If your next period is predicted to land around the day of your race, you can still participate and excel in your marathon as long as you come prepared.
You may have seen a viral video of a Chinese runner Li Meizhen finishing a 42-kilometre race while on her period. She wasn’t phased by the blood running down her legs and sparked healthy and active discussions online about menstruation and athletic greatness.
There are other instances of menstruating women crushing their marathon goals. In 2002, Paula Radcliffe delivered a record-breaking performance in the Chicago Marathon, while on her period. In 2015, Kiran Gandhi ran the London Marathon while free bleeding to raise awareness on the lack of sanitary products and facilities at sports events.
That said, everyone’s menstrual cycle is different and it may take some time, trial, and error to figure out what works for you. While you may not be at your best when running on your period, you can definitely try.
How does your period affect your running?
Whether your period can hamper your ability to run 10ks or marathons depends on the severity of your symptoms and your fitness levels and conditioning. You should be able to run a marathon personal best on any day of your cycle as long as you’re able to manage your symptoms.
If you’re relatively new to running, you may feel more tired faster than usual. If you have heavy flow, you should consider reducing the intensity of your runs or workout sessions to minimise the effects of blood and mineral loss.
It is during your luteal phase that your fitness abilities will be the most hampered. The rise in your estrogen and progesterone levels causes symptoms like constipation, mood swings and bloating. Your body begins to break down proteins for energy and your sweat response becomes delayed. These factors make it more difficult to run at the same capacity.
While hormones all affect us individually, you may notice that running when on your period is actually easier than during your luteal phase, a week before your period starts.
Also read - Should you exercise during your periods?
How can you prepare to run while on your period?
Practice running when on your period
You can’t expect to ace a race on your period if you don’t have any running experience when menstruating. You may not feel like going for a run when nicely tucked up in bed, especially if you’re not used to running on your period. Aim to run for at least 10 minutes and then decide if you want to continue. Don’t push yourself too hard and take note of any changes in your performance and limits. This will also give you time to try out different period products and take note of clean washrooms around your trail to change.
Find out which period products work for you
Whether you prefer to run in a pad, tampon or menstrual cup is up to you, your experience, and your preference. Test out the period products you’re considering on trial runs to get a feel of whether they hold up nicely and don’t cause any leakage. Many runners swear by menstrual cups, especially for running in longer distances.
Optimise your pre-run fuelling
Your pre-run snack is not just about fueling your run, but also compensating for the blood and nutrient loss that comes with your period. Aside from easy carb sources, prioritise getting iron from foods like spinach and magnesium from bananas and peanut butter. You could even blend these into a smoothie. Make sure to stay hydrated throughout your period and especially on your training days.
Also read - How nutrition affects your menstrual cycle?
Prioritise sleep
You may feel more tired than usual when on your period due to hormonal changes. You may need to get in more hours of sleep especially when training during your period. Since race days often start during early mornings, banking hours of good quality sleep the weeks before your event should leave you feeling fresh on race day.
Also read - Does sleeping position affects your menstrual cycle?
Do effective warm-ups and cooldowns
Make sure to get your blood flow up and your body warm before starting your run. You may also perform some dynamic stretches targeting your lower body muscles. After your run, you should stretch your muscles with deep breaths to reduce the chances of muscle soreness and to preserve your mobility. Effective stretching can also help ease your period symptoms.
Also read - Tips to increase blood flow during periods
What if you get your period on race day?
If you unexpectedly get your period on the morning of your race, you can try the following:
- Eat more iron and magnesium - bananas, dates, peanut butter, spinach, soya milk and dark chocolate are some mineral-packed and fast-digesting options for an effective pre-run snack.
- Pain management - use some heat therapy like a hot water bottle or a warm shower to reduce period cramps. You can also take a painkiller if it has helped you in the past.
- Prepare your sanitary care - Pack extras! Towels, sanitary pads, tampons, menstrual cups. Make sure you have an effective way of disposing any used items and check our schedule to map out the best times to change.
