What is the Running Strong into Menopause Summit?
There's no getting away from it - if you're female heading into peri or post menopause, things are going to change. Your body, your mind, your life and your running!
BUT despite what popular culture would have you believe, it's not all bad news.
This 5 day summit is for any woman who loves running and wants to not just continue running into this next phase of life but get better AND stay injury free.
Watch the intro video below...
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Angie Garton - Menopause Coach
Angie is a Menopause Coach who helps women to feel more like themselves at peri and post menopause.
She provides support and solutions that take the guesswork out of how to feel better. Her approach is always science-backed, simple and effective. She focuses on the root causes rather than quick fixes for her clients.
She will help you to feel more confident and reassured in your approach to menopause, even if you're feeling stuck and overwhelmed right now.
Claire Booth - Senior StrongFirst Instructor & Elite Country Leader
Claire enjoyed a successful bodybuilding career winning over 20 titles including Miss Great Britain, Miss UK, Miss Wales, & Miss International. She also competed internationally, placing 3rd in the world.
She travels the world coaching for StrongFirst & runs workshops & courses in the UK and internationally, coaching fitness professionals & teaching people to move better, feel better & look better.
Kelly Victoria Thorn - Running, Biomechanics, Movement Strength & Mobility Coach
Kelly has been teaching people how to move better since 2008. She is passionate about helping runners avoid injury and improve their performance by improving their mobility, strength and overall movement ability.
She is a self-confessed foot nerd and believes that modern shoes are the work of the devil and all feet should be free!
When she's not freeing people's toes, she can be found in her glass studio or running up a mountain.
Talk 1: Meno-belly: a simple explanation for why we gain belly fat (and why we don't necessarily need to lose it).
Our bellies are not supposed to be totally flat, but it is very common to notice some weight gain in this area, thanks to peri-menopause. Even if you haven't changed your diet or training, you may well notice some body shape changes. Why does this happen? Why is it so difficult to lose? All will be explained, with some reassurance that your body knows what it's doing.
Talk 2: The power of Orgasm (and other pleasurable ways to relax) for menopausal runners
Did you know that your body relies on your ability to relax, in order to be resilient?
Getting 'stronger' either physically or mentally requires a whole range of brain chemicals to be created. You can enhance and improve this process by choosing to engage in activities which provide a relaxation response - whether that's orgasm or any other mind-body relaxation activity.
(please note this is NOT a practical session!) ... which I'm (Kelly) personally gutted about :)
Talk 3: Motivation and confidence, at peri and post menopause
The link between motivation and confidence, and why our relationship with ourselves is so important, at menopause.
Claire Booth - Body by Booth, Summit Co-Host and Strength & Conditioning Coach
Claire will be focusing on three areas...
Talk 1. From the Ground Up
The poor foot often gets neglected, yet it has to support us all day. It gets crammed into inappropriate footwear which can effect our posture and lead to overuse injuries.
Often what our foot does, or doesn’t do can effect everything further up the body, even our core!
I will give you tools to improve foot function & ankle mobility. Simple exercises to strengthen the arch & much more.
Talk 2- Simple Strength Skills
Strength training is extremely important for runners, yet so often it is totally overlooked. Neglecting our strength can increase the risk of injuries. The hips, legs, midsection need to be functionally strong. When trained correctly they can improve power, strength, endurance & stability. Utilising the right exercises in your training can have huge positive impact on running, or the sport of your choice.
As with anything it isn’t just what you do, it’s how you do it! All it takes is one kettlebell and your bodyweight.
Talk 3: the importance lean body mass & an optimal protein intake for health.
This is such a huge topic to cover & can be very complex but I will keep it simple & accessible. I will cover why protein is even more important as we age, the bioavailability of different proteins, the best protein sources. The role of protein within the body. How to estimate how much protein you need.
Why carrying a good amount of lean muscle is important for metabolic health, staying lean, longevity & much more.
Rachael Hunt - Specialist Menopause Running Coach
I work with runners to help them run faster and further with less injuries.
I teach them to improve their run technique and to become stronger and more efficient runners.
I'm also a keen runner myself, mostly out on the trails. I also strength train and do yoga to support my running.
I have competed in events such as Ironman and Ultra distance races and know all too well what it feels like to be injured. Having experienced many running related injuries, I decided to study running technique. I have since qualified as a Certified Running Technique Specialist with The Running School.
