menopause – Running Through Menopause

I’m Back!!

Running the Queens 10K past the famed Unisphere

It’s been some time since I’ve posted… I think years, actually, and the reason is a good one, my hot flashes have subsided and I think I’m moving toward the end of the peri-menopause phase of my life. That said, I still have health “problems” that are impacting my running but I’m still out there, running through them.

So, why am I coming back to the blog? Well, I have a big birthday coming up in October and I’ve decided to run another marathon to celebrate, and maybe to actually qualify for Boston! The good news about getting older is your BQ time gets easier (and you’re back to being the young one in the age group, rather than then old one…). I’ve decided on Steamtown on October 7, 2018. That will be 22 days prior to my 50th birthday and I’m pretty excited about it. I’m in the easy part of the training still, building, easy runs, so it’s still fun. I have a coach to help me focus and get there healthy and with a shot at my BQ time which is 4 hours flat. My PR is 4:11 which still means I have to knock off at least 11 minutes but, that’s only about 30 seconds per mile and I really think it’s in my grasp.

My goal this training cycle, outside of my time goal, is to get in at least one post per week, recapping my training and sharing progress, both running and health-wise. Come along on this journey with me and help me get across that finish line in October!

Running With Pride (and Hot Flashes…)

The 35th annual Pride Run boasted perfect weather, low humidity and cool temps for late June. This is a 5 mile run in Central Park and given that it’s always in the last weekend of June, usually quite hot and humid. But this year we were blessed with great weather. The atmosphere for this race is much more party-like than other NYRR races because it’s all about Pride. Last year the race came just days after the Supreme Court decision on Gay Marriage and it was even more of a party than usual. I had a great race, just felt amazing the whole way and was able to really able to finish strong and score for the team.

This year was different for so many reasons. Instead of celebrating marriage equality, we were mourning the loss of 49, gunned down in Orlando in cold blood. The mood was somber but defiant, still a celebration, but with heavy hearts. It was different for me personally, too. I had been having hot flashes regularly and recently discovered that I had cysts in both ovaries, one of which had burst. Ovarian cysts are pretty common, in fact most women get them at some point in their lives. Usually they just shrink on their own but because I had two and one that burst, the doctor wanted me to come back in 3 weeks to make sure it wasn’t getting larger. I wasn’t concerned about the cyst but it was certainly in the back of my mind.

In these last few months of racing, I have developed a different approach to racing. I make sure I’m prepared, but I try not to set expectations too high knowing that the hot flashes are bound to creep in at some point. I just hope that I can make it through at least half the race before I have to deal with them. The Pride Run was not one of those. I was barely to the 2 mile mark when my whole head started to heat up. I was wearing my wet cooling buff even though the temperature was in the upper 60’s at the start, I knew I would need it but I didn’t think I would need it that early. This particular 5 mile course in Central Park is a particularly tough one because they managed to include both Harlem and Cat Hills, the toughest parts of the 6 mile loop. There is a southern loop that avoids Harlem but this was not that loop. The one saving grace was doing the toughest part of the course first.

My goal was to keep as close to an 8 minute pace as possible and then see what I had left for Cat Hill in mile 4. Mile 1: 8:04. Considering the crowds, I was pretty happy with that. Mile 2 – Harlem Hill: 8:08, wow, even though my head was already hot and I had a 100+ ft elevation gain, I was still not that far off pace. But I was already hurting and wasn’t even halfway yet. I was wondering if I would even finish. But thoughts of those who would never be able to run, those who were gunned down just because they wanted to have a night out on the town. I told myself to just hang on for one more mile and see how it went. The tough hill was over for the time being so just keep going. Mile 3: 8:09. Wow. Considering I thought I was going to die, I was still less than 10 seconds off pace. I kept taking water at every stop, one for the head one for the belly. That really helped as did the cooling buff.

But then there was Cat Hill. Not the longest or steepest hill I’ve ever run, but ill timed for me in this race. Everything was catching up to me and I was just trying to keep my legs moving. I considered walking up Cat Hill but there were so many people around me and I didn’t want to give up. I was basically moving at the same pace I would have if I was walking, but I kept running. Mile 4 almost did me in at 8:44. I was no where near where I wanted to be but at least I knew I would finish the race.

