The Running for Real Podcast

Doping has made us all skeptical. Every time we see a performance that stands out, one that seems too good to be true, we automatically assume it isn't. Years of drugs in the sport has led us to become critical and bitter. Mario and I discuss doping in sport, and the importance of brands taking a stand against it is critical to becoming a clean sport again.

Mario and I also discuss every runner out there. How we struggle to maintain balance, feeling as though we are being more committed than everyone else, when in fact, we are reaching obsession with running, and that is when things start to go wrong, our running just keeps getting worse. 

We talk about why it is important to have other things in your life, even if running does mean a lot to you.

Mario is a very good coach, working with many of the best ultra marathoners in the country, who have won many national titles. He gives advice on when you should hire a coach (and no, he does not believe EVERYONE needs a coach), and what traits to look for in a coach that is best for you.

We talk about trail and ultra races and what extra preparation they require (and why Mario knows this, despite never running more than 50k!). This is a fun episode from the eyes and ears of running.

This podcast episode is for anyone who is generally interested in our sport, who loves running and cares for the future of it.

Mario Fraoli

Former editor of Competitor Magazine, Mario is a coach to many elite runners, and has become extremely popular through the honesty he shares in his Morning Shakeout newsletter, which goes out every Tuesday morning.

• What life is like working for one of the biggest running magazines in the world
• Mario's advice for runners who are very passionate and have big goals, but are not good enough to be sponsored
• The athletes Mario coaches and how they have been very successful, especially on the ultra scene...even though Mario has never run more than 50k
• Why you need to read his unpredictablly interesting morning shakeout newsletter
• Mario's thoughts on the doping situation and how it looks in the future
• Why Mario doesn't believe in the coffee taper

Having balance in your life is super important. Being committed to it, but having other interests in your life other than running help balance you out, but also sustain you. That will give you something to focus on and pursue when your running career or your best running days are eventually over, because that comes for all of us.

Giving yourself something to focus on down the road and developing an ability to roll with the punches. You will get a lot more downs than you will ups, at least initially, and realizing that is part of the process and being okay with it is important.

I think its important wherever you are as a runner or whatever roll it plays in your life, to realize, at the end of the day, it is just running. It is not everything.

I have coached people to 100 mile races with great success without having ever come close to doing it. 

The primary driver (to finding a coach) is the relationship; finding someone you can connect with on a deeper level, who you can communicate regularly and effectively, who understands you as an athlete, and will take the time to better understand you as an athlete; what your inspirations are, your training background, what your goals are, and will put some serious thought into how to bridge those gaps. That has got to be at the heart of it all.

Most runners need to be held back if they are driven and a coach can certainly help in that regard.

Doping has been a problem in running for a long time, and thats unfortunate, because, not only does it damage the reputation of the sport, but it affects peoples lives, their careers, and their ability to make a career out of it.

My view is definitely jaded. You don't know what to believe anymore, and that's whats unfortunate about the whole thing.

• Last week's episode with Jessie Barr
• The morning shakeout
• Clean Sport Collective
• Mario's Instagram
• Mario's Twitter

Thanks for Listening! I hope you enjoyed today's episode.

Can you imagine how good it would feel to be competing on a relay team at the Olympics in the final event on the track?

Think about how loud the crowds would be, how much adrenaline would be pumping around your body, and just how alive you would feel.

My guest today, got to experience that, and then struggled with injuries for the next four years pretty much continuously. Jessie decided she wanted to look into the mind of injured athletes and figure out why the identity loss she felt while injured felt so real.

It can be tough to continue to appreciate your body when you have a big goal in mind, but your body doesn't seem to want to cooperate, but Jessie did the research, and you are going to find what she says about running and depression very interesting, and real. Many have called this identity loss as a retired athlete as the first death, and athletes have to work hard to rediscover what they want to do with their lives.

All you can do is your absolute best, in both racing, training, and recovery, and you need to look inside yourself to find your improvements, not other runners.

This podcast episode is for anyone who feels like they are continuously being tested in their running, and the joy of running is being sucked away by the frustration of injury. Jessie may focus mostly on elite runners, but the principles can apply to us all.

Jessie Barr

Olympian and 400m hurdler, Jessie has achieved the ultimate goal of many athletes, but is doing so much more. Jessie is finishing up her PhD in sports psychology.

