B-FIT NEWSLETTER

 living with osteoporosis, health news, Bridget's farewell, banana smoothies, interview with Patsy Dorsey, running movie reviews, running book reviews, B-FIT home, newsletter page

Greetings from the Project Director
Kristin Cobb

Welcome to the first issue of the B-FIT newsletter. This quarterly publication will update the progress of the B-FIT study and will eventually report the results. I hope that it will also serve as a forum for athletes, coaches, and researchers to communicate their questions, concerns, and knowledge. I encourage everyone to write to us. Send a question, story, poem, or news of a personal record or team accomplishment. Also send suggestions as to how we might improve your experience as a study participant. Remember, this is my first time "running" a study, so this is a learning experience for me. Let me know how I can make things easier for you.

Reflecting over this past year, my involvement with the B-FIT study has been overwhelmingly positive. It's been a thrill for me to be able to combine my academic interests with my athletic interests. However, I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I took on this project. I was unaware of the special difficulties involved in running a randomized trial.

For one thing, we have had to wade through a tremendous amount of red tape. Thank Bridget for all her hard work in navigating us through an endless number of committees. Understand that every new correspondence, questionnaire, advertisement, action, and change must be reviewed by the 30 schools and clinics involved in the study. We appreciate your patience on this front and apologize for the delays that you have experienced. Things should run more smoothly this year.

The second challenge has been in recruiting participants. For the study to be effective, we need to recruit close to 150 runners. At this point we have almost 70 athletes, with 32 having completed the first steps and having been randomized. Thus far, 15 have been randomized to the treatment group and 17 have been randomized to the control group. Although this is already one of the largest studies ever on bone density in female runners, we have a long way to go to reach our goal of 150. To increase participation, we have expanded our recruitment to post-collegiate club teams, and we have established a new bone density measurement site at the Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw, NY. I have been traveling to local road races this summer to recruit participants. I will also be traveling to 15 universities in the NY/NJ area this fall to recruit participants in the vicinity of our newest bone density site. Additionally, I hope that more athletes at our participating colleges (in New England, LA, Michigan, and the Stanford-area) will join our efforts. Please help us by spreading the word about the study to your new team members. Also, special thanks to Roz Ushigome, our bone density technician at UCLA, for her tremendous recruitment efforts in the LA area.

Whatever the final outcome of this study, the project has already had one tremendous success: education. We have spoken to over 40 women's college cross country teams about their bone health. I hope that we have increased awareness among coaches, athletes, and sports medicine physicians. Last weekend, I put together a B-FIT booth for the San Francisco Marathon Fitness Expo. I gave information to over 200 people, including concerned parents, athletes, and doctors. Furthermore, I was approached by many women runners in their 30's, 40's, and 50's who wished that bone health information had been available to them when they were running in their teens and twenties. Several of them had osteopenia (low bone density for their age) or even osteoporosis. They were all tremendously supportive of the B-FIT study and only wish that it had been done sooner. One of these women shares her story with us on page 2.

On a personal note, I observed the first significant increases in my own bone density at my latest test in May. My whole body bone density increased by 4 percent. I attribute this to an intentional 10-pound weight gain that I achieved by taking January and February off from running and weight-lifting three times a week.

*amenorrhea = the loss of menstrual periods

Published in: International Journal of Sport Nutrition, 1999, Vol.9, pp.70-88.
 

-Letters
 

I was introduced to Molly at the San Francisco Marathon Expo. She is a former marathoner and ultra marathoner who was recently diagnosed with osteopenia and osteoporosis. She shares her story in this letter.

Dear Kristin,

It’s been very pleasant speaking with you.  Although I do not qualify for your study, I am very pleased that you have embarked on such interesting and valuable research.  I am sure that your study results will have implications for women of all ages.  Here is a brief history of my particular situation.  I hope that it will be useful in corroborating any trends or conclusions that your research concludes.