The last mile of the race was a slight incline and then some down hill. I saw so many people out there cheering, smiling, yelling. My teammates who had already finished were there toward the finish line cheering, and I somehow found that last bit of strength I had left and finished with an 8:09. My official finish time was a 41:30, 1:30 slower than I had hoped for, but what I gained was the knowledge that I really can push myself harder. It’s tough to know what the limits are and when the dizziness starts in that’s when I tend to back off, but I’m pretty tough. I just wish I was through this thing and on the other side of menopause so I could actually compete at the level I know I’m capable of.

Soon enough…

On a side note, even though I didn’t score for my team, I still came in 20th in my age group out of 219 45-49 year-olds. Not bad for a tough day, right? [If I had PR’ed though, I would have been around 10th in my age group… maybe next year.]

Another Race, Another Hot Flash…

Sunday was the Retro 4 miler, dedicated to celebrating the early days of running with long hair, cotton t-shirts and sweat bands. It was a lot of fun despite the extreme humidity and rain at the end. The temperature was cool, in the 60’s but the humidity was really brutal. New York Road Runners reported that the temp was 66 and the humidity was a sticky 81%. I really felt it.

The plan was to shoot for 30 minutes for the 4 miles which works out to at 7:30 average per mile pace. I wasn’t 100% sure that I was recovered enough from the Half to really pull that off but I wanted to at least go out close to that and see if I could hang on.

I got in a good warm-up, 1.5 miles with a few stride outs, leg swings, and some good stretching. I felt as ready as I could be and took a moment to dedicate my race to the memory of my step-dad’s father who passed away last weekend. We also took a moment to recognize the passing of the great Muhammad Ali with the full quote of his definition of “impossible.” It was a great way to start a race!

I was running with my friend Dahemia who is a little faster than me but I was hoping to keep up with her. I lost her about a half mile in so I was on my own most of the race. Mile 1 was 7:40 as was mile 2. Halfway through and I was only off by 20 seconds and still on pace for a PR so I figured I was in as good shape as I could be.

But then came Mile 3… There weren’t huge hills or anything but the rolling hills and humidity really took their toll, especially when the hot flashes kicked in at about 2.5 miles. My head was over-heating, almost throbbing with extra heat. I knew it was humid and I tend to get a little dehydrated so I made sure to take water at every water stop, even the first one that I usually skip. Once the hot flashes started I took two cups, one to dump on my head and one to sip. That really made a difference and even though Mile 3 was an 8:15, well off the pace, I was able to push through, pick it up to 7:58 for the last mile and finish with a 31:40 overall for a PR and 18th in my age group out of 246.

Not bad considering the conditions. I was a bit dizzy after I finished for about an hour, but an apple, water and Gatorade helped recovery. Could I have pushed a little harder? Probably, but the lesson for me today was the fact that even after I had a pretty tough mile, I knew that was going to be my slowest mile because of the hills and I was able to pull myself together and even though I was still off pace, I pushed through and ran faster in the last mile than I did in the 3rd. I know I have more in me and I just need to be better about tapping into that during races.

Battle of the Bulge

Like most women, especially those going through “the change,” I feel as though I’m constantly battling my weight. Not that I’m over weight mind you, and I don’t think I have an issue with body image, but I know I can put on 5-10 pounds in a heartbeat if I’m not careful. I know the non-runners out there are wondering what the big deal is, but the runners know that even just a couple extra pounds adds time to every race. The impact is greater on longer races, but even the 5-10K’s are affected by extra weight.

I know what makes a difference and I know how to take it off if I really need to. Sugar is a big trigger and I know it’s so bad for you in so many ways, but it tastes soooo good! I love cake and chocolate and ice cream. I don’t eat them every day but I do like to have my treats. I also know that reducing my bread and pasta intake helps me drop pounds. By eliminating sugar, greatly reducing bread and pasta and cutting out all alcohol I can drop 5 pounds in about a week.

