I don’t know if I’m actually asking a question or just looking for commiseration. I started running 10 years ago (34yo) and took to it pretty well. I wasn’t the fastest but got better with miles and at my peak ran a 30:29 5k which was amazing! I got burnt out so I switched to spinning about 6 years ago and have kept up my fitness ever since working out 4-5 days a week and running on a treadmill sporadically. 6 weeks ago I signed up for a 10k (which I completed today). I figured since I kept my overall fitness and cardio up I could pick up on my low end which was 12-12:30 mm. I was so wrong. Training outside felt like I was trudging through mud and when I finished I felt like crap for the rest of the day. I started with 14-14:30mm and one run was great at 13:30mm. I feel so defeated. It’s not fun and it feels awful. I’m more mad because it’s not like I’ve sat on the couch for years! I’m so active. I feel a big part is, obviously, I’m older but I’m also in menopause and haven’t physically felt like myself lately. I just wonder has anyone else experienced this? I finished my 10k today but I was basically useless for the rest of the day. I’m older but I’m not that old yet!!!
Not quite in menopause yet, but I had a hysterectomy in 2018 when I was 38 and I’ve noticed since then (and even more so coming out of the pandemic) that my speed has dropped significantly. Everything feels harder. The hills I used to run up with little issue? Now feel like I have weights strapped to me and I’m struggling to run up them.
I was forced into menopause at 43 and have experienced the exact same thing, down to keeping up my cardio fitness on the Peloton bike. I have found it really discouraging as I had hoped to try for another half of full marathon, but the way my runs feel past 4 miles these days, I’d never make it.
Thank you! I was in full menopause naturally at 36 and I can tell things have changed in my body even since then! I have a peloton as well so I cycle, run and do strength but outside is sooo freakin hard now.
You’re struggling because you’ve lost running fitness, not anything to do with perimenopause or menopause. Running is just so much harder than everything else.
Well, others experiences with menopause and running seem to mimic mine so maybe I’m on to something…
I think it’s a psychological thing to want to blame things like perimenopause/menopause.
ime, going from a treadmill, especially if it’s just sporadically, to running outdoors will almost always be slower and harder. Also, cardio is good, but it doesn’t directly translate to maintaining running fitness.
I’m 50F and have slowed down a bit over the last couple of years. I think a big part of that is the weight gain, but also my mindset about running has shifted.
Come join us in /r/menopause and /r/xxrunning!
I’ll echo someone else here who suggested Stacy Sims’ book Next Level. And, a podcast led by her co-author Selene Yeager called “Hit Play Not Pause”
As we age, woman athletes need to REALLY focus on a few things:
- strength training
- intervals
- sleep and nutrition (aka get your protein intake UP, like 1g/lb body weight)
Lift HEAVY 2-4 times a week. 20-30 minutes, do squats, lunges, deadlifts, etc. Low rep, high weight.
Do INTERVALS. Plyometrics too, like box jumps and jump rope. So if you do a treadmill run, do 8-10 speed intervals at the end of your run. (e.g., 10x30 seconds all out pace with good form, 1 minute walk recovery in between)
Do hill repeats. Find a good 6% grade outside and run up it for 30 seconds. Jog back down. Do that 10 times, after a 10 minute easy jog warmup. Then after the hills do another 10-20 minutes easy running.
(I’m 48F, been in peri for 5 years, and work hard to stay competitive - it’s not easy!!)
All of this. Special upvote for the increase in protein. It has made a huge difference for me. I am 58 and feeling my strongest ever this year.
To this good advice for older women athletes I’d like to add: get a DEXA scan and the bloodwork for identifying osteopenia! Our bones start to weaken as we age, especially post-menopause. A pelvic stress fracture led to my diagnosis, and the doctor told me that it was good I was a runner, for if I hadn’t been doing weight-bearing exercise for years my bones would have been in even worse shape.
I appreciate this! Thank you!
You might try reading Dr. Stacy Sims’ books. Her research focuses on athletes in menopause. Lots of useful information to apply.
I started running at 43. I’m 46 now and recently ran a 31min 5km. Pretty sure I’m in perimenopause. Running outside is really hard, you just need time to get back into it. You’ve probably forgotten how hard it was the first time. Be kind to yourself.
I’m not menopausal yet but mid 40s and had taken a few years off running. Even though I was relatively fit from cycling and walking the first 2-3 months felt awful. Like you say - even 3-4 k felt hard and legs were a lot more tired than I thought they should be. I’m now almost a year in and probably fitter and faster than I was before the break. Take it slow and hang in there - it will come back!
Thank you!!! Part of it is that I’ve still been so active so it’s frustrating.
Read “Next Level”, by Dr Stacy Sims
https://www.drstacysims.com/nextlevel
You are not alone, and what you’re feeling is real. Sim’ book offers evidence-based advice. My wife swears by it
Roar also by Dr Stacy Sims has a chapter on menopause, and the rest of the book is about female physiology in relation to optimizing fitness performance in general. Next Level sounds more applicable to OP but both could be worth the read.
Thank you for the recommendation!
I believe you might need to go a lot lighter and incorporate a lot more recovery into your routine until you adapt.