 I am now 49 years old.  My periods began in high school at the age of 14 or 15.  They were always regular, lasting 5-6 days except of course during my pregnancies.  I have two grown sons ages 30 and 31.  I began running in high school at the age of 14, although it was somewhat intermittent.  In 1964 girls were not allowed to run cross-country, and I knew I was better suited for distance.  My competition was limited to inter-class and inter-school track meets, so I ran the 440 yard distance.  I was fortunate to meet a fellow named Tracy Smith who was training for the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, and he did his track work at my high school.  He acted as a sort of big brother/coach to me and truly inspired in me a love of running that I have to this day.  Tracy did go to the 1968 Olympics and won a world record for the 2-mile indoor event.  After high school and a couple of years off for children, I began running longer distances, mostly 5-10 miles, which I did until 1980.  In 1980, I decided to start training for my first marathon.  After that first marathon, I spent the next 10 years running regular marathons and ultra marathons, attempting to keep my training weeks from 50-75 miles.  In 1990, I moved to the Bay Area, remarried and changed my running focus to regain some balance in my life.  I have continued to run 3-4 days a week with mileage ranging from 3-6 miles at a comfortable but challenging pace.

At the age of 42, my periods became intermittent and seemed to last fewer days.  I started having mild hot flashes as well.   I was told I was peri-menopausal and this lasted 2 years until my periods stopped altogether.  I do not take hormone replacement therapy (HRT).  I have fibrocystic breasts, and no matter what brand or dosage of HRT has been prescribed, my breasts become very painful and I have to stop taking them.  Consequently, I suffer from all the miseries of menopause—hot flashes every 1-2 hours, little sleep, insomnia (which I think is menopause-induced as I never had insomnia before), and now osteoporosis.

One year ago, my OB/GYN doctor suggested that I have a DEXA bone density study in order to get a baseline of my bone density.  To my complete surprise, my T-scores (statistical comparisons of average age group bone densities) were –2.16 in my spine, which is in the osteopenic range, and –2.67, which is in the osteoporotic range.  She prescribed Fosamax to help reduce further calcium loss from my bones and possibly restore some bone mass.  However, I developed severe, constant headaches and the medication had to be discontinued.  I am also starting to develop some neck stiffness with some loss of flexibility, lower back pain and stiffness, as well as some stiffness of my ankles and wrists upon rising in the morning.  At this point, I am waiting for a consultation with my Dr. to see if there are any other medications I can try to preserve bone mass.  I am a vegetarian and have been since 1991, but I am extremely nutrition conscious and feel that I do get enough dietary calcium.  I do eat dairy products, mostly cheese and low fat yogurt.  I drink soy milk rather than cow’s milk, and eat lots of green, leafy vegetables.  In addition, I supplement with calcium citrate and a multi-vitamin specifically developed for menopausal women.

 At this point, I have a lot of concerns and questions about my health in the future.  Is my situation peculiar to a late onset of menarche followed by a relatively young onset of menopause?  Should I continue to run at all?  Is there another hormone replacement therapy regime that I should re-examine, or does my diet need readjusting?   I look forward to seeing what your research concludes, reading any research articles you may have, and possibly a chance to network with other women who have experienced a similar postmenopausal course.

