Question for female marathoners ONLY

DizzieLittleLifter

Sorry guys, not for you. I advice you to back click before reading anymore
WARNING TMI QUESTION ABOUT GIRLY STUFF!

Ladies, I have my first 1/2 on Sunday :noway: and I am expecting my monthly witch to come in to town Sat or Sun. :sad: If it's Sunday I'll be OK, but it Sat I'm in a world of hurt. I have a really really heavy period CD2-4. I go through a super + in an hour. Not to mention the cramps of torture. I'm not really sure what to do. I usually take those days off because exercise makes it all worse. It's not really safe to pop Advil before a long run (I've read) and how will I know where bathrooms are to take of the deed before I turn in to bloody marry running. :brokenheart: I wish the timing was different. So what do you do to handle this situation?

tbtravels

Are you on the pill? If so, I recommend starting the new pack instead of last week of current pack. That will prevent you from having a period, but it's not without the normal pms symptoms for me. I only do it if I really need to, but it works! Good luck in the marathon!!

firemama

How does your body react to vitamins and food? I too have a super heavy flow with horrible cramps on Days 1-2, if I don't eat celery and take a B complex vitamin everday the week prior to my monthly visit. I believe it is the B vitamins that help reduce the cramping. It really doesn't help the flow, just the cramps. Hopefully it works for you/. Good luck.

DizzieLittleLifter

TB, No, not on a pill. darn!
Firemama, I only take calcium and vit. c. I will give the B vit and celery a try! Thanks for the tips!

Michaela722

I'd still take a couple of advils before the race to take care of the cramps. I took Advil for all of my longest training runs and before the marathon, too. They were actually giving out tylenol during the Disney marathon.

It it's a well run race, there should be portapotties every 4-5 miles on the course. Do you have a fuel belt of some sort that you can run with? That will give you somewhere to store a few extra tampons. I'd run with a pad, too. That way in case you do leak, you don't make a big mess in your shorts. And wear black shorts, of course. Just in case.

Here's hoping that AF stays away until after the race!!!! You're doing to rock it, Dizzie!

avoisinet

Hey. I am not a runner, but I did have really bad periods with cramps and PMS untilllllll I got the Mirena put in. Not sure if you heard of it but it's available to women who have had children and do not want to get pregnant or have a period for 5 years. Read up on it. I have not had a period or any bloating, PMS or any side effects in a year. Now I know everyone is different so check it out. Ask your doctor about it and most insurance carriers cover it from my understanding. Most women that get it are extremely satisfied (according to my doctor and I read a lot of reviews on-line before I had it inserted). It won't help you for your upcoming race, but it is something to think about. Hope that helps!

canicas

Definitely steer clear of Advil and other NSAIDs (non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs), which have been linked to kidney failure and all sorts of other issues in endurance athletes if taken shortly before or during an event. If you absolutely need something, take Tylenol.

In terms of heavy flow issues, you can tape a tampon or two to the back of your race number if you think you'll need something extra during the event itself and don't run with a race belt..