Is it Underfueling? Or is it Perimenopause? with Pat Spencer (Episode 120)

Pat Spencer couldn’t help but think she’d be faster if she were lighter. After all, that’s what everyone in endurance sports tells you. But instead of gaining speed, Pat went from being a competitive age group triathlete to not being able to do any endurance sports because of a profound case of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports (RED-S) she suffered while training for her 4th Iron distance triathlon in 2016. She still suffers the consequences today, seven years after she found herself in that hole. We talk all about her journey and how it can be easy to confuse perimenopausal symptoms with low energy availability (LEA) because the two mimic one another, and how LEA can make perimenopause worse.  

Pat Spencer is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), a therapist with a private practice in central New Jersey, and founder of Getting Your Mind in Gear, a mental coaching company specializing in female and LGBTQIA+ cyclists and endurance athletes. She is a former long course triathlete, marathoner, and open water swimmer. Pat is also an avid gravel cyclist, loves resistance training, and has a passion for scuba. You can learn more about her and her work at gettingyourmindingear.com

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