You think it's responsible to tell a girl that if she has her period she's not training like a D1 athlete?
You missed the entire point. Again, you don’t even coach at the top level. Nothing makes anything “okay” or “responsible”. But this is the price you pay for pushing your body to extreme limits. It isn’t just a distance runner thing, swimmers, tennis players, etc.
And this is the last place to take advice, a bunch of nobodies who know nothing about running, just use their “feelings” rather than scientific exercise science research.
My professor who was an WOMENS OLYMPIC SKIER would talk about this, and how women need to be educated on this type of stuff so they can make the right decision on what they want to sacrifice. That should be the real conversation, not the coach.
Read the OP's post and what her coach stated. That is irresponsible.
My college coach told me that most elite women lose their periods when they train hard in college, and that's how we know we are training like a DI program. But everything I read online and have learned in school has said this is very risky. I know many of my teammates have lost their periods as well and I'm pretty sure he is telling them the same thing. I mean, we are running well right now so I guess it's working, but should I still say something? Have any of you experienced this with your college coach telling you its a good thing? How did you handle this?
I had something similar happen to me in college. We actually had a female assistant that did a good job as a liaison between athlete and head coach. I’d go to her to see how she suggests moving forward. Fortunately for us our head coach seemed to understand the concern and has since had our female assistant discuss how dangerous this is for our future but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t get a regular cycle. Just something worth working on becoming more regular if you’re not instead of freaking out.
My wife's coach was a woman. She is a respected coach. I can tell that you guys only know what the slow overweight male tell you. I guarantee that the majority of women at NC Stste and BYU do not have regular periods.
She regularly discusses the importance of having regular periods, making the topic less taboo by discussing the timing of her own cycle. If an athlete begins missing them, Taylor refers her to the team dietitian or physician, knowing it might require anything from small dietary changes to more intense intervention.
“We address those conversations head on,” said Taylor. “It’s very important to fuel our bodies with good things so they can do good things for us. With women it’s a little different with the bone structures. We want to make sure they are having periods, for bone strength and for having children and things beyond sport. We want periods. If they’re not having them, we need to talk about it and increase fat intake or cut (training) mileage. … We have a very healthy culture.”
Coach Diljeet Taylor has returned the BYU women’s cross-country program to national prominence. Monday her squad will be among the favorites to win the NCAA cross-country championship
Will lazy college coaches with no care in the world for their female athlete's basic biological functions begin recruiting trans athletes to save the hassle? What was Title IX all about?
Yes. Thank you for proving that they miss their periods. Nobody supports it. That is what you are missing but it happens to most elite females as you proved.
Read and listen to Dr. Stacy Sims. The general problem is not the strenuous training but the under fueling of the body. It is mostly a nutritional issue.
My college coach told me that most elite women lose their periods when they train hard in college, and that's how we know we are training like a DI program. But everything I read online and have learned in school has said this is very risky. I know many of my teammates have lost their periods as well and I'm pretty sure he is telling them the same thing. I mean, we are running well right now so I guess it's working, but should I still say something? Have any of you experienced this with your college coach telling you its a good thing? How did you handle this?
My college coach told me that most elite women lose their periods when they train hard in college, and that's how we know we are training like a DI program. But everything I read online and have learned in school has said this is very risky. I know many of my teammates have lost their periods as well and I'm pretty sure he is telling them the same thing. I mean, we are running well right now so I guess it's working, but should I still say something? Have any of you experienced this with your college coach telling you its a good thing? How did you handle this?
You need an expert to answer your question which is, yes correct, a medical doctor. Maybe the doctor is also an expert in sport athletics.
This post was edited 33 seconds after it was posted.
My college coach told me that most elite women lose their periods when they train hard in college, and that's how we know we are training like a DI program. But everything I read online and have learned in school has said this is very risky. I know many of my teammates have lost their periods as well and I'm pretty sure he is telling them the same thing. I mean, we are running well right now so I guess it's working, but should I still say something? Have any of you experienced this with your college coach telling you its a good thing? How did you handle this?
Transfer. Run away from this coach. Your coach will hurt you. Stop running for this coach. Find one who treats you like a human, not a data point.
Runners need fuel. That fuel should be good, not your body fat, muscles, bones, and organs.