But for me that’s not sustainable. I can go a week or two like that but I also get very cranky…. And believe me, a menopausal woman does NOT need any extra reasons to be cranky! So I do it the week before big races and anytime I think my weight is heading too far from where it usually is. That seems to work but I’m hoping there are other ways to help in this area. Naturally more exercise could help but honestly, I exercise 5-6 days a week including running, cross training and strength training so I’m not sure just how much I could do in that department.

I’m exploring some natural supplements to combat my peri-menopause symptoms and many of them claim to help with all symptoms including weight gain so we’ll see how it goes. If any of you readers are on any natural supplements (not hormone replacement, I’m not a candidate) that work for you, please let me know what you’re using. The one I’ve been taking that was recommended by my doctor has only one extract, rhubarb root, but I’ve found others with a combination of ingredients that have gotten good reviews. Logically I would think that trying something with several different extracts might work better than just one because you have a better chance of reacting positively to at least one of the ingredients. The thing is there are so many options out there it’s hard to know where to start! So any input you all might have would be welcome…

Hot flashes be damned… again!

I finished the Brooklyn Half on Saturday. It was tough and much like my previous experiences there, except that the rough part didn’t start until about mile 9 or 10. But let me back up some. I trained for this race as a goal race, unlike in past years where it was either before or after a bigger race. I didn’t follow a specific training plan, but did the workouts from our track club coaches and increased my weekly long run and overall weekly mileage slowly but steadily, capping out at 39 miles as my highest mileage week. I added more strength training and cross training. I was more cognizant of the food I was eating and got sufficient sleep.

This Brooklyn Half was one I was prepared for. As with any race, there are factors that you can’t control, namely weather. The forecast for May 21 was overcast skies and upper 50’s but no rain until later in the day so, essentially perfect running weather. It could have been a little cooler, but I dressed properly, singlet and running skirt and was ready to run.

Because we have so many team members running this race, we have busses taking us from Riverdale to the start by the Brooklyn Museum. The first bus, for those in Wave 1, was leaving at 4:45 to be sure to make it to the drop off point in time for us to get our bags on the trucks by the 6:10 deadline. This meant getting up before 4am and getting picked up by my awesome teammate Bobby at 4:20… I never sleep well the night before a race so I wasn’t worried about getting up that early. I was well rested and didn’t have a problem getting up and out of the house.

We got there really early, more than an hour before the corrals closed and more than half an hour before the baggage closed. While I was tired and some were questioning why the bus left so early, I was happy not to stress about being late or missing baggage or the corral closing. There were over 27,000 finishers so it really was a mad house. The gun went off (I assume it did anyway, since I was too far back to hear it…) and a “short” 16 minutes later Emily and I crossed the starting line and headed into her second and my 13th half marathon. We both had the same time goal so we stuck togther for most of the race. I knew Emily was a stronger runner than I and had a shot for a much faster time than me but I also knew she was not as experienced and had a tendency to go out a little too fast so we stuck together, helping each other through the hills of Prospect Park and then out to Ocean Parkway just past the halfway point. We were about a minute behind pace at the 10K mark, but considering we were finishing with the hilly part of the race and heading toward the easier portion of the course that was to be expected.

I was still feeling fine here (not sure why I felt the need to stick out my tonge but that’s going to end up being one of my more iconic race photos, I’m sure….) but had already started exeriencing some hot flashes while in the park. They weren’t terrible and I was managing with fluid intake at every water stop, gels and even a cup of water over the top of the head. I’m sure many of the other runners around me were wondering why I was dumping water on my head when it wasn’t hot out at all, but I know there were at least a few women (other than Emily who knew what was going on) who understood my need to cool my head.

The cool water helped the flushes and soaked into my singlet which stayed nice and cool the rest of the race so I wasn’t overheating. I knew if I could just maintain my pace along Ocean Parkway I would have a chance at a PR.

By the time we hit mile 8 I could tell that Emily had a lot left in the tank and she was really holding back. At this point I knew she should pick up the pace and get her PR, especially since mine was in question, so I told her to go. She picked up the pace and managed to find our 1:50 pacer who we lost before we even hit the starting line because the crowds were so thick. She finished with a 1:49:08, about a 2 minute PR off her first half marathon from last year. Great effort and smart race for Emily (she’s the one in the middle in the featured picture)!