Thank you for your enthusiasm and concern,

Molly Attell

---

 
Kristin:  How did you start running?
Patsy:  I was 37 years old.  I'd just quit smoking, and I'd come home from work wanting a cigarette so badly that I just ran out the front door screaming and ran down to the corner and back.  I was so exhausted that I thought, “That’s what I'm going to do.  Every time I get a craving for a cigarette, I’ll just run a little bit.”  That year I did my first 5k.  My friend took me, and it was really self-satisfying for me.  I came in last, but it was such a great feeling of accomplishment that I continued to do it.   And I started going a little further and a bit further…
Kristin: and further!
Patsy:  Actually, that was in 1983, and then in 1985 I did my first triathlon.  I'd never ridden a bike before. I'd never swam.  I took swimming lessons with my granddaughter and learned to ride a bike at the age of 38.
Kristin:  Before you started running, had you ever done anything athletic?
Patsy:  No, no.  And actually when I quit smoking the doctor even told me, he said, you need to do something aerobic, but he suggested I didn’t take up running because I was too old.
Kristin: This was when you were 37?
Patsy: Yes.  So when I went back for my check up a year later and I was training for a marathon, he said, “My God, I’ve created a monster.”
Kristin: How has women's running/triathloning changed since you first started?
Patsy: Well, for one thing, there's a lot more women. Very few women did triathlons [back then].  Many times we'd be lined up for the swim start and there'd be maybe 10 women in the whole event.  And now you are having more than 10 women in each age group.  Actually, at the Santa Barbara triathlon the year before last, I think there were 15 women in the over 50 age group.  When I first started doing
triathlons, I’d be the only one in the 40 plus.  I’d be it in the whole event.  Now you’re getting a lot more.  And you’re getting really good athletes.  See, I’m more what you call a recreational athlete.  But there are some older women out there that are really good.
Kristin: What do you account for the rise of women’s running?
Patsy:  I think having women in the Olympics, like Flo Jo and Joan Benoit.  [Women] getting recognition like that has really helped.  Just like with the women’s soccer.  You know, [the recent World Cup game] was the most watched soccer game ever, and it was women.  They used to say, “Women sports will never get any kind of people watching.  There won’t be any interest in it.”  Now, these women have been role models for other women to go out there and start doing things.
Kristin: How have attitudes toward women athletes changed?
Patsy: The young people aren't going to understand, because they're not going to be able to relate.  That era wasn't that long ago, but so much has changed so rapidly.  There was a time where the woman’s place was in the home.  You cooked and cleaned and took care of your husband.  They had just gotten around to where it was okay for women to work.  So that was it.  Women just didn’t do those sort of things.  For one thing you don’t sweat.  You don't go running around in shorts.  And [now] here I am, just jog bra, shorts and tattoo.
Kristin:  How did your husband react to your taking up running?
Patsy:  I had to choose between running and him.  I did put [my sneakers] away in the closet for three days.  But that was it.  Then I actually started sneaking out to go run.  A lot of women sneak out and have love-affairs, and I was sneaking out to go run.  I tried to sneak out and do a triathlon once.  [My husband and I] had gone to dinner.  Usually the places where we’d go weren’t the places where people I know would go; they were where his friends would go.  But there was someone there who did know me and came over to ask me how the triathlon went.  And my husband was very upset with me that I’d done that.
Kristin: Was your starting to run a breaking point then?
Patsy: Yes, running has totally changed my life.  It’s given me a lot more self-confidence to do things.  Like once you do your marathon, you think, “If I can do that, I can do anything.  I can go after that job I didn’t think I was qualified for.  I can drive out of the Boston airport.”  It’s opened doors for everything because of that self-confidence it gives you.  That’s what helped me to decide: I can learn to swim, I can learn to ride a bike.  Stuff I’d never thought of doing before.  I used to be terrified of the ocean.  Now I do 3-mile ocean swims.
Kristin: How have you inspired other women?
Patsy: One time they did an article about me when I went to do the New York marathon. The article was, “Gabby Grandma Runs the Streets of New York.”  I had more women come up to me and say they would never have dared to race before [the article], but they did it because they could relate to me.  See, they can’t relate to somebody who is running a 5-minute mile because they can’t do that.  But they can relate to me.  They go, “I can do that; I can go out and jog like that.”  So it is a little easier.  When they write more human interest stories about the middle and back of the pack, then you see more people saying, “ I can do that.”  They know they can’t win, but they know they can finish.
Kristin:  The women in our study are
mostly 18-22.  Do you have any advise
for these young women just starting?
