Hey Reader,

This email is a follow up to last week’s email on Why the Women’s Running Academy is for women only so first a quick review….

The Women’s Running Academy is a monthly membership that provides streamlined running programs paired with intentional strength training. These aren’t just any training plans—they’re crafted specifically for female biomechanics, physiology, and the social contexts in which women live. It’s about recognizing that everything from our pelvic structure to cultural messaging shapes how we move, recover, and thrive.

While female-specific anatomy and physiology are key components, it goes much deeper. In a world where women are constantly asked to shrink themselves—physically, emotionally, and energetically—for the benefit of others, having a space dedicated to their personal athletic goals is vital. This isn’t just about workouts—it’s about claiming space and prioritizing ourselves.

The Women’s Running Academy is built on three pillars:

1. Smart, Run Supportive Strength Work that is specific to the Biomechanics of the Female Body
2. Integrated with your running training in the Context of Female Physiology
3. Informed by the Context of What It Means to Be Female in This World

​We dug deep into the first pillar, the biomechanics, last week. So now let's continue on with the second two.

Specific Considerations for the Physiology of the Female Body

Moving beyond structure, we also have differences in hormones and in many cases menstrual cycles. One of the big conversations in women’s training right now is cycle syncing—adjusting your workouts based on your menstrual cycle phases. While I don’t advocate for cycle syncing specifically (it unnecessarily sets us up to struggle with consistency in our training), I do believe in cycle awareness.

Understanding your unique hormonal rhythms allows you to:

• Anticipate performance dips, especially in the late luteal phase
• Prevent burnout by adjusting fuel and hydration
• Prepare mentally for variations in energy and mood

Some women also experience pelvic floor symptoms tied to their cycles—these may spike either in the late luteal phase or around ovulation. Again, knowing your body’s patterns lets you adjust your support strategies with more pelvic floor–supportive work during those windows.

As we age, we also encounter perimenopause and menopause—a transition that demands different priorities:

• Fueling becomes (even more) crucial for hormone balance
• Strength training becomes essential to combat muscle loss and support bone health (check this week's podcast for more)
• Body image challenges may (re)arise due to shifting body composition

This isn’t just about physiology—it’s about sociology. Women often internalize pressure to shrink or eat less in response to these changes, but the truth is we need more support, not less. Nutrition, strength, recovery—all become non-negotiables.

Conditions like PCOS and endometriosis also play a role, and while they’re beyond my professional scope, they must be acknowledged. If training feels off and “one plus one no longer adds up to two,” it’s not a sign to push harder—it’s a sign to advocate for yourself, ask questions, and get support.

The Women’s Running Academy community is here to provide some of that support. It starts with learning to understand your body and what it’s telling you - tuning in.

Specific Considerations in the Context of Being Female in This World

We live in a world that tells women to take up less space, eat less, do more, be more, be quiet and be humble, —all while looking a certain way. This constant pressure fuels diet culture and body image struggles, which I believe are ultimately the biggest injury and performance risk facing female endurance athletes.

Because, if you’re not eating enough, nothing else works.

In Episode 21 of the Women’s Running Lab Podcast, I discuss this more deeply, including a compelling stat from a 2022 Boston Marathon study: 43% of female athletes studied showed signs of low energy availability (LEA)—meaning they weren’t consuming enough food to meet the demands of their training and racing. That’s nearly half! And those with LEA were two times more likely to have needed medical intervention during the race and miss training days due to injury or illness. That’s not a small number—it’s a major issue that deserves our attention.

Behind this major issue, we cannot talk about smart training without talking about the emotional labor, the cultural expectations, and the mental load that so many women carry with them into every run, every workout, and every attempt to show up for themselves. The truth is, training doesn’t happen in a vacuum. These factors matter.

The Mindset Shift of Showing Up for You

One of the most powerful transformations I’ve seen among longtime members of the Women’s Running Academy is the mindset shift around slowing down to truly show up for yourself. One member recently said that the biggest takeaway for her wasn’t a specific exercise or milestone—it was learning to stop rushing. To stop doing just to get it done. To stop crossing off tasks without ever being present in her body.

It’s about being human while training, not just going through the motions.

Women often grow up being told to please others, to take care of everything and everyone before themselves. So carving out space for your goals? That’s radical. And it’s essential. Inside the Women’s Running Academy, we make space to do just that—to drop the noise and show up for you and your goals.

Breaking Down Double Standards

Female athletes face constant double standards: Be strong, but not bulky. Be confident, but not arrogant. Be competitive, but not too aggressive. Be committed, but make sure you’re still smiling and agreeable while doing it. It’s exhausting.

We need spaces that allow women to show up as their full selves—without having to navigate these conflicting messages.

I often come back to a quote from Catherine Danieli that says:

“Nothing, nothing is more threatening to patriarchy than a woman who loves herself, and believes that she is enough, and a woman who doesn't have to justify or defend her choices or her experiences, and most of all a woman who doesn't look outside of herself to find her self worth.”

Inside the Academy, we create room for that kind of self-love and confidence. We have monthly coaching calls where things often get real. We can always count on one of our OGs, Sarah, to type “Down with the Patriarchy” in the chat when one of us starts to “should” all over ourselves. These conversations are part of the work. Because again—your training doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

Safety, Exclusion, and the Realities Women Face

Let’s also name the realities that many women face just trying to get a run in. Safety concerns limit when and where you can train. If you only have time to run early in the morning or late at night, and you don’t feel safe doing that outdoors, then your only option might be the treadmill. These are not small barriers—they’re significant and need to be addressed. And they’re unique to the female experience.

Then there’s the historical exclusion of women from sport altogether—less research, less representation, fewer resources. And the exclusion doesn’t stop at cisgender women. Let me be clear: The Women’s Running Academy is for trans women too.

Anatomy and physiology exist on a spectrum. Excluding trans women doesn’t “protect” women—it just further entrenches the policing of all female bodies. And it harms everyone in the process.

Autonomy: The Heart of It All

Inside the Women’s Running Academy, we talk a lot about tuning in to your body—not tuning out. Understanding your signals. Learning your body’s language. Honoring your needs and advocating for them.

This is more than training. This is about stepping into your power.

Especially now, in a political climate where body autonomy is under threat, the ability to know your body, trust it, and make informed choices about it is everything. I know the body autonomy issues many women are facing right now are astronomically bigger than running AND…

Every opportunity we take to live fully for ourselves and our goals matters.

Every little informed choice we make about how we move in, talk about, and support our bodies matters.

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While strength programming, rooted in the biomechanics of the female body, is the main deliverable of the Women’s Running Academy membership, we can not leave out the context - your physiology, and just as importantly, the lived experience of being a woman in today’s world.

The Women’s Running Academy is your one-stop shop for:

• Strength training designed specifically for female runners
• Smart, efficient, and streamlined running programming
• Continued education to support your training in the context of your anatomy, physiology, and psychology
• A community where your body, your experiences, and your voice matter

Enrollment opens next Wednesday May 21st to the waitlist first, then to the public on Monday, May 26th, and closes Friday, May 30th.

​Click here to learn more and get on the waitlist for priority access.​

I’d love for you to join us!

Your Coach,
Alison

Alison Marie Helms, PhD Certified Personal Trainer and Running Coach Unlock your full running potential through physics and physiology. ​Work with me.​