Yeah, we’re going there, so get comfy. Yesterday I got my period and like most months, it couldn’t have come at more inconvient time. Of course, if it were up to me, my period wouldn’t be consecutive days and would last hours at a time, blocked out in Training Peaks, labeled as “Recovery”. Some months are so packed with “B” and “C” races that I’d miss it all together. However, Im willing to make up for that by sacrificing the entire month of December. A Crampy, moody, snowy December sounds right to me.

Today, here I am, less than 24 hours from participating in a 75 mile bike ride followed by another 75 mile ride the next day. 150 miles this weekend. Just me, my Diva Cup and my glorious Fuji bike. I’ve trained for this ride and I’ve actually ridden about 45 miles using my Diva Cup on a lighter day. However, this ride will be more “rustic” and more challenging. I have to plan my period like I plan my nutrition. 

I’ll be honest, I wash my cup out completely when I am in a private bathroom where going to the sink with my underwear around my ankles in no big whoop. But in a public bathroom, I dump, wipe and reinsert. Since I will be stopping at rest stop lined with Portal potties, I will have the privacy I need but not the water. I have a foldable water bottle that I feel comfortable bringing with me that I can use to get the job done. I ‘ll fill it at the rest area and use it, then deflate it when done to carry to the next stop. That way, I don’t have to bring or balance my drinking bottle anywhere near that gaping pit of poop. If I lose the foldable one, I will be sad, thank it for it’s service and walk away…only later to replace it with a disposable bottle. I have some chamois butter to keep from chaffing around the cup area (based on my last experience).

I feel my plan is solid. I have Thinx (period panties) that I will pack for overnight use. Maybe just to give my ladies parts a needed rest from the first 75 mile ride. It all sounds so much easier than bringing pads with me (I have no experience with tampons). The next day, I will repeat the process, a little wiser.

Today, I’m indifferent to my period and I expect to completely forget about it for the first 25 or 30 miles. But as the miles go by, it will creep into my mind and I’ll think of the women across the world doing truly amazing things for their family or their country without the convenience of a menstrual cup. My heros!!