Running During Perimenopause: My Honest Experience
I started perimenopause early, at age 35.
By 37, I’d started HRT and was training for a half-marathon.
During this time, I really noticed the shift in my running.
I expected building up to feel good because I wasn’t starting from scratch.
But my easy pace felt hard.
Recovery dragged.
Some runs felt genuinely miserable.
At the time, I didn’t understand why.
Yes, I’d increased my mileage. But sensibly.
Looking back now, my body was also deep in hormonal change.
My oestrogen was very low, and the gel I was using wasn’t absorbing properly.
I thought I was supporting my hormones, but in reality, I wasn’t getting the stability I needed.
So I was expecting my body to perform like normal… when it really wasn’t in a normal place.
Bath Half Marathon March 2024.
What I Did Instead of Quitting
I stayed on HRT and kept reviewing things with my GP.
But even while that was happening, I still wanted to keep progressing and enjoy training.
So I kept running, just differently.
I listened to my body more.
If an easy run felt hard, I slowed down.
I rested when I needed to.
I tried to stop beating myself up mentally.
I kept strength training as much as possible.
I paid more attention to sleep and recovery. More carbs. Proper rest days.
I treated the training plan as a guideline, not something rigid.
And even though the half I’d signed up for was on the road, I still took my long runs to the trails, often with Arlo. Being in nature helps me feel my best and clears my head.
The biggest shift wasn’t physical.
It was mental.
Instead of asking,
“Why can’t I run like I used to?”
I started asking,
“What does good training look like for me right now?”
I still moaned. A lot.
Wishing it would end - Bath Half was tough 😆
The Results
Just before starting the half-marathon training, I ran a 10K PB: 53:36.
I finished 3rd female.
I’m still so effing proud of that race.
It proved to me that even with everything going on hormonally, I wasn’t done.
I keep reminding myself of that now.
The half-marathon itself?
2 hours 5 minutes.
I’d hoped for faster. But it wasn’t a great race day. I had a very unstable stomach and gut 💩.
Now, though, I am proud of that time.
And more importantly, I think, I’m proud of the training to get me there.
Because I was training through low oestrogen, poor absorption, rising mileage, and a body I didn’t yet fully understand.
What Actually Changed
What changed first wasn’t hormonal; it was how I approached training.
I stopped trying to train like I was 30.
I stopped beating myself up when runs felt slow or hard.
If a session from the training app didn’t feel right, I didn’t force it. I trusted my gut.
I started training for this season of life instead of comparing it to the last one.
Since then, I haven’t been perfectly consistent with fitness or running.
I’ve navigated a career change. Closed a business I ran for eight years. Continued adjusting HRT, it’s taken over two years to finally find something that works properly.
All of that affects training.
Life does.
But after two years of perimenopause, here’s what I know:
I can still improve.
I can still chase PBs.
I can still enjoy running.
I just approach it differently now.
With more patience (not my strong suit).
Consistent strength work.
Full rest days when I need them.
And a much better understanding of my own body.
Finishing the Bath Half - so tough!
Perimenopause Running Now
I’m finally feeling more like myself again.
It’s taken over two years of gradual tweaks and a lot of patience with my GP to find an HRT combination that works properly for me. I feel very grateful to have access to that support.
And I’m proud of what I achieved even before things felt settled.
Right now, I’m rebuilding my running mileage after a few niggles and fitness setbacks.
I really want to get close to that 10K PB.
My most recent 10K on the same course was about four minutes slower than my best, so there’s work to do.
That doesn’t put me off though…
It just tells me where I am.
I’d love to run my fastest ever 5K this year too. But I’m reminding myself that sensible training matters more than doing everything at once.
Consistent strength training.
Gradual mileage building.
Then speed.
I can’t quite bring myself to commit to another half-marathon yet.
A long race day feels like too much pressure right now. But my mate is training for one, so each week she increases her long run by a mile, and I’m tagging along.
I don’t want the pressure of a race.
But I do like tricking myself into building mileage 😆.