• What it feels like to run the 400m hurdles and the 4x400m relay in the olympics.
• How to stay focused and positive when you seem to be unable to stay healthy and have a chain of injuries.
• What to do when you lose trust in your body and question why your body keeps letting you down.
• If you have lost joy for running, why a complete reset by taking a little time off, can bring that joy and appreciation back.
• Advice for friends and family who isn't sure how to treat a loved one who is injured.
• What to do if you have accomplished your big goal, and you aren't sure where to look next. 

It feels like cement is slowly drying in all your body parts, and nothing wants to keep going.

After an injury, it kind of makes you reevaluate how much you want to be back running. When you are not able to run and you are on the bike or in the pool, this is exactly what I want to do, I really want to get back and I am gonna come back better.

It's those glimpses of really good training and running really well is what keeps you going. If I hadn't had that really good training camp, I don't know, would I still be running? I would probably feel like my best is behind me, and all these injuries are my body telling me you are not really able to hurt any more.

When I got out of my teens into my late 20s, it was always about qualifying for championships, running personal bests. I had somewhere along the way forgotten to enjoy it all.

When you have been an athlete for so long, if you identify with being an athlete...when you get injured, you can no longer be an athlete, you are not able to run anymore or do that thing that defines you, you go through an identity crisis, and you think, well, what am I now if I can't run.

Thinking about the end time when you still have a race to run is pretty much pointless, because, okay, you are going to run the race, but you don't have huge control over what that time is.

Try to do the best race you can every time and going through each step...If I put that plan into place, and I come up with the time, brilliant, but standing on the start line thinking, I have to run this time, I have to run this time, you are already tense, you are already nervous and probably your race plan is going to go out the window.

Races will come, races will go, but if you enjoy it, it doesn't really matter.

This race will never be as hard as some of the training sessions you have done. The training sessions you have done are much harder. This is a one off race, a showcase of all the hard work you have put in for the last couple of months, don't chicken out yet. Give it your best, you haven't worked for the last 8 months to chicken out now. Go and enjoy it.

• Last week's episode with Toby Tanser
• Jessie's Tweet about ice cream
• Jessie's Instagram
• Jessie's Twitter

Thanks for Listening! I hope you enjoyed today's episode.

To share your thoughts:

• Leave a note in the comment section below.
• Join the Running for Real Facebook Group and share your thoughts on the episode (or future guests you would like to hear from)
• Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

To help out the show:

• Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews will really help me climb up the iTunes rankings and I promise, I read every single one.
• Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe, you can find out here.

Thank you to Jessie, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.

Toby Tanser is one of the running ambassadors of our time. Not only did Toby convince Prince Harry to run with him, get Gloria Gaynor to meet a runner at the finish of a race, and friends with plenty of other celebrities, Toby is also a sub 2:20 marathoner who founded Shoe4Africa.

Toby shares his story about how he went from smoking 20 cigarettes a day, drinking 6 Guinness in a day to running professionally, to where he went to do a training stint in Kenya to improve.

Toby realized that for him, it was not about his running and what he wanted to accomplish, but how he could help others, especially the Kenyan runners who were putting absolutely everything into their running.

Toby was responsible for the first public childrens hospital in Kenya, and continues to find new ways to help other runners, getting the best Kenyan runners in the world (including Eulid Kipchoge and Mary Keitany) to be involved in his projects.

This is for you if you love to hear about the good there is in this world, and want to help others to bring light and joy to those in need. Toby is a runner who is passionate about helping others with their running goals, while helping everyone he can to be in good health, a luxury not everyone can afford.

Toby Tanser

Founder and CEO of Shoe for Africa, which built the first public children's hospital in Africa. Toby is on the board of directors for the New York Road Runners and organizes lots of events worldwide for charity.

• Why when he arrived in Kenya, he realized running wasn't what he was passionate about, helping people was.
• Why he gave away all his shoes (Including the ones on his feet), meaning he had to travel back to Sweden without any shoes on, and was consequentially arrested in Paris as a potential vagrant.
• Why Shoe4Africa doesn't send many shoes to Africa anymore (and what they are doing instead).
• How Toby got the best Kenyan runners in the world to create peace within tribes by arranging a march for peace.
• How and why Shoe4Africa built the first children's public hospital in Kenya with 105 beds for children.
• What you can do to help Toby and Shoe4Africa in the future

I wanted to stop, but I was able to keep on going because of the fear.

When we compete, we compete against ourselves. We don't really compete against other people. 

Arriving in Kenya, expecting to just go on a training camp, the country truly changed my life in so many ways. I realized, I wasn't really interested in running, I was interested in other things in Kenya.

I saw a place that had immense talent, but so few opportunities. 