I am also a keen advocate for training men and women differently because we are different! I also coach women differently depending on whether they have a natural cycle or use contraception, whether they are in perimenopause or post menopause.
You can find Rachael at her website or on Facebook
In Rachel's interview we dive into the ins and outs of what needs to change in running programming at peri and post-menopause.
Rachael is an extremely experienced run coach and has a lot of really useful info about why you might want to run less NOT more and how that can actually help you manage your weight better!
You can find Clare at
Clare's interview was an absolute game-changer. This woman knows her stuff and lives and breathes gut health! I didn't know that so much ill health was related to the gut - even stuff that doesn't even have anything to do with the digestive tract.
This interview is a must for any woman - especially those approaching menopause.
Clare Nisbet - Tingle and Glow
I am a Nutritional Therapist and I specialise in gut health. Because EVERYTHING comes back to the gut.
I had severe gut issues for years. I used to wake up in agony, I used to run to the toilet all throughout the day and my levels of stress were through the roof, making everything even worse.
I used to think it was completely normal.
I also got diagnosed with an autoimmune disease in my late teens, which added more complexity and nuance to my gut issues.
I was not healthy. Not even close.
I got nowhere through conventional methods, so I started reading everything that I could, and even got a few qualifications to formalise what I was learning.
And now I help women get to the bottom of their gut issues (ha ha, see what I did there 😊). Because the gut links to every other part and system in the body, there are so many symptoms that are related to the gut, that you wouldn’t realise. I get to play detective and put all the puzzle pieces together to figure out what is actually going on for you.
We can do testing, questionnaires or start with protocols and see how the body reacts. Because at the end of the day, it is all about how you feel.
I create a plan, step by step, just for you to start to tackle things to get you and your belly feeling better!
Nikki Love - Adventure Runner
Nikki is a 56 year old perimenopausal adventurer with many years of running short and then longer distances. In 2017 she ran 63 marathons in 63 days throughout the UK surpassing the women’s Guinness World Record, and has run around and across several more countries since then.
Suffering a stress fracture in 2021 could have been the end of her adventure running career, instead she’s used it as a learning curve to adapt with her perimenopausal body and prepare for her next big challenge.
She has a lot to say about mindset, belief, living life to the full and believing in the journey and not just the destination.
We are very grateful for Nikki's time for this interview. She is currently training for her next adventure which is a run across Australia Perth to Sydney (yep, 2,450 miles give or take and an extra fun run of 600 miles to visit her family in Victoria) which starts on 1 May 2023. Please take a moment to like her page and give her some support.
You can find her on Facebook and her websiteand her interview will be available during the summit.
Nikki was our first interviewee. She is perhaps one of the most inspirational women I've had the pleasure of speaking to directly and being able to ask questions.
The moral of this interview is when you see someone else do something amazing, don't think 'I'll never do that', get out there and do something awesome too... you can do it, you just might need a bit of help or a bit of inspiration.
Jo can be found at https://www.bristolmenopause.com/about-us/
Jo's interview focused on all things menopause and we bounced around all over the place just because she's so knowledgeable and obviously working in the field she meets women from all over with various symptoms. A not to miss interview if you're approaching that stage of life where things are starting to change.
Jo Wessell - Bristol Menopause Clinic
Jo has been nursing for 31 years and over this time developed an interest in menopause care, contraception and sexual health.
Jo is a member of the British Menopause Society, Primary Care Womens Health Forum and the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare.
She is fully aware of the challenges that the Menopause can bring to each and every woman and their loved ones in so many different ways.
This interview bounced about all over the place as there was so much to talk about. Everything from the importance of tracking symptoms, to urge incontinence during running, the pelvic floor in general, sexual desire, testosterone, vaginal oestrogen and so much more. If you're interested in the Summit comment below for full details.
Paulette Eldridge - Specialist Mid Life Strength Coach
Fitness trainer and runner Paulette, helps midlife women to feel stronger in body and mind, no matter what menopause brings to the table! She’s certainly experienced a few hormonal challenges along the way and continues to bring her high energy and motivation to her running goals and her work.
