Exercising through/with menstrual cramps

Question for the ladies out there, who here has suffered from serious cases of menstrual cramps while exercising? Be it running, using the elliptical, or whatever other cardio workout. I find that I experience these cramps about a week or a week and a half prior to my time of the month, which is really frustrating because it's really painful! I usually get them about 10-15 minutes into my workout, and most of the times, I push through. It gets tough sometimes because it hurts a lot, and the pain stays longer then it would if I just stopped and walked it off for a few minutes. The pain is right where my ovaries are, and it feels like normal period cramps. Sometimes there's this urge to use the bathroom, and that is troubling when you're on a long run and there are really no bathrooms to use.

I guess the "silver lining" with all this is that once the pain goes away, it doesn't come back for the rest of the workout. I've tried to do some research on it by reading numerous articles online, but there doesn't seem to be much on it. I have found that there are many other women out there who experience this, and it's all pretty much the same. It happens at a particular point in their cycle, and the pain starts about 10-15 minutes into the workout, and persists for however long. Also, with most of these cases, the pain doesn't return once the pain subsides.

I'm looking for solutions, and I want to put these cramps to rest. It's hard to do a high intensity workout when for a week or a week and a half, you know that about 10 minutes in you're going to be experience some terrible stomach pains. So, I'm writing this post to see if anyone out there has experienced this, and if they have any tips/advice as to how to treat it. As mentioned, I usually do try to fight through it, but sometimes the pain is too much to take. So if you have any ideas/suggestions/etc please do make a contribution.

Thanks!

Vancouver Sun Run

I ran the Vancouver Sun Run this morning and it felt great! It was a 10K run, so it wasn't super long. It was my first time and I know that I want to do it again next year. I'm not sure what my exact time was because I started my timer about half a kilometre early, but I do know that it was under 1 hour. I probably should have signed up for the estimated time group ahead of mine because I finished in that range. But, hey, it was a great first experience!

Also, I knew the Sun Run is a very popular 10K run (I think the largest in Canada), but I did not expect it to be so crowded! It was actually difficult to go the pace that I wanted because there were people everywhere. Regardless, I had a blast, and I definitely enjoyed grabbing water at the water station and then crumpling it to throw on the ground... just like in the movies! I only did that a couple times though, I felt kind of bad about littering.

Oh and the only not-so-great thing I could say (other than my allergies that are ailing me now) is that it took a super long time to start! I guess that is because I signed up for one of the longer estimated time groups, so they had to start all the other groups ahead of us first. The race started at 9am, but my group didn't start until almost 10am! Oh well, I still had a good time, plus the weather was fairly nice.

Anyway, I encourage all of you to get out there and sign up for a run in your community. It is super rewarding and it's inspiring to be surrounded by so many dedicated runners/walkers taking time out of their busy schedules to take part in something that promotes fitness and health. And if you don't enjoy running (then I'm not quite sure why you're reading this) but do find something that gives you that rush and that sense of satisfaction. Don't take life for granted because everything can change in a split second, so find something you're passionate about and go for it!

Until next time!

I'm Back!

I know I have been away from the blog for the past couple months, but I've just been really busy with other things and to be honest, updating this blog was the last thing on my mind. To address my ankle, it is feeling much better now and I am able to run on the treadmill with basically no discomfort. I have not tried running on the road yet, but I will definitely be giving it a try in the next couple days or so. I also ended up seeing a "specialist" a little while back, who works at the Running Room to help pick out some new shoes. He's a competitive marathon runner so he did give me a couple tips on the recovery process. He basically confirmed everything I've read about peroneal tendonitis and also suggested that I go visit a RMT and get a deep tissue massage so that it can get the knot out of the injury area. I have yet to do that, but I have been working on strengthening ankle so that it would prevent future injuries. I will probably go see a RMT after the Sun Run, which will be next weekend. I am pretty excited about that and it is a pretty short run (10K). I just hope I'll be able to finish it under my target time, which is within an hour.

Anyway, I will try to be more discipline in updating this blog more often and providing more detailed information about my runs and other running related things. The next thing on the agenda, after the Sun Run, will probably be paying a visit to a RMT and getting new shoes, so look forward to some new material!

Well, until next time! Run hard, run often!