People were giving me pairs of shoes and telling me emotional stories that I never believed possible... I realized it was empowering on both sides.

Being a very small charity, we have always been very nimble and work towards the greatest need we can.

Kids in Kenya have to go to overcrowded adult hospitals and have to fight for beds. 

We all know somebody who can help. We are a world of help. It is ingrained in our DNA.

I look at the London marathon and what it has done for the world of charity, absolutely amazing. New York is close on its heels now.

Mary Keitanys first senior race was a shoe4africa race.

Running is such a beautiful sport.

• Last week's episode with Tom Payn
• Bonus episode with Evie Serventi
• Shoe4Africa
• Achilles International
• Hope and Possibility Race
• Join Toby's New York Marathon Charity team by emailing Toby

Thanks for Listening! I hope you enjoyed today's episode.

To share your thoughts:

• Leave a note in the comment section below.
• Join the Running for Real Facebook Group and share your thoughts on the episode (or future guests you would like to hear from)
• Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

To help out the show:

• Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews will really help me climb up the iTunes rankings and I promise, I read every single one.
• Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe, you can find out here.

Thank you to Toby, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.

Bonusode (is that even a word?) I am making it one!

Today my dear friend and sports psychologist, Evie Servenit is here with us to talk about how to overcome the negative thoughts in a race once they start to flood in. 

If you are someone who goes into a race nervous, but confident, however you quickly lose that belief in yourself, this will help you overcome those moments in the future. Evie gives strategies on how to use tactics for every moment of the race where you feel doubt.

We even break up the race into sections where we tend to get down on ourselves, and explain how to get through each one using your winning feeling. This is especially important when your body is physically breaking down, and you can barely lift your legs.

We briefly discuss DNF and DNS and what questions you should ask yourself before you decide which one to do.

Finally, we talk about the mental side of why running focusing on your watch and pace is going to distract you from what you should be doing (and destroy your confidence).

This is for you if you struggle to maintain your confidence in races.

Evie Serventi

My sports psychologist and friend is an expert in building confidence and helping runners with their mental toughness in races.

• How to do a body check, and why it will help you if you are considering dropping out of a race.
• How to use the winning mindset to beat those race doubts that tell you how bad you are doing.
• How to break up your race to overcome fears of how far you have to go.
• Why understanding what motivates you will help you in those moments you start to question yourself.
• What to do if you have lost your running motivation.

A lot of the mental fatigue, anxiety, and stress in a race can often be linked to something physiologically out of balance.

You can always learn something from every race.

Try to focus on where you are right now.

Tell yourself, I am okay, I have got this. Take yourself back to your training, the facts are there. The reality is you have done the training, and it has brought you all the way through that training to the start of the race, and you are fit, you are ready, you are doing it.

If you can't reassure yourself, no one else can.

Lots of people have virtual running friends. You have your real running friends, and then you have your online running community through one of the social networks, but they can often be just as important as your real friends.

If you are suffering, think about why you are doing it. Knowing what are you training for. What are your goals? Is your goal something you really want? Do you need to look at changing your goals?

• Last week's episode with Tom Payn
• Run to the Top interview with Evie
• Mental Freakouts
• Physical Freakouts
• Mental Bottles
• Running for Real Superstars Community
• Evie's website
• Email Evie: [email protected]
• Enter to WIN a VI ($250 value!) GetVi.com/Running4Real
• How to subscribe to Running for Real on iTunes
• My Marathon and Half Marathon Training Plans

Thanks for Listening! I hope you enjoyed today's episode.

To share your thoughts:

• Leave a note in the comment section below.
• Join the Running for Real Facebook Group and share your thoughts on the episode (or future guests you would like to hear from)
• Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

To help out the show:

• Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews will really help me climb up the iTunes rankings and I promise, I read every single one.
• Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe, you can find out here.

Thank you to Evie, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.

Have you ever wondered what Kenyan runners training look like? Or how the Kenyan runner diet differs to ours?

I had, so I thought it was time to bring on someone who had an inside look, and lived as a Kenyan athlete for a few years. He also has worked as a manager for professional athletes himself, so can give us the other side of the story too.

Tom Payn shares his story from the moment he arrived in Kenya, why Kenyan time meant Edwin Kipyego was over an hour late to pick him up from the airport because of Kenyan time, and why the run, eat, sleep, and repeat cycle really is how Kenyan athletes live their lives.

Tom tells us just how easy the Kenyan runners take their easy runs, you won’t believe it!

