If you are a guy, or a particularly proper gal, you might want to stop reading now.  What comes to mind as I write is a line from one of my all-time favorite movies, Sixteen Candles.  Molly Ringwald’s character has a sister who is getting married.  The sister’s monthly bill comes the morning of the wedding so she takes 4 muscle relaxers which make her totally out of it.  Her parents argue loudly in the church sanctuary about what to do, and the mom unintentionally bellows for all the guest to hear, “We don’t have to announce to everyone that she’s on her period.”  

Because that’s exactly what I’m doing.  This bit of over sharing is actually very relevant to the blog and my training since I spontaneously decided to take an unplanned Rest day.  According to Hal Higdon, “…training programs are not carved in concrete, they can be modified by shifting workouts as long as you get the miles in in some way.  Women do and can either ignore natural body changes every 4 weeks or adjust their training at least slightly to accommodate those changes.”  I suppose I’m just not as tough as the women who can carry on through cramps, nausea, and bloating so terrible that their running shorts no longer fit.  I’ve witnessed such women, on more than one occasion, whom while racing are too driven and focused to pause and take care of biz.  Most likely, these are also the athletes who do not give their cycle a second thought when deciding whether or not to register for a particular event.  While some consider picking marathons based on one’s menstrual cycle obsessive, I prefer to think of it as savvy planning.  After all, spending more time doubled over in a port-a-john than running does not make for a victorious marathoning experience.