My college coach told me that most elite women lose their periods when they train hard in college, and that's how we know we are training like a DI program. But everything I read online and have learned in school has said this is very risky. I know many of my teammates have lost their periods as well and I'm pretty sure he is telling them the same thing. I mean, we are running well right now so I guess it's working, but should I still say something? Have any of you experienced this with your college coach telling you its a good thing? How did you handle this?
Women taking birth control pills can also lose their periods.
Do they lose them or does it regulate them? (21 days on a hormonal pill with 7 days off)
Birth control is sometimes prescribed by physicians to help women who have irregular periods (often from running) have more regular periods. So it can help the situation. I am not a doctor and don't know if it is the right answer for everyone.
Regardless of whether the OP is a troll, the underlying message being delivered on this thread is accurate for any runner having a problem with her period -- talk to a physician (preferably a gynecologist but a primary care doctor is fine as well) about it, not your coach.
If your coach admires the intensity and commitment of D1 training, that's great. Tell him to go do seven more years of medical training at an intensity level beyond anything he has ever experienced, and then you will consider taking his medical advice.
My college coach told me that most elite women lose their periods when they train hard in college, and that's how we know we are training like a DI program. But everything I read online and have learned in school has said this is very risky. I know many of my teammates have lost their periods as well and I'm pretty sure he is telling them the same thing. I mean, we are running well right now so I guess it's working, but should I still say something? Have any of you experienced this with your college coach telling you its a good thing? How did you handle this?
That’s the attraction: running well in the short term. But I wouldn’t bank on the “no period” approach for better long-term health and performance.
He should be fired for stating a fact? Would you rather that he lie? Various articles have been attached in this thread. It appears thn 2/3 to 3/4 of elitee distance runners lose their periods at some point. She merely stated that her coach informed her that most elite women lose theor period. She followed up asking if it is good. She didn't say that her coach said it is a good thing. One of the articles is about Diljeet Taylor. She sad that she sends her women to doctors and nutritionists when they lose their period. Do you want her to be fired for acknowledging that it is happening?
He should be fired for stating a fact? Would you rather that he lie? Various articles have been attached in this thread. It appears thn 2/3 to 3/4 of elitee distance runners lose their periods at some point. She merely stated that her coach informed her that most elite women lose theor period. She followed up asking if it is good. She didn't say that her coach said it is a good thing. One of the articles is about Diljeet Taylor. She sad that she sends her women to doctors and nutritionists when they lose their period. Do you want her to be fired for acknowledging that it is happening?
You know you're training like a D1 program when you lose your period. You don't think a statement like this by a coach might compel young impressionable athletes to push themselves too much?
In the book The Silence of Great Distance, there's a passage involving a conversation between Stephanie Herbst and her coach Peter Tegen. She asked, would I be a better runner if I lost some weight. He answered yes. To some it might be a fact but soon Herbst developed an eating disorder. Coaches need to watch what they say to young impressionable athletes.
No. Athletes do the training prescribed by the coach. Regardless, it is a true statement. Letsrun posters seem to often fall in the camp of wanting to lie about things rather than state facts.
My college coach told me that most elite women lose their periods when they train hard in college, and that's how we know we are training like a DI program. But everything I read online and have learned in school has said this is very risky. I know many of my teammates have lost their periods as well and I'm pretty sure he is telling them the same thing. I mean, we are running well right now so I guess it's working, but should I still say something? Have any of you experienced this with your college coach telling you its a good thing? How did you handle this?
The coach told you the TRUTH that no one wants to say publicly. Everyone pretends that you don't need to be rail thin, have no period and abuse your body to be a WINNING, world class athlete, but you do, just ask the Ethiopians. Footballs players know there is risk in what they do that can cause permanent damage, yet they make the decision to do it anyway. So do the top distance (1500m and up) runners. I know for a fact that some women LIE and claim they have their periods, yes, even on BYU, just to appease their peers and coach, but don't actually have one. No one tells the truth. If you still have your period, you may be fast, you may have success, but you WILL NOT beat the people who are training harder than you who has lost theirs. Everyone says that training is the key, but they hold onto this myth that you can train enough to be a world class athlete and still have a regular period, you can't. If you are still getting a period, you are leaving some training on the table. I know people don't want to hear it and think it's dangerous to say, but sports are dangerous and with it comes risk. You can be mediocre with a period, or train like a beast and be a world champion. Everyone has choices.