Ultimately, this lifestyle meant Tom lost his passion for running, and had to start over again, but tells us how you can prevent that happening to you, and what to do if you do find yourself struggling to find running motivation.

This is for you if you love to learn about professional athletes and how they live their lives. If you are interested in what makes Kenyan runners so good, and what the doping situation looks like in Kenya.

Tom Payn

Tom is a professional runner, athlete manager, and founder of Run Namaste Eat. As one of the best British marathoners, and an olympic hopeful, Tom has an inspiring story, and talks in a real way we can all relate to.

• Why Tom moved to Kenya to train
• What it is like to be a Kenyan runner
• What a day in the life of a Kenyan athlete looks like and what food Kenyan runners eat
• What Kenyan runners do if they are feeling extra tired
• What Kenyan optimism is
• How Tom got his passion for running back after he lost motivation to train
• What Tom thinks about the doping situation in Kenya

I didn’t want it to come to later and life and wonder, “oh, if only I had done this or done that” so I quit my job.

(About easy runs) It’s a real 10-12 minute mile pace, when these guys can run half marathons at sub 5 minute mile pace, even a marathon at that pace.

Just before sunrise was the time to get up, they like running nice and early.

A lot of the guys are just running around with toes poking out of their shoes.

Dinner is at 8-9 o’clock, and then go to bed. They like to have their dinner just before bed because they said to me the reason…so they had more energy in the morning. It’s for them!

The biggest challenge was coming from working a full-time job to going to do nothing but running, and I struggled not having too much mentally engaging in my day-to-day life.

Because of the times I had run, straight away, I got the respect of being an athlete, and then they saw that I was running with them every day, doing exactly what they were doing, and more sometimes.

Whatever happens, if they have a bad race or drop out. They will say, “It doesn’t matter, I will win next time”. They do not dwell on it at all.

Because I had become a full-time athlete something had changed for me. Before I ran because I just loved to run and I would happily be running 140 miles a week while working a full-time job because I loved it, and I loved doing the training. There wasn’t any pressure because I was working full-time. And then I went to Kenya, and I was a full-time athlete. I had a few disappointing results and the pressure built. I started waking up and thinking ah, I have to go for this run and I don’t really want to, so the enjoyment went. When you don’t enjoy running, there is no way you are going to run fast.

You run because you love it. If you do it because you have to do it, it’s not going to work.

In Kenya, they have a very simple diet, it’s quite plant-based, a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, and they have their national dish, which is ugali, which is maize flour. Generally they will eat meat once a week so not much, but it is lots of beans, vegetables and fresh fruits.

• Last weeks episode with Amelia Boone
• Run Fast Management
• Photo of me with Edwin Kipyego
• Wings for Life Race 
• Generation UCAN use code Running4Real for 10% off
• Run Namaste Eat website
• Run Namaste Eat Facebook
• How to subscribe to Running for Real on iTunes
• My Marathon and Half Marathon Training Plans

Thanks for Listening! I hope you enjoyed today's episode.

To share your thoughts:

• Leave a note in the comment section below.
• Join the Running for Real Facebook Group and share your thoughts on the episode (or future guests you would like to hear from)
• Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

To help out the show:

• Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews will really help me climb up the iTunes rankings and I promise, I read every single one.
• Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe, you can find out here.

Thank you to Tom, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.

Amelia Boone has become a legend in the obstacle racing world. Winning almost every race she enters, but managing to juggle her training with a full time job as an attorney.

But this episode is not really about her successes, although we cover that, and how she got into obstacle racing in the first place, the focus of this episode is about her two stress fractures (femoral and sacral) within a one year period, and how gutting it was to try to come back after the second injury, knowing that she was the only one to blame.

We talk about how her priorities have changed since the injuries, how she has learned to say no to things, and what she has changed about her lifestyle since, keeping at least one rest day in there every week.

We spend a lot of time talking about the mental side of returning from an injury, and how our paranoia can be crippling as you fear injury and fear that you will never get back to where you were.

Amelia talks about how to become a better version of yourself, and why being real and authentic is the way to go for every runner. Regardless of what level you run at, everyone has their own bench mark of what is good enough, and we all need to learn how to let go of those expectations.

Finally, if you are scared of trying obstacle racing, Amelia might have some convincing advice that might change your mind.

This is for you if you are suffering with an injury (or returning from an injury) and struggling to handle the fear and frustration of wanting to get back to where you were.

Amelia Boone

Three time winner of the Worlds Toughest Mudder. Considered the Queen of Pain, and general bad ass! Oh, and she is a professional athlete while working full time as an attorney!

