I’m Not Slowing Down, I’m Just Becoming

Training for My First Ultra Through Perimenopause

I recently read a blog post from a popular online fitness community that infuriated me. They were trying to explain why women in their 40s and 50s experience body composition changes, and to paraphrase, they said, “women naturally deprioritize fitness in midlife. Between career demands, aging parents, and symptoms that drain energy, many women deliberately rebalance, spending less time in the gym because an hour of focused training plus a walk, a book, and time with friends feels more like the life you want.”

Let me be clear: This is not what’s happening.

I’m 47 years old. I’m training for my first ultramarathon, the Wild Woman 50K this June. In my 40s, I’ve juggled care for aging parents and their cancer diagnoses, parenting teenagers becoming young adults, a demanding career, chronic injuries, and yes, perimenopause. But I have NOT deprioritized fitness. I’m fighting to maintain it while my body wages a hormonal war I didn’t see coming. One that I still don’t fully understand. And one that changes every day.

Here’s what’s actually happening when you try to train for an ultra while navigating perimenopause:

Your Body Becomes Unpredictable

I had a long run planned for a Saturday morning. I chose a nearby trail I knew well, just 10 minutes from home. My period was already three days late. I used to be like clockwork, but perimenopause has made everything unpredictable. I could feel my body ramping up, that familiar pressure building. I knew I needed to get this run in early, or I’d be in debilitating pain.

That run felt awful. I felt slow, heavy, completely defeated. I was in a bad mood, couldn’t regulate my heart rate, and everything felt off. But I did it. I got back to my car, drank my recovery drink, and headed home.

Within an hour, I started my period. The pain got so intense that for the first time in my life, I vomited from menstrual cramps. I’d heard of this happening to other women, but I’d never experienced it myself. Between the inflammation in my body from my period and the increased inflammation from running that morning, I literally made myself sick. My gut couldn’t process it.

I spent the rest of the weekend in the fetal position, feeling sorry for myself.

This wasn’t just a bad period. I was recently diagnosed with fibroids, likely adenomyosis, and possible endometriosis. It’s been validating to get that diagnosis because the pain I’ve experienced has felt too extreme to be “normal”, even though we’re told to grin and bear it every month. When is it too much? I finally said it was too much, and discovered other things are contributing to my monthly pain.

As part of exploring treatment options, I decided to try adding another hormone to my already expansive cocktail of HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy). Within two weeks, my anxiety had spiked so much that even my therapist, on a video call, said she could feel me vibrating. This is a known side effect and the reason many women don’t tolerate it. I stopped immediately.

The side effect of stopping mid-cycle? Bleeding.

Now I’m planning another long training run, and my cycle is so off that I don’t know if I should expect to bleed, have cramping, be in pain, or what I’ll need to navigate. And none of this has anything to do with my cardio performance or fueling plan. This is another layer added to all of that.

Fueling is an Impossible Math Equation 

Let’s talk about the conflicting advice women in perimenopause receive when training for endurance events.

The endurance world says: Eat more carbs. Fuel hard. Survive on gels and candy during long runs.

The perimenopause world says: More protein. All the protein. You need to preserve muscle mass as estrogen declines. And let’s not forget fiber.

I’m caught in the middle, trying to figure out what to listen to. Do I drink a protein shake when I wake up, or eat a PopTart? 

I first noticed my body was changing when I’d gained 20 pounds seemingly overnight. My activity level and diet hadn’t changed, but my body had. I was uncomfortable and very annoyed. To fight that feeling, I spent more than 1.5 years trying to lose that weight, and I did, successfully. But it was a lot of work. It was tracking my calories at every meal, and focusing on fueling with a high-fiber, plant-heavy, and protein-focused diet.

Then I started training for my ultra. I knew I needed to fuel properly and shift my focus to adding calories back in, not restricting. Truth be told, I had never eaten a PopTart before, or given myself permission to eat candy. I instantly gained 10 pounds back.

It’s frustrating. I don’t want to risk underfueling. So I’m trying to balance my fueling: If I’m prepping for a big training day or race, I focus on carbs. But outside of training runs, I’m keeping a balanced plate approach, fueling with healthy carbs like sweet potatoes and whole grains, while still maintaining a protein-heavy diet to protect my bones and muscle mass as I age. 

