Despite THAT baton drop in the women’s 4x100m relay, the European Athletics Championships have been a joy to watch. From a horizontal angle, I’ve seen the brilliant Eilish McColgan run lap upon gruelling lap. There have been eye-openers, from Perkovic’s undisputed pedigree in the women’s discus, to Okoye’s history-making bronze in the men’s event. Despite these victories, the greatest win has been the steps towards period equality. Professional athletes have openly called for more acknowledgement that periods affect athletic performance, and that this is worthy of discussion and research. Periods, with their monthly chaos, should be relevant when pundits and self-proclaimed experts analyse women’s performances. For me, this shift in discussion is a hop, skip and a jump on the runway to greater (e)quality in athletics.
By scheduling the Worlds, Commonwealth Games and the European Championships all within 5 weeks, it became near impossible for any female athlete to ‘luck out’ and avoid being on her period throughout the series. Of course, certain athletes might be fortunate enough genetically to experience a light cycle, one which doesn’t affect performance to a noticeable degree. I, and I’m sure many others, have always assumed that top athletes are not so troubled by periods as the rest of us. My (admittedly jealous) assumptions were completely proven wrong when I witnessed the havoc periods wreaked upon performances in the last few weeks. Despite the athletes’ own heartbreak, there has generally been a sense of hope drawn from disappointments. Specifically, I’ve been impressed by the athletes’ willingness to explain that these bad races were because of their periods.
Form, consistency and ideas of a ‘characteristic’ performance have always been buzzwords for pundits to use in the build-up to a final. I have keenly observed the phrase “to medal” creeping into usage in commentary and post-race interviews. “To medal” is portrayed as a duty, an expectation that those athletes, backed by the commentary team, are obliged to fulfil. The splendid neo-verb highlights the immovable importance of delivering what is expected on the day. Failures “to medal” have drawn attention throughout the games. While some disappointing performances have been reconciled to the public thanks to the commentary team, such as Cindy Sember’s unfortunate clash with the second hurdle, others, such as Pratt’s disappointing 4th in Birmingham, have been left as inexplicable blots on the athletes’ transcripts. Until now.
Following sub-par performances, Pratt and Asher-Smith have been among athletes stating, in full, the physiological reasons for these performances. Asher-Smith’s mysterious “calf cramp” was a period-induced factor. Pratt’s post-race Instagram caption was refreshingly open as to the heaviness of her legs on the day, a common symptom of a heavy period as iron is drained from the bodily system. In a climate of high investment into athletics, in-form athletes are expected to have a reason for failure “to medal”. So, they’ve given it. This may not appear revolutionary, but its impact is huge, and, to my mind, exciting for sporting culture.
One resultant prospect (thanks to recognising periods as performance-affecting factors) is the growth of transparency between coach and athlete at the grassroots level. To improve as an athlete, explaining what physiologically went ‘wrong’ in a performance, or what caused an injury, is always necessary. If we arbitrarily stop at “calf cramp” and don’t explain potential reasons for this to our coach, then cramps, and the disappointing performances that follow, will continue unmanaged. Perhaps it will turn out that certain kinds of intensity in training should be avoided at certain times of the month and should be stopped before injury occurs. This is why it is essential to talk about periods when necessary.
We can’t avoid racing on our periods sometimes. As a distance runner, I’ve done many races on my heaviest days. I tend to know that this will be the case weeks in advance, but still can’t predict the levels of detriment to my performance. I tend to forget how bad racing on my period is until it happens again. I suppose that forgetting about it each time comes hand in hand with never offering it up as an excuse for my dodgy races to anyone but my closest friends, feeling it’s too much of a taboo to discuss widely. Luckily, I’m not elite enough to come under much scrutiny per race. If I were a professional though, to fail to give the information behind the performance to my coach or team would affect my career. If my coach lacked the full assessment of my bodily state during my lull in performance, then I would continue to make the same nutritional, physical or mental mistakes in racing at these times in the month.
This exchange of essential information should not be seen as excessive or ‘TMI’. If you are prepared to tell a coach about other physical issues which require alterations to training, why should your period be any different? If the tiredness in your body is telling you to skip a session or even a rep within a session, pushing through it might be a mistake. Your coach is there to help you improve, so if you don’t explain why you’re sitting a session out, the lack of communication will lead to avoidable frustration. Coaches should be interested in you as an athlete, so if something doesn’t work for your body, it shouldn’t be part of your training plan.
Pratt and Asher-Smith have set a fantastic example. By communicating and speaking about periods in sports without shame, your coach can be understanding rather than critical of sub-par races. Instead, making small tweaks to training and nutrition will ensure that your body, even on the heaviest day, copes the best that it can. If all female athletes have such expectations built into their training philosophy, then women in athletics will be better equipped to combat this performance-affecting factor. In terms of the all-important medal tables, major upsets will become rarer. Thus, by understanding the effects of periods on performance, we promote further equality and quality of athletics.
For these reasons, I believe that period transparency is the most important legacy of this summer of athletics. Investment in sports can only yield results if it is a well-informed investment. The availability of physiological causal information from athlete to coach (or armchair critic) enables everyone involved to invest in the future of that athlete with understanding and respect. Establishing a period-aware environment in sports takes another step down the path to women’s equality. Further, the increased participation in sports will, in turn, bolster that all-important medal tally.