• How Amelia ended up the first page of Tim Ferriss new book, Tools for Titans
• How Amelia fits in training, being an attorney (for apple), and recovery
• Why if you think you don't respond well to rest days, it is actually not the case. You are supposed to feel bad the day after your rest day.
• Why she was afraid to tell people that she had a sacral stress fracture because of the stigma associated.
• Amelia's advice for dealing with the heartbreak injury brings and how to overcome fear on the road to recovery.
• Why Amelia recommends going to the races that you are missing through injury, rather than burying your head in the sand and pretending it doesn't exist.
• Advice for how to handle a tough spot in a race when you think you are never going to be able to finish.

Desk jobs are tough. I always thought it would be a perfect compliment to high mileage and super hard competitions...look I am sitting all day at work, I am resting, relaxing and recovering! But then I realized, I probably do the worst possible combination ever, which is train really hard, then stay static the rest of the day. 

I remember getting on the (obstacle racing) course, and absolutely loving it, and also realizing how bad I was at things...like monkey bars. You think, oh, I did monkey bars all the time as a kid, and you try to do them as an adult and you think, oh my god, why is this so hard?

All of a sudden, I found a purpose to workout, a purpose to train, to get better at these things I was awful at. For me, obstacle racing was kind of a challenge and a new goal, and it gave me new focus.

Through obstacle racing, I fell in love with running.

The stress from having an additional career outside of running, outside of competing, has to factor into recovery as well.

I have been feeling much better having one complete day of rest.

That second injury just gutted me, because there is no one to blame but yourself. I sat there thinking, I blew my chance.

It's been a lesson in trying to make peace with my body and learning to trust it. Really, the only way to do that is through practice.

I can only really do whats in the moment and just try to talk to my body, talk it through things.

Anyone who is going through a long term injury, I promise you, it gets easier. You will have ups and downs, but once you get to that stage of acceptance, it is a really valuable process.

To try to return to a previous version of yourself is ludicrous, so I tell myself to give myself permission to morph into a new kind of athlete.

The more vulnerable I am, the more confident I become.

I have always had this ability to just endure and just to keep going. When I was little, and we were playing four soccer games in a day. I was the only kid in the fourth soccer game that was thinking, "woo, lets keep doing this", and so being very well rounded and being strong, and having endurance, but not necessarily being the best at anything suits itself really well to obstacle racing.

• Tools for Titans by Tim Ferriss (Amelia is on the first page)
• World's Toughest Mudder
• Amelia's blog post - I Fear My Own Return
• Matt Davis of Obstacle Racing Media
• Rise of the Sufferfests
• Beet Elite
• Amelia Twitter
• Amelia Instagram
• Marathon and Half Marathon Training Plans

Missed, delayed, and irregular periods are often pushed aside, even by medical professionals. Doctors and other medical professionals are not taught about hypothalamic amenorrhea and the five factors that cause a loss of a menstrual cycle.

An energy deficit is the biggest one, and can cause significant damage to bone health in both men and women, but it is not the only cause. Running, stress, weight loss, and genetics can all play a role in why running causes periods to stop.

In this episode, author of No Period. Now What?, Dr Nicola Rinaldi is on the podcast to talk about why this is more common than we realize, and how our desire to be healthy has caused the reproductive system of many women to shut down. As running is a high intensity activity, it can be stressful enough on the body that it feels it needs to reserve energy to keep moving.

Birth control pills can mask a deeper problem, and today we talk about how even if you are having regular periods on the pill, you might still have an issue, which will go undetected until you come off the pill.

We also have Heidi Greenwood, former professional runner, on the show. Heidi shares her story of transitioning away from running to start a family because of her amenorrhea. Heidi shares her powerful and heartbreaking story of how she had to say goodbye to her daughter Jules at 28 weeks because of anencephaly.

This is a long episode, but so important to discuss and bring attention to.

You or someone close to you could have struggled with missed, irregular, or complete loss of a menstrual cycle. This episode shows just how prevalent amenorrhea is, and how birth control pills may be masking the problem for many seemingly healthy women.

Dr. Nicola Rinaldi is the author of No Period. Now What?, researcher and driving force behind the awareness of hypothalamic amenorrhea. Heidi Greenwood is a 2:42 marathoner who ran in the 2016 US Olympic Trials for Oiselle.

Dr Nic and Heidi will teach you about why it is so important to ask questions and seek further information, especially when it comes to your health and fertility.