It makes my head spin. I feel lost and confused. I’m probably not doing it right. And I have no idea what guidance to listen to anymore.

Pushing Through Pain Is No Longer an Option

I recently saw a female ultra running coach on Instagram promote running through period pain. She was admittedly complaining about how much pain she was in, and that running during your period was really miserable. But then she proudly said that she’s doing it anyway, and so should you. 

WHAT?

To my dismay, she got a lot of support in the comments, except from me.

That mentality is toxic. We harm our bodies and our training when we train through pain. A day, or even just a few hours of rest, could be exactly what our bodies need. Pushing through pain further diminishes the experience of women and our monthly cycles, not to mention the absolute chaos of fluctuating hormones and all the side effects that are wreaking havoc on our bodies, our sleep, and our mental health. And this toxic mentality has been happening long enough.

Training for my first ultra has made me realize that I absolutely must adjust my training plan during my period. Why am I running through pain and possibly making myself sick? To what end? Pain is a signal that we need to rest, adjust, or do something different.

Training Advice Isn’t Built for Us

As Dr. Stacy Sims, a women’s health and fitness advocate, famously says, “Women are not little men”. And that has really resonated with me. We are actually wired entirely differently. And therefore, we need to fuel, train, and listen to our bodies in different ways.

Finding researchers like Dr. Stacy Sims and Selene Yeager, host of the Hit Play, Not Pause podcast, has helped me understand that the common training plans, fueling suggestions, and performance metrics for athletes are often designed for the male body. Women are understudied and under-researched. We still don’t know much about the phase of life I’m in, and what we do know is often ignored or dismissed.

I don’t hear enough from athletes in perimenopause trying to juggle everything. I know a few other perimenopausal runners, but we aren’t talking about it enough. We aren’t acknowledging the juggling act it is for our bodies to be training while navigating huge hormonal shifts and all the side effects that come with them. This phase of life is a lonely space to occupy.

Women, What You Should Know

I had no idea this was coming for me. The first signs were a few injuries that took longer to heal, and heightened anxiety. But I really noticed something was off when I started struggling with brain fog and weight gain.

If you’re younger and reading this, I want you to know: Those symptoms don’t have to slow you down. You can maintain your active lifestyle and still pursue bold goals. At the same time, you need to listen to your body and make some big adjustments to how you train, how you fuel, and decide if HRT is right for you.

If you’re in perimenopause and reading this, I want you to know: You’re not alone. You’re not crazy. Your body isn’t betraying you, it’s just changing. And you don’t have to give up your goals. But you might need to do things differently.

My journey to a 50k is more than training runs and strength sessions. I’m tweaking my HRT cocktail to better support my changing body. I’ve given myself permission to rest during the worst days of my period. I’m learning to fuel for both performance and long-term health. And I’m listening to my body, instead of coaches on social media, and refuse to push through everything.

Crossing the finish line at Wild Woman 50K isn’t just about a single race day. It’s about proving, to myself and to other women, that middle-aged women are capable of big, audacious goals.

I’m doing this as part of The Cairn Project’s First 50k Sisterhood, a program that removes barriers for women entering trail running and outdoor spaces. Together, our cohort is raising $15,000+ to fund scholarships for the next generation of women who need access to gear, coaching, and community. Because when the world feels heavy, getting outside shouldn’t be a privilege; it should be accessible to every woman who needs it. 

I’m not slowing down. I’m just becoming.

I’m becoming someone who understands her body better. Someone who refuses to let perimenopause shrink her life. Someone who’s learning that middle age isn’t about decline, it’s about discovering what I’m truly capable of.

And I’m not done yet.

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The First 50k Sisterhood is a cohort of 15 women running their first ultramarathon at Wild Woman Trail Runs in June 2026. They’ll share their stories through training, racing, fueling and beyond, all while fundraising $15,000+ for future outdoor sports scholarships for girls and women.

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First 50k Sisterhood is honored to have support from:

• Microcosm Coaching’s training plan and ongoing coaching
• LOWA’s high quality footwear
• Kelly Fuson’s mindset and performance coaching
• Tailwind Nutrition fuel to power the miles
• Run Slick anti-chafe to run longer without pain
• Pen and Paces custom bibs to celebrate race day