Often talking about the need for adjusting our physical training as we head towards menopause, Paulette is keen for us all to understand the need for preserving functionality in our movement, flexibility, strength, cardio fitness as well as taking the time for rest and recovery. Each of these factors have direct input into our health and running ability, at peri and post menopause.
A multi-discipline recreational athlete, she participates in endurance running, cycling and hiking events throughout the year. She is passionate about the benefits of Strength, Interval and Agility training to support those activities to remain strong,powerful and injury free to achieve personal goals regardless of the ageing body.
Follow her on
instagram.com/surrenderto_fitness
or Facebook
Paulette doesn't like to use the label of menopause. She's not awesome 'for her age', she's just awesome! A strength coach and trainer working with menopausal women and female runners, she lives this stuff.
Sally is one of Claire's strength training clients and we wanted to speak to her to see how strength training had impacted her running.
Whilst strength training isn't the be all and end all for runners and sometimes lifting isn't something female runners should or need to do, there's certainly a strong case for strength training for women approaching the next phase of their life after menopause... listen in for the whys and wherefores.
Sally Hall - Ultra Marathoner
I’m Sally, I’m 50 in June and I live in Shetland.
I’ve always loved running, although from leaving school until my early 30’s did very little consistent training. I really started to run to be outside with my own thoughts and a couple of sessions a week turned into regular concerted effort and I started entering local races, 10km’s tuned into half marathons and then I completed the Edinburgh marathon a couple of times.
Things took a turn when I had a head injury in 2017 and I wasn’t able to run and I lost motivation and energy, but I started to train again during the pandemic, until I got Covid.
That’s when I really brought in the Kettlebells and strength work to pull myself back up and get running again. I’m doing my first 50km Ultra in May 23 and feel like this is the start of a new chapter in my life of running, kettlebells and being 50!
Avril Mahon Roberts - Run Leader and Found of Women Run Strong
I love running and the buzz it gives me and how going for a run is always a mood reset. So I set up Women Run Strong in 2014 to encourage more women to get out and run and build strength: their reward: a day out at an upmarket hotel, a challenging trail run, fizz at the finish and lunch to follow.
No timing, no stress, just the promise of a fun day away in friendly company. Although we no longer organise mass events, we lead running weekends away and Saturday trail runs for experienced runners in the same spirit of celebration.
At Women Run Strong we believe that you can surpass your own expectations, you are #strongerthanyouthink.
Through our weekly group training sessions we build strength and confidence and support women to tackle all life’s challenges.
Nicola Cowee - Holistic Core Restore (pelvic floor) Coach
Having previously gone out of her way to avoid taking part in any sport, Nicola started running as a convenient way to get fit and healthy, and as she describes, “I went from couch to coach” because not only did she enjoy running but she really took pleasure from being able to encourage others.
“As I began to coach more women I started to hear a similar story. That they would like to run more but they didn’t like to be too far from a toilet, or they stopped going to bootcamp as they leaked every time they were asked to do a burpee or star jumps.
And it got me thinking. The pelvic floor is a muscle like any other in the body, so we must be able to train it and get it stronger. Which led me to more education …we don’t have to put up with leaking as just a part of being a mum, or being post menopause, or just being a woman. That actually, we can do something about it and become confident in our bodies again.”
You can find Nicola on Facebook or on her website
I think Nicola could have talked about a great many things menopause, women and running related, but we stuck to pelvic floor as we all know someone (might even be ourselves) who have some issues with leaking or prolapse. This interview provides an insight into what's happening and what you can do about it.
Dr Juliet McGrattan
Dr Juliet McGrattan spent 16 years working as an NHS GP and now uses her medical knowledge and love of running to help and inspire others to lead active lives. She's an award-winning author (of Sorted: The Active Woman's Guide to Health and Run Well), international speaker and health writer. She is the resident medical expert at Women's Running Magazine UK and also the founder and Director of 261 Club UK, a non-profit which is part of the 261 Fearless global running network. Juliet recently created the Run Through the Menopause video course.
Dr Juliet McGrattan
Author. Speaker. Runner
261 Fearless Women’s Health Lead & Master Coach
261 Fearless Club UK CIC Founder & Director
New book: Run Well: Essential health questions and answers for runners
Lorraine Edmonston - Intuitive Spiritual Coach
Hi I am Lorraine, a mama, guardian of 3 black cats, qualifed nurse, accredited Life Coach, Reiki Master, Kundalini Yoga and Meditation Instructor and soon to be a Crystal Healer. A lover of nature, dancing, vinyl and books! I am also embracing my menopause.
