~12.5 with Megan and my sis on the river trail, 8:38. We were whipped after. 12 used to be a regular day and now it wipes me out! I'm okay with it. I'm in a different phase of life.
Real Talk - I haven't raced/competed in almost 2 years. My body physically hit a wall and it was an absolute downward spiral. Mentally I wanted so badly to push myself and I continued to try for a while. My body literally wouldn't let me no matter how hard I tried. I lived in denial for a year. I went through a midlife crisis (ha!) and ran too many marathons "for fun" which definitely didn't do me any favors. A year ago I slowly started to accept my rapidly declining physical ability and health.
Secondary hypothalamic amenorrhea - This has been my reality for four years. Not awesome! I want kid’s waaaay more than I want a million dollars. So I started working on it finally... I reduced my mileage from 75 average to 50. I stopped all faster running! I worked diligently to reduce stress in my life. I quit racing, graduated:), and started yoga and hiking. I worked with my PCP and a fertility specialist and they both helped confirm my diagnosis. <---This is lucky and rare as most physicians are naive to this as long as you are a normal weight. My PCP is great! I added iron supplements and started medication for my under active thyroid. I threw away my scale, gained 10-12lbs and increased my bmi to 22.5. After 6 months of still no period I did the progesterone withdrawal with no luck. I know things like this take patience and that my genetics pretty much suck. Ha! I struggle with jealousy as I watch much thinner runners keep their period and get pregnant without much of a problem. I am doing better emotionally at accepting my fate and realizing this is one of my trials in life. It could be so much worse!
I'm addicted to running, obviously. But I'm going to gradually continue to decrease my mileage until I'm probably down to 20. This will be hard for me but so worth it and I'm one determined girl and know I can do it. It will not be easy for me but I have a lot of support from friends and family.
I posted all this crap mainly to try and hold myself accountable. My husband is super supportive and has been a huge help. The main reason I love running is because I love being outside. So we've started hiking a lot, gardening, SITTING on horses/4-wheelers and biking leisurely together.
I'd seriously love to hear anyones experience with this. I understand it, and I do accept it. I also know I'm not alone.
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