise. Not training feels like a massive void in my day. I feel like I’m losing my identity as an athlete.

The next steps

I’m monitoring my hormones closely with regular testing with Medichecks. I’ve cut back training, I am focusing on nutrition and finding methods of relaxation.

Current training involves (max 15 hours a week)
Alter G 30 minutes at 75% 2-3 x a week
Spin classes x 2 a week
Aqua jogging sessions x 2 a week
Rehab (plyos and S&C) x 2 -3 a week
Long bike ride x 1 a week
Weekly rest day

For periods to be a real deal, I need to fully embrace this process and jump in with two feet, rather than just dip my toe in the water.

Patience.

Anna Boniface features in the ‘Fast 10: class of 2018’ and over the course of the year will share her running journey. You can read Anna’s previous posts here and further information about the ‘class of 2018’ can be found here.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patreon. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post The ‘P’ word appeared first on Fast Running.