The internet is full of advice that looks good on a carousel but fails in the real world—especially for female athletes. Case in point: the continued glorification of fasted running.
Some (loud) coaches still preach that you don't need to eat before a run unless it's over two hours. That glycogen depletion is the goal. That fueling before a workout is just "extra calories you don't need." And that the elite Kenyans don’t do it, so neither should you.
Let’s hit pause right there.
Because that advice may work for some. But for most women, especially those who may be in peri/menopause, it's a shortcut to burnout, hormonal chaos, and chronic fatigue. And it's one of the fastest paths to RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) or low energy availability (LEA).
Why Fasted Running Can Be a Problem for Women
Female physiology is not just a slightly different or smaller version of the male model. Hormonal fluctuations, menstrual cycles (or lack thereof), and hormone shifts all impact how we respond to training and fueling.
Running fasted can:
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Spike cortisol (which is already elevated in early morning hours)
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Increase the likelihood of underfueling over the entire day
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Impair recovery and muscle repair
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Lead to irregular or absent cycles
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Set the stage for RED-S or LEA
And here’s what rarely gets said: women who are in perimenopause or menopause are already navigating lower levels of estrogen and progesterone. Fasting just adds fuel to the fire by increasing physiological stress.
This Isn’t Just About "Feeling Fine"
Some might say, "But I feel okay running fasted!"
Feeling okay doesn't mean your body is functioning optimally. Many women slowly adapt to a constant state of underfueling—right up until they crash. Loss of muscle, energy dips, poor sleep, mood changes, and stalled performance? That’s often the wake-up call.
Athletes don’t need to feel like trash before we validate that something is off. We need to get ahead of it.
Real Performance Comes from Fueling
If you're strength training, running long, or doing any kind of quality work? Your body needs glucose. Period.
Fueling before a run:
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Preserves lean muscle
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Supports metabolic and hormonal health
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Improves performance (especially when intensity is involved)
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Trains the gut for race day fueling
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Reduces the risk of injury and fatigue
This doesn’t mean you need a full diner breakfast before every jog. Sometimes it's a banana, a few dates, half a waffle, or a bit of applesauce. But you need something.
Elite Doesn't Equal Ideal
We need to stop pointing to what elite men or women in different training contexts are doing and pretending it's applicable to everyday athletes. The Kenyan runners getting referenced? They live at altitude, train in groups, run twice a day, and often have nutritional support structures we don’t see behind the scenes.
You are not less of an athlete for needing to eat. You're a smarter one for doing it.
Let’s Talk About the Research
There is limited data on female athletes in peri/menopause, but what we do know is this:
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Women are more prone to LEA and RED-S
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Cortisol responses are heightened with fasted training
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Long-term underfueling impairs bone density, mood, and metabolism
And yet, most fasted running studies are done on men.
Until the data catches up, the best approach is caution + context.
Run Smart. Fuel First.
As a coach who works with peri/menopausal athletes, I teach fueling as a key performance and health tool—not an optional bonus. If you're running on empty because some guy who wrote a book and maybe included 2 pages on menopause (or with a loud mic) said so, please know this:
There is no badge of honor for suffering through underfed miles.
There is strength in fueling, thriving, and showing up with the energy to do the things you love.