PMT does hinder me quite a bit, especially if a race/run falls just the day "before". If MrsRB's next race coincides with PMT again, she should avoid alcohol/coffee for a couple of days beforehand. I also find that sports drinks/gels make me feel a bit sick on those days, and I feel as if I have a slump after taking them, like the chocolate hit/slump we all know about. I find that taking a paracetamol an hour pre-run helps (I tend to get bad PMT headaches, so perhaps its psychological). Not sure that chomping on a jam sandwich would look the part in a half, but maybe the sugars in the sports drinks are being absorbed too easily and causing a reaction.
Starting very slow and gradually increasing the pace seems to help a bit too.
Another thing worth considering is the emotional effects of PMT. I have considered giving up running in the past after having a couple of disasterous runs with PMT. It was only realising the timing that stopped me chucking it all in. If the physical effect of PMT make you feel sluggish, the emotional effects make you feel (irrationally) that you can't do it, that you are rubbish, and why did you bother trying in the first place. This makes you feel worse, reinforcing the negative attitude, and the physical tiredness. The confidence of having run the distance before will help dispel the negative thoughts, so additional training may well help.