• How difficult it is to get your menstrual cycle back once you have lost it
• How much weight a female needs to gain and what BMI a females body should get to for the best chance to restore cycles.
• Why it is so important  to find other ways to manage stress as the psychological side of stress is more important than initially thought.
• Why if your doctor prescribes birth control as the solution to amenorrhea, you might want to reconsider.
• Why Dr Nicola does not recommend birth control pills regardless of whether you have periods or not.
• Why hypothalamic amenorrhea research is lacking and what can be done in the future. Why you play an important part in growing awareness.

The hypothalamus is one of the master regulators in your body and when it senses a lack of energy or too much stress, which can be either physical or psychological, it will shut down your reproductive system and other systems to try to conserve energy...it will use the energy to the things you need to stay alive.-Nicola

I feel like there is a huge stigma, that if you don't get a period, you have an eating disorder, so what does the person do who doesn't get their period? Stay quiet, because they don't want people to think they have an eating disorder.-Heidi

There are 4-5 factors involved in HA. You can be extreme on any one of those factors, and shut down your hypothalamus and menstruation…for most of us, it is not just one of those aspects, but a whole bunch of things together.-Nicola

It is important to be eating freely, not restricting any food groups, definitely eating enough to support whatever exercise you are doing.- Nicola

Women, especially young women, don't realize that we need to ask questions. Heidi

I have not seen any impact on fertility from having HA. Once you ovulate and get your period, you have the same chance of getting pregnant as anyone else, in fact in some ways, it might even be better. -Nicola

High intensity exercise has been demonstrated to increase cortisol, and an increase in cortisol shuts down the hypothalamus, so I really recommend people do walking, gently yoga, and maybe easy biking and elliptical. -Nicola

I typically suggest cutting out high intensity exercise completely.- Nicola

Even if you take 6 months to a year off to restore your cycle, you can always go back to it later.- Nicola

I would have never waited till after the trials to start a family with my husband...time is too precious for things like starting a family, things that bring you joy. -Heidi

Everyone thinks, "oh, I am going to be different, I have read the stuff, but thats not really true for me". I hear that over and over again.-Nicola

We have been taught for so many years that you need to be thin, you need to eat right, you need to exercise as much as possible. To recover from HA, you need to do the opposite of that, which is really hard. For many of us, for decades we have been taught this "healthy lifestyle" that turns to not be healthy when you take it too far even if its unintentional. It is really hard to wrap your mind around that.- Nicola

We become numb to the workload we make our bodies do...we train our body to withstand long amounts of exercise, its like brushing our teeth, we just go do it, we don't even think about it. We forget that actually, we are making our body work!-Heidi

When you don't have your cycle, you are almost assuredly not ovulating because you are not having the monthly hormonal fluctuations.- Nicola

Any more than one period missing, I would be concerned. The sooner you take care of whatever the issue is, the easier it is to do. The longer you let something like that go, the more ingrained you get in the habits that have caused your periods to go missing, and the harder it is to recover.

Birth control pills can completely mask this, as you bleed every month. That is not any indicator of a healthy menstrual cycle. Nicola

Clomid or femera are probably not going to work, unless you have started making lifestyle changes.- Nicola

I have learned so much through the process of recovery. Learning to cope with stress in other ways, other than through exercising and to realize how limiting my food restrictions were. I think that is a common feeling among women who have recovered from HA, they are really thankful for the process and for having to go through it, as hard as it is at the time.- Nicola

We are in communities where this is quite prevalent, but in the overall population, doctors don't see this that much...for a typical OBGYN, they are not seeing that much of this, they are seeing more PCOS, so it is not on their radar screen, and they were not taught about this in medical schools.-Nicola

Don't let running determine when you want to start a family. Running will always be there.- Heidi

Don't have fear foods. Every food can have a place in what you eat. If you have a cookie, it's not the end of the world. It is really important to avoid any kind food restriction and eat what you feel like, eat what your family is eating, eat what your friends are eating. let your food be your fuel for the rest of your life, as opposed to feeling like you have to control it.- Nicola

• No Period. Now What?
• ESPN article:Why Tina Muir retired from running, at the peak of her career
• Runners World article: After 9 Years Without a Period, I’ve Stopped Running
• Dr Nicola's Guest post on my blog
• The 5 factors involved in amenorrhea
• Heidi Twitter
• Heidi Instagram
• No Period Now What? Instagram
• No Period Now What? Twitter
• No Period Now What? Facebook

Thanks for Listening! I hope you enjoyed today's episode.