How To Get Back Into Running After Pregnancy

If you’ve seen my Instagram you’ll know just how much I’m enjoying getting back into running after pregnancy and working towards London Marathon 2022!

It’s taken me by surprise how good my body feels given everything it’s been through. I actually feel the best I’ve felt in ages, and while it takes around a year to fully recover from a c-section I feel stronger and more athletic that I have in years. I love getting to know my ‘new’ body, I love the little wins, I love feeling like myself again and I love the feeling of freedom running gives me.

Of course there are challenges. My c-section scar is more than 10cm long and it still gets tight where my stitches were tied off and tender if anything rubs or irritates it. It’s not holding me back when I run, but it does like to remind me it’s there. But honestly those are minor issues when I compare them to how much I’m getting out of running again!

woman running wearing blue leggings and a black vest against a backdrop of graffiti

Don’t Rush In To Things

Although I was up and about within hours of my c-section (I wanted my cannula out and had to show I could walk to the end of the ward before that could happen!), I didn’t ‘return to exercise’ until around 8 weeks postpartum and waited until my daughter was around 4 months old before I started running again.

Generally the advice is to wait at least 6 weeks before returning to exercise, but after this point there’s no right time to start working out again, you just need to see how your body feels as you recover. Time is precious when your baby is tiny so try not to feel any pressure to do anything before your physically and mentally ready to. Once you are ready to start moving more try to focus on quality over quantity as you learn to move in your new body.

Get an MOT

I cannot recommend the Mummy MOT enough! Although I was lucky and had a pretty thorough face to face check up with my GP at six weeks postpartum I wanted to see a women’s health physio who could check out the impact pregnancy had on my body before I started running again. Everything changes so much as your body grows and it’s inevitably going to have an impact, particularly around muscle performance and posture - two things that are really important if you run long distances.

During my hour long MOT the physio focused on two key areas - my core (all the muscles that hold you up tall) and my pelvis (which is key for effective movement) - taking me through an assessment of my posture, function movement, diastases, mobility and pelvic floor. The physio also took time to really examine my scar and teach me the most effective way to massage it and relieve tightness as well as prescribing simple exercises to address issues she’d identified and broader advice around return to training.

Get To Know Your New Body

My first priority when I returned to exercise was to get to know my new body. Pregnancy and birth have a huge impact on every part of a woman’s body and I wanted to take the time to get to know how my body had changed and feel like I was in control of how I moved.

I found that post-natal yoga classes were a great way to rebuild my body awareness and to start rebuilding my strength and physical control - both of which are important if you want to run long distances sustainably. Once I felt more confident I moved on to post-natal specific strength training classes which were an amazing confidence builder and made me feel strong and ready to get running.

woman running along street wearing blue leggings and a black top

Take Things Slowly

It’s recommended that women wait at least 12 weeks after birth before they start running and I really took this advice to heart treating the first few months I was back exercising as a period of rehabilitation. Your pelvic floor goes through a hell of a lot when you’re growing and birthing a baby (even if that baby ends up coming out of the sunroof!) and the muscles and fascia just aren’t ready for a high impact activity like running. Start pounding the pavements too soