If you’re someone who loved being pregnant, I’m jealous.
I stopped running at 18 weeks when I encountered some lower back pain, making my favorite sport both un-fun and uncomfortable. There wasn’t much activity I did enjoy doing because it was a beast of a summer. I used the time to mentally reset, and just casually cycled with my husband, Dillon, while he ran and hung out at the pool a few days a week. It seems everyone’s pregnancy is different, but I did not enjoy it like I thought I would.
One thing I was looking forward to was a fresh start postpartum where I could re-establish my routine and regain my body. Whether it was six or 12 weeks to gain medical clearance, that first run back is something a lot of women dream about for a long time. I figured, that since there are bazillions of other runner moms out there, it would be easy to learn what I should do in the “comeback.”
But, I encountered a seemingly gaping hole of training info. I am a personal and online coach for Runcoach and professional athlete. While I have been training at a high level since eighth grade, I’ve never stressed my body the way it was while pregnant, and I have never before taken off running for this length of time. I know the running community is great, so I reached out to my Instagram friends to get some info, and thank goodness there are some awesome and transparent people out there who offered support.
Now that I am back to consistent runs after taking the time to heal after delivery and soak in all the baby cuddles, I thought I’d share what’s worked best for me.
Re-establishing Routine
The saying “walk before you run” is 100 percent applicable. The first thing we did when we got home from the hospital with Athens was go on a very slow and short walk around the block to get fresh air. Each morning, I would do that same loop for the next week, and then I gradually started increasing the distance until I was walking around four miles per day. My first month postpartum was focused on just getting back to a routine of daily exercise.
Rebuilding Body
A Part of Hearst Digital Media. Give A Gift to allow expansion as the baby grows, the hips shift and open to create a passageway out, and everything else that stretches and changes leaves us with an unfamiliar body that we don’t recognize as our own. It seems like it will never be the same, and I still feel far from normal.
But the rebuilding process is essential, and it starts from the inside out. The pelvic floor takes a lot of stress in pregnancy and labor, and the core, which is critical for stability as a runner, needs to be re-engaged. I spent the second month following a postpartum strength routine to rebuild the essentials for my return to running.
Part way through this program, I started running again… and I felt great! Far from normal, but nothing hurt and nothing felt unstable. I ran every other day from six to 10 weeks post-delivery, starting with a 10 x 1-minute run followed by 1-minute walk. On the alternate day, I did a non-impact cross-training session. For me, I used the ElliptiGO, but the stationary bike or elliptical would work, too. This helped me rebuild my endurance, while not stressing my body too much. I was even able to get in some workouts on the ElliptiGO to get my body used to an elevated heart rate again. (See the chart below for an outline of my four-week training cycle.)
Regaining Body
It’s no secret that as runners, we think about our physique, muscle tone, body composition, and weight. Because of my decision to relax my mind and body while pregnant, I gained 45 pounds.
The first half came off immediately, but the second half has been much more stubborn. It’s a combination of the extra weight, a very slow transition back to running, and the fact that I am breastfeeding and not interested in dieting because I have a huge fear of losing milk supply and not being able Other Hearst Subscriptions. Although I remind myself that I chose this slow and organic method of transformation, I’m still frustrated as I had hoped to regain my normal body more quickly than what has been my reality. The good news, is that each week my mileage increases and I feel stronger and more fit than the week before.
I’m working on having patience with regaining my body, and the next time I check in, I plan to have some good progress updates for you.
Neely Spence Gracey is a pro marathon runner for Adidas who has taken the past year off to have her son, Athens. In 2016, she was the first American at the Boston Marathon and placed eighth at the New York City Marathon in a PR of 2:34. She is currently rebuilding her fitness post-baby and is training to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Trials and also supports other runners via her work with Runcoach. Follow her return to running on Instagram @neelysgracey or neelyruns.com.
