Woman Question - Does Moon-phase Affect Your Cycling?

I cycle regularly on an apartment trainer and before that, I
used to train on a kick-scooter. For both of these
activities I keep records in a database.

Over time, I began to notice distinct fluctuations in
performance in keeping with my menstrual cycle.

It took me two and a half years to learn the trick of
balancing on a kick-scooter. My training consisted of
doing five runs up, and five runs down, a track of
sidewalk perhaps 80 m long, with a very slight incline,
and counting the number of steps on each run. The object
was to minimize the number of steps, since each step meant
that I was falling off the scooter and needing to correct
my balance from the ground. A competent scooterist would
not need more than one or two steps on a downhill run,
just to hop on and get started and let gravity do the
rest. Also, the object was to have equal competence on
both legs. I started using the right leg to push uphill,
and the dominant left to push downhill. The best possible
score was two steps downhill and twelve uphill. Then I
switched legs until I achieved the same score on the right
leg downhill, thus becoming ambidextrous, or more
accurately ambisinistrous, on the scooter.

But my progress was not steady. I would have a brilliant
day, when I broke records on fewness of steps, and a
short while later would find myself way back where I had
been weeks before, with forty or fifty horrible steps on
both runs!

Out of curiosity, I also had a field in the database to
track "menstrual day", with day 1 being the first day of my
period. Over time, it became apparent that the good days,
when I broke records, were in the second half of the cycle,
days 19-28, usually just before my period began, but that as
soon as I hit Day 1 and in the week following I would have
those frustrating throw-backs when I could scarcely balance
on my two feet, let alone on a scooter. I mentioned this
fluctuation to my regular doctor, who detected a light
anemia and prescribed iron tablets. I feel better and more
energetic with the iron, but it didn't seem to make any
difference to this monthly eclipse of my balance.

Now, both on my trainer and on my wild bicycles, I am
noticing similar fluctuations. My trainer score is
calculated on the number of kilometers the odometer records
in 60 minutes, with my heartbeat averaging not more than 136
beats per minute. Once again, records are broken in the
second half of the menstrual cycle, whereas the throwbacks
to much lower and earlier levels of skill that I thought I
would not see again (under 32 km?!) happen in the first half
of the cycle. On the wild bikes, I also notice that on
certain days I have much more trouble, for example,
negotiating turns, than on others, as well as greater
difficulty starting my pesky bike Behemoth. I haven't
tracked these incidents to the lunar cycle, because wild
bike activity is not in my database, but I feel confident
that there is a connection.

So, it seems like some cyclical hormonal factor - not iron -
is linked to a monthly diminishing, not only of strength and
vigor, but also of ability to balance. Has anyone else
experienced similar? I'm assuming this question concerns
women primarily, but in fact that assumption is not
scientific, since not all werewolves are female.

EFR Ile de France

 

I remember reading somewhere that in the week before your
menstrual period, there is a surge of Estrogen, and then on
the first day of your cycle, or just before, your Estrogen
takes a plummet, causing exhaustion and dimminished
performance. The article I read said that women have their
peak mental and physical performance during that last week
of the cycle. In fact, the article also stated that you
could eat up to 50% more calories during that week and not
gain weight. So, I suspect there may be a scientific basis
for your findings.

Any MDs who want to chime in and enlighten us would be
welcomed....

 

"Elisa Francesca Roselli" <[email protected]>
wrote in message news:[email protected]...

> Over time, I began to notice distinct fluctuations in
> performance in keeping with my menstrual cycle.

For me, it worked the other way -- a long hard ride would
get my blood flowing (so to speak). My cycle adjusted so I'd
menstruate on Saturday's big ride. When I started spending
time on Saturdays doing other things, and moved my big rides
to Sundays, then my period would start on Sunday.

I learned to carry tampons in my bike bag. Someone
suggested jamming the OB brand style up your handlebars as
a way to carry them easily and waterproofedly, but I find
just buying the style out of a vending machine (that comes
prewrapped in plastic or sturdy cardboard) is the best to
carry on the bike.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
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