Running and Menopause: Brilliant Answers to Questions About Menopause and Athletic Performance with Coach Phaedra Kennedy
Are you curious (and maybe anxious) about running and menopause?
Have you ever wondered “Is running good for menopause” OR “Is running bad in menopause?”.
Is one of your questions, “Does menopause affect athletic performance?”.
If so, you’ve got to listen (and read the show notes) to the podcast interview with Coach Phaedra Kennedy on running through menopause.
Coach P.K. is a competitive age group triathlete and runner with over 20 years of experience. She’s also an NAASFP-certified run coach, an NCCP-triathon coach, and a Can Fit Pro-certified personal training specialist.
"Ask yourself- can you do what you love? Can you stay active, lift, and run? You are just a different version of yourself"
Menopause and Running- The Basics
Coach Phaedra Kennedy, or Coach PK, says it best when she describes menopause as the change or phase of life that happens to every single woman… YET it hardly gets spoken about.
She believes there is a gaping hole for information for active women in menopause, including info related to running and menopause.
Specifically, Coach PK recalls perimenopause as the time when things just stopped working! Like most women and athletes entering perimenopause, she first noticed a change in her body composition, specifically in her mid-section. Her periods were also out of whack (shorter and longer cycles). After going to her doctor and having a hormonal panel checked, it was ‘official’ – she was in perimenopause.
3 Things to Know About Menopause and Running from Coach P.K.
1.Your body loses its ability to regulate temperature well during menopause.
Menopause and excessive sweating during exercise can be a real issue. She recommends extra pre-cooling strategies pre-run or workout. Specifically, she likes using a cooling towel around her neck pre-exercise and drinking extra cold fluids with lots of ice (and freezing and extra water bottle) before leaving for her run.
2. Rage is real during perimenopause and menopause.
She thought it was just extra stress, but she wants other women to know it’s a natural, real symptom of menopause. Running through menopause helped her deal with this extra anger and rage. Be sure to listen to the full episode for her description and how she managed these personality shifts.
3.Your body composition can quickly change as a runner through menopause.
She felt as if she didn’t have any control, but realizing that menopause happens to everyone helped her manage the unexpected changes.
Is running good for menopause? Does running help perimenopause?
Coach P.K. shares that exercise helped her 100% manage the difficult changes. She notes that women who exercise during menopause typically have less intense signs and symptoms. Although her anxiety was high, she feels that working out, including running, was important during perimenopause and menopause.
Coach P.K.'s 6 Tips For Running Through Menopause
1.Sleep is vital for running through menopause.
She recommends the Woop app to track sleep. In addition, she recognizes the importance of hydration and minimizing alcohol intake to ensure adequate sleep.
2. Supplements may be helpful for Endurance Athletes and Runners With Menopause
Always check with your physician, but Coach P.K. found it useful to take vitamin D, fish oil, B Complex, and melatonin.
3. The Wild AI App is a free helpful tool for tracking cycles, phase of life, training, and even diet for running in menopause.
Running and menopause benefits are possible! Coach P.K. found great benefits with The Wild AI App to track her journey.
4. Hydration is extra important for running through menopause.
How does menopause and running affect hydration status?
During perimenopause and menopause, Coach P.K. explains you may lose some of your thirst sensation. Thus, runners and endurance athletes need to force themselves to have adequate fluid intake when running through menopause. Grab that water bottle!
5. She recommends the book for women runners going through menopause, Roar, by Stacy Sims.
Whether you are curious about long distance running and menopause, triathlons and menopause, or other endurance events, this book will answer questions about your life.
6. Coach P.K. also loves the podcast about menopause and endurance athletics, Hit Play, Not Pause.
She states that Hit Play, Not Pause is just a goldmine of information on running and athletic performance.
Does menopause affect running performance?
Coach P.K. ran several personal bests in her 40s and did notice changes in her athletic performance during perimenopause and menopause. Despite the changes, she improved! It didn’t happen overnight but it’s worth the work!
Heavy lifting helped her running and triathlon times stay within her goal range. She also changed her mindset.
Coach P.K. recommends focusing on what you are still able to do.
You may not…
Feel the same.
Look the same.
Move the same.
However, you are a different version of yourself and by being kind to yourself, you can do amazing things! She truly advocates for exercising, staying active, and lifting weights to help with menopause and aging. She cannot say enough of the importance of building muscle after menopause.
Although she had nagging injuries before heavy lifting, she attributes staying relatively injury free to staying strong with weight training. Furthermore, she believes it is possible to keep running your best after menopause!
5 Additional Things to Know About Menopause in Athletes
How long does perimenopause last?
The time varies for each individual, but perimenopause can last for up to 10 years before menopause. Symptoms such as hot flashes and mood swings are due to rising and falling of estrogen and progesterone and are similar to menopause.
What is the average age of menopause?
The average age of menopause is 51.
How is menopause diagnosed?
Although hormonal tests are helpful in diagnosing menopause in athletes, true diagnosis should be more symptom-based. Official menopause begins when you have not had a period for 12 months.
Do you need to reduce exercise during menopause?
NO! If anything, exercises improves and reduces the symptoms of menopause.
How long do menopausal symptoms last?
Typical menopause lasts approximately 4.5 years after the final period (7.4 years total).
More About Coach P.K.- Her Running PBs After Age and Coaching Philosophies
Listen to the full podcast episode to hear more about Coach P.K’s personal fitness journey, which includes currently training for an Ironman and a goal to break 20 minutes in the 5k at age 51.
Her insights into goal setting are phenomenal and her coaching style is unique, realizing how female (especially older) athletes need to be trained and coached differently.
Coach P.K. highlights how she started running (and listeners will enjoy her stories about her Timex watch, pedometer, and moving up through the distances). Her motivational story and unbelievable racing experiences throughout the world are not just inspiring, but show how running is a gift no matter what your age. She has set several personal bests after the age of 40 and is on a quest to stay healthy and strong.