I was starting to get a little dizzy again, feeling a little unstable and my quads were starting to ache. It was a feeling that I knew all too well but rather than give in like I had in the past, I trusted my training and kept pushing. Miles 6-9 were basically on pace, still pushing to break 1:50 even though we lost a little time in the park. I made sure to take my second gel and take in gatorade and water at every stop but I just couldn’t hold it together. Mile 11 was brutal. I walked at the water stop, though, and felt stronger for a bit so I pushed a little harder, trying to at least get to an 8:30 pace, only a few seconds off the goal pace of 8:23. It was getting harder and harder to maintain that pace and my legs were feeling like they didn’t want to work. Just when I was feeling really discouraged, I looked up and there was Anthony, my new best friend from the Central Park Track Club! He was cheering from the side, walking along with a cup of coffee. I yelled to him and told him I needed help. Without even thinking about it, he jumped in and ran with me until there was about 800 meters to go. He kept me thinking positive, told me to not think about the fact that my legs were going to stop working and gave me such encouragement. If he hadn’t been with me I surely would have lost another minute.

I knew I was not going to get my PR, but I wanted to at the very least do better than last year’s Brooklyn time of 1:59:40. I pushed through the last half, telling myself it’s just two more loops of the track, then one more loop. Up the ramp to the finish, a few steps on the boardwalk (I wonder how many people fall there, it’s so uneven and slippery at the end of a half, it really makes me stressed….) and then it would be over! I pushed with whatever I had left, my quads screaming and feeling like they were going to stop working but I eeked out a little mini kick and finished in 1:52:33, 7 minutes faster than last year. And as with any race, there were all smiles at the finsh:

I was disappointed that I didn’t get my PR, but I was proud of my strength in pushing through discomfort and pushing my perceived limits to still finish with a respectible time. I managed to score for my 40’s team and really did pretty well considering the extra stress my body went through that day. I’m happy with the end result and have races (much shorter ones, of course) the next three weekends so hopefully my recovery will be swift and I can enjoy my 5K, 4miler and 1 mile races in the coming weeks.

No sleep ’til Brooklyn…

The Brooklyn Half Marathon is tomorrow. This will be my 3rd time running this race, but hopefully my best since the last two didn’t quite go as planned. Last year I had signed up for this race even though I knew it was just a few weeks after my spring marathon. I figured I would just run to finish and enjoy the party at Coney Island at the end. But when the marathon didn’t go well I thought I would try and turn my spring racing season around and go for a PR in Brooklyn.

Long story short, the same problems I had in NJ crept up in Brooklyn, at about the same point, just past the halfway point in the race. I was feeling fine until about mile 7 but then it went downhill after that, both literally and figuratively. Once again, because I have an awesome team, I had company, my friend Susan who was coming back from injury and wanted to run but wasn’t up to racing a half just yet. She stayed with me and pushed me through the dizziness and drifting. I walked several times, we got drenched in the rain, but I managed to finish and didn’t end up with a terrible time but it certainly wasn’t anywhere near a PR.

So as I was planning my spring races this year, I decided that I would focus on Brooklyn and try and make it a good experience. Having come to accept the fact that there are additional factors I’m dealing with that are beyond my control when it comes to racing, I’m feeling more confident about my training and prospects for a good race tomorrow.

Since last year’s disastrous spring races, I’ve made an attempt to at least pretend that I have some control over my body by using an app called My Cycle. I’ve been monitoring my symptoms and cycle and while it doesn’t alleviate any of the discomfort, at least I have a semblance of control when it comes to my body. I felt like having a way to track these things might show me how many days during the month I don’t have symptoms would be helpful and there is some truth to that. The problem is, this app also provides a prediction for the start of your next period and mine is due to start the day after Brooklyn… So, ladies, we all know what that means. I’m going to wake up tomorrow with an unwanted friend to deal with while I’m trying to remain calm on the bus to the race.