As an intuitive life coach I facilitate and support women to awaken and connect to their spirit and wisdom so that they are free to live a life aligned to their true self.
I am passionate about helping women connect to who they were born to be and to live in their truth. Everything we need is within us. When we work on the internal, our inner self, then our external life becomes one that we choose rather than settle for. We can live in our truth.
The bespoke coaching that I offer is an extension of me - deep, full of rawness, energy and intuition.
By weaving in various energy healing modalities, I help women connect to their own energy and intuition, the inner voice within her. That voice that has the answers. Once connected, she has this for the rest of her life and lives in her wisdom.
I choose to support and work with women who are coming into the Autumn of their life, experiencing the transition into their menopausal chapter. This connection to self is key in in how she can choose to navigate their journey and the bio-psycho-spiritual shifts that she will experience.
Menopause does not have to be feared and suffered but rather can be embraced and honoured as an awakening to a woman's power.
I offer 1:1 coaching packages, online group programmes and workshops at various times throughout the year.
Find me on facebook at Awakened Woman Coaching or email me at [email protected]
Lorraine is my (Kelly) good friend. I loved this interview for lots of reasons. Any time spent with Lorraine is always nourishing for the soul.
Rachel is in hiding... she cannot be found anywhere. That's not stricly true, but it sounds more exciting than the real reason which is where she works only works with large corporations.
That doesn't mean she doesn't have A LOT to say about menopause.
Rachel Henson - Specialist Menopause Nurse
Rachel Henson is not only an expert on menopause as part of her specialist nursing role, she is also an expert from a personal perspective. Her story is interesting but also heartbreaking.
Rachel started with menopause symptoms at the age of 31, but went undiagnosed and with little to no help or support for ten years. She suffered with almost every symptom you could think of including food intolerances, anxiety, mental health issues amongst others.
Her journey from no menopause knowledge (or at least limited knowledge), to where she is today as a specialist nurse in the field is inspirational but her personal story is also more common than perhaps many of us who are at that stage of life realise. It is sometimes helpful to realise we aren't alone!
Paul Ehren - The Male Menopause
Paul has run his own Health, Exercise & Nutrition Consultancy in London/Essex for the last 20 years.
Recently retired as a competitive masters athlete (Bodybuilding) Paul has been British Champion once, placing second twice and third once as well as picking up numerous regional titles and competing in Europe.
Fully qualified as a Master Personal Trainer, NABBA coach and Integrated Sports Nutrition practitioner to Post Graduate level.
Paul lectures and writes extensively on the benefits of exercise, quality nutrition and lifestyle to enhance all aspects of our lives.
Paul has coached athletes from a variety of disciplines including physique, strength, martial arts and a number of team sports from beginner level to Olympians.
As well as his background in performance sports this knowledge is now being used to help clients “HealthSpan” – not purely to extend longevity but, more importantly, how to live longer free of systemic, chronic disease. Giving clients the tools to become the CEO’s of their own health.
Kate Percy
It all started with a passion for food
When I experienced how making better food choices completely revolutionised how I and my family felt, I embarked on a mission to help others discover that magic link between what you eat, good energy, vitality and happiness. It’s what I call #Enerjoy!
Three best-selling cookbooks and a Great Taste Award-winning range of Kate Percy's Go Bites healthy snacks later, I’m so happy to have inspired thousands to find their #Enerjoy! Food has always taken centre stage in my life. I recall my Mum giving an 8 year-old me her kitchen and recipe for Maryland chicken. The family loved the chicken much more than the mess I made! Now a Mum of three grown-up children, I totally get that daily challenge providing nourishing food.
My mission to help you #Enerjoy! your life has developed over many years. I wrote my first book, Go Faster Food (Penguin 2009), after changing the family’s diet to help my husband train for the New York marathon. Now a Sunday Times Maserati game-changing entrepreneur, in-house chef for health & wellbeing magazines like 220 Triathlon and Women’s Running, I’ve developed healthy eating programmes for the BBC, Virgin Sport and United Learning Academy Group.
Tasha Thompson - Black Girls Do Run
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