Patsy: When I was that age I was busy having babies and raising babies.  I’d tell them not to do that.  I think most women their age already know this, but: you can do anything you set your mind to, and you’re not limited because you’re a woman.
Kristin: Do you think that male runners have been accepting of the women?
Patsy:  I have found that the men are very supportive of the women. I've even had men say, “You know what I do when I go to a race?  I find a very strong woman and I stay with her because I know she’s going to pace me.  She's very smart and she’s going to pace me.” And then they have a good run.
Kristin:  How long did you smoke for before you quit?
Patsy:  Let’s see…20 years.  Actually, I've always kind of thought that this would be a good poster for anti-smoking: show a picture of a woman, back in the 50's when smoking was cool, sitting there smoking a cigarette; and then you show her in the 90’s not smoking and coming across the finish line of the Ironman.  And [the caption says], “You've come a long way baby.”
Kristin: Besides helping you to quit smoking, how else has running helped your physical well-being?
Patsy:  I didn’t consciously change my diet; it just happened with the running.  When you’re running you need the proper fuel.  Little by little your body doesn’t want certain things, and it craves other things. Before you know it, you’re cutting back your meat intake; you’re not eating fried foods; you’re eating more vegetables.  Instead of losing weight when I started running, I actually gained weight.  I gained a lot of muscle.  I got a lot stronger.
Kristin: What other doors has running opened for you?
Patsy: Little by little [running] started leading to other things.  I started learning to swim and to bike; I started doing some weight training; I started doing some kayaking, biking, backpacking.  [Running] opens up doors to all these different aspects.   Because you’re in good shape, you get to enjoy all these things.  You go places where very few people get to go because they’re physically not capable of it.  You get to see things that you couldn’t just drive up to.  I’ve run over the Rockies and the Sierras.  I’ve looked up and seen trees that are so tall you can’t even see the tops of them.  I’ve crossed creeks, even fallen off mountains!
Kristin: What’s a typical training week for you?
Patsy:  Mondays, I usually take a rest day because I trash myself over the weekends.  I’ll maybe just do an easy swim in the ocean.  Then Tuesdays is weight training in the morning and then track workout in the evening.  Wednesdays would be a spinning class, and then I run right after that to practice going right from the bike to a run.  Wednesday evenings, I do the Nite Moves, a ½ mile ocean swim and 3 ½ mile run.  And then Thursdays I do the weight training again in the morning and usually something aerobic too right after the weight training.  Sometimes I run with “The Hash”; they’re a fun group to run with.  Friday mornings I do another spin class and a swim.  And then Saturdays I do a long bike ride, anywhere from 3-4 hours.  Sundays I like to do a long run that can be anywhere from 1 ½ to 8 hours.
Kristin: So some of your training runs are over 30 miles?
Patsy:  Yes.  And that’s [my normal training schedule].  But that’s not written in granite; if something comes up, I’m pretty flexible.
Kristin: Were your kids all grown up when you started running?
Patsy: Yes, I was already a grandmother.  Now I have 9 grandchildren.
Kristin: Are any of them athletic?
Patsy: My grandson Dustin is.  But he’s not in the same line that I am., He does baseball, football, skateboarding, rollerblading, surfing. And then Megan, my granddaughter who is going to be 13, she likes to run.  She likes to ride a bike. My oldest son used to do biathlons and runs with me.  But he doesn’t anymore.  He’s too old.
Kristin: Who’s the most interesting person you’ve met in all your travels?
Patsy:  Actually, it’s unfortunate, but I can’t remember his name.  I did the New York marathon in 1985. I was out having dinner, and I noticed a couple from the New York Running Club, and I went over to thank them and say what a marvelous job they did putting on the race.  They invited me to join them for dinner.  Well, it turns out their job was taking care of the elite athletes when they came to town.  Some of those people came into the restaurant and came over to talk to them.  I’m sitting with them, so they introduced me.  I’m thinking, “This is really neat, meeting all these big stars.”  There was a gentleman from Australia, and I asked him, “How did you do?”  And he said, “Oh just terrible; it was just too hot today; I ran two-twenty something; it was just terrible.”  And I’m just going, oh yeah, 2:20 is terrible.  But then he looked at me and said, “Well, how did you do Patsy?”  And I kind of mumbled, “I did 4:45.”  He just looked at me and he said, “You ran for 4 hours and 45 minutes??  I could never do that.”  He shook my hand, and he said, “Wow, that is just spectacular.”  That was pretty exciting
b: What keeps you motivated?
Patsy: Well, I just enjoy it; it makes me feel good.  When I first started, I was thinking I shouldn’t buy shoes unless I really planned to stick with it.  Well, it’s been since 1983 now, and I’m still doing it.

 

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