I’m older than you but I know some things to be true for me, and maybe you’ll recognize them as well.
If you’re having night sweats, your sleep is absolutely shit. I have to be on HRT or I can not sleep. If I’m having constant hot flashes all day I’m also cranky AF.
You may not have the same running fitness as you did, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get there. Run slower, take a walk pause every so often and walk 5-10 steps and then return to running. Your body may need a little more time to adapt to running outdoors.Testify. HRT has saved me. I was miserable. Like, getting up in the middle of the night to change my clothes, miserable. This went on for a few years. I changed to my current DR and she suggested HRT.
Don’t beat yourself up! Running is definitely more than just “cardio”. So I say it’s more about your lack of training. And running outside is a different beast than indoors. The good thing is you can get back to training and running well again! It may take a little longer to recover or get to a nice base, but it’s doable. Adopt the run/ walk method first to get the legs acclimated with the distance. Time on feet!
Your fastest race was a 10min pace 5k, 10 years ago, you haven’t kept up your running and you’re wondering why you’re not faster?
No, that’s not what I’m saying at all, actually.
I’m older than you and my menopause is almost done. I ran consistently throughout and before as well as being a regular gym goer for strength and flexibility. I think it’s a personal journey but my experience was that the early phases, so peri-menopause and early menopause, things were tougher. I got slower, felt exhausted, couldn’t sleep and put on weight without changing my diet. All rather depressing.
But I persisted with running even when I felt exhausted and had to walk sometimes and somedays thought I’d never manage a 10km run again, or even 5k! Things changed after a couple of years and my energy levels increased, my times started improving again and I now have easily enough energy and enthusiasm to try new sports in addition to running (standup paddle boarding, outrigger canoeing, cycling) and generally I feel much more positive, creative and energetic.
Everyone’s going to have a different experience of menopause and mine was a slog at first but I’m now so pleased I persisted with fitness as a sunrise 10km run now sets me up for a great day rather than being exhausting.
Sending best wishes your way!
Thank you for this! I started menopause super early (36) and I feel lately things have changed and I don’t feel the same. I guess it will be an ebb and flow but right now I feel horrible! Weight gain, brain fog, slogginess. It’s awful. I know I’m not young but I’m also only 43 and my body acts like it’s 60!
Hey there! I went through menopause at 22, and while the peri menopause symptoms definitely affected my motivation, I’m fitter and faster than I was before! As long as you finish perimenopause and take the HRT, I think you should be right as rain. Running just sucks so matter how fit you are haha
This is so reassuring to hear, I am 50 and I noticed at around 47 I started finding running harder, I couldn’t recover as well, had low energy, in fact it affected other areas of my life, I just felt like I’ve lost my oomph. I am slightly better now, reading your comment gives me hope. Do you mind me asking how old you are
yes, that’s what i’ve heard about perimenopause - that it is more difficult generally than menopause: unpredictable, variable length, emotional rollercoaster, metabolism and hormone changes galore, etc etc.
i heard that it is good to think of perimenopause as the opposite of puberty, and remember how turbulent that was? so be patient with yourself and your body, that is what i am trying to do, too.
Are you on any HRT at all?
I’m 43f and starting to feel different. Slower and constantly sore. Already dreading the long slog until menopause. Your post gave me some hope.
I’m taking HRT and have been for a while now. The HRT reduced the maddening hot flushes I started getting, but the upswing in my energy didn’t kick in until I was a couple of years or so into the HRT.
I’ll add a disclaimer as HRT is a sensitive subject among my friends and colleagues - I can’t and wouldn’t definitively link HRT to running improvements or energy gains and I’m certainly not a doctor. What I’ve said is just my experience.
Why is it a sensitive issue? Such a pity that HRT is so vilified and menopause such a taboo
Because there was a study that linked HRT to breast cancer at startling rates. However, the quality of that study has been questioned somewhat.
Your reply gave me so much hope. I’m nearing the end of peri (I think) and almost in menopause. The sleep changes are so hard and have had an affect on everything including running. I hope that it turns around.
In perimenopause and definitely feel a slowdown, changing in my fitness. That said. many of my runner friends are well past menopause and are fit as fuck. PRing, and everything. So humbling! Every body is different. But if I’ve learned anything from a lifetime of racing, don’t let any one race define your fitness. You can train intensely at peak fitness and still have a meh race with disappointing results. Perhaps your body has reset to a slower pace and that’s okay! Mine certainly is slowing down. I’m making peace with that reality. I’m grateful I can get my ass out the door most days. I’m learning as we age and our bodies indeed change, to be grateful for the ability to move at all and the “wins” look a bit different. Again, another day may yield different results.
This! So many crazy fast 50yr olds! Gives me hope.
I have the same experience. Before, I could run for hours but now I can’t run more than a minute and then I have to walk. My legs feel sore and I get really tired. I have been running since April consistently and I’m actually slower now than I was in the beginning, I just can’t seem to build any stamina. I have an Apple Watch and the vo2 has stayed the same all the time, it’s just so strange. My body kind of resists it all and it feels like all my efforts are for nothing. My motivation was great in the beginning, now not so much…
I am F 50. Menopause sucks.
Thank you! You’re making me feel like I’m not crazy!!!