So far so good, no signs yet, but it’s just one more thing to think about the day before the big race. I’m going to try and focus today on thinking ahead to a time in the (hopefully not too distant) future when I won’t ever get my period again. Maybe this month will be the beginning of longer times between my cycles… One can only hope, but in the meantime I think I’ll go out for a run.

Hot flashes can be tough in general but while running…

I had hot flashes at in opportune times for years before things really got frustrating. At first I just ignored that it was happening, but since I kept getting hot flashes while running, I accepted the fact that this was something I was going to have to get used to, at least for awhile.

I don’t remember exactly when the first running hot flash happened but I know I would get them when I was working out doing strength training, particularly doing plank, push ups and down-dog. It seems that these positions impact blood flow to my head and make my face flush. It doesn’t happen every time I do these exercises, so I do them regularly and just hope that I won’t have to battle extra heat in addition to the exercise itself. But then, surprise, they started happending during races!!!

Summer Series 2015

I distinctly remember last summer’s cross country series. It was hot out, but not too brutal, and it was toward the end of the series so I was working hard to improve my time over the previous race. Things were going well, I pushed through the back hills and came flying down the last hill toward the finish line when it hit. I had about a half mile left, all flat, and I had my goal time in my reach, I just had to focus and push through that last little stretch. The team’s coach was stationed at the last turn before the finsh, calling out times so I knew I was on target, but my entire head was burning hot, almost pulsing with heat. I was pushing and struggling and there was the coach yelling encouragement and I yelled back at him “hot flash!”

Now I love Coach Ken. He’s helped my running career tremendously, but there’s one thing that he will never understand and that is women going through menopause. When I yelled hot flash at him, in despiration, he just laughed at me… I’m not sure he actually heard what I was saying and in hind sight, how would he know how to respond to that? But it was then that I felt most alone in my struggle. I didn’t know anyone else who was experiencing what I was, or at least I didn’t think I did. None of my friends were talking about hot flashes or menopause and it’s not something most women just bring up, for some reason. Well, I’m hoping to change that because everyone goes though it! There’s no reason not to share and even if it just makes us feel less alone, it will help to get it out.

What is your most embarassing hot flash experience? Please share, let us laugh with you!

Why don’t women talk about this?

So, I’ve been having hot flashes for about 7-8 years now. I was in denial for the first 5 years or so when even my gynocologist blew me off with a flippant remark when I asked her about having hot flashes so early. I was not even 40 when I first started having them and didn’t even mention them to the doctor until many years later. I haven’t gotten much if any help from the medical profession in aleviating them and frankly, that was really my only symptom so I just ignored the whole situation for a long time.

Now I’m 47 and the hot flashes and night sweats and insomnia and depression are really getting in the way of life. They are also making my running career even more challenging. The last thing you need in the last quarter mile of a 5K is to be heated from the inside. I ran a very competitive race in the beginning of March this year, the Washington Heights 5K which is the first New York Road Runners Club Points Race of the year where the local clubs compete for annual bragging rights. Its a tough race with some substantial hills and a lot of competition but I had a secret weapon. One of my teammates who happens to be much faster than I was coming back from injury and she offered to pace me so I could hit my goal for that race. She pulled me the whole way and I managed a great time, but the last quarter mile was even more brutal because stress brings on hot flashes and I got hit with one right then. It was intense and even though it was just above freezing that morning, I stripped off my windbreaker, hat and gloves before the finish so I wouldn’t pass out. I managed a great time thanks to Laura, but I was dizzy for a good half hour after the race and had to be very careful not to bend over or look up over my head for fear of losing my balance and falling.

While I know this may not sound like a life changing issue, it really is. In fact, it’s referred to as the “change of life.” It’s not a new issue but one that has been kept quite because men don’t want to hear about women getting hot flashes or getting dried up in certain places. But every woman goes through this at some point and for those of us who are active there are different challenges than women who came before us who may not have been putting in 30-40 miles a week along with strength training and cross training.

I’ve decided that talking about it will only help me deal with it better and I may actually help other women in the process. Please feel free to share your thoughts and join the Facebook Group I created so we can all share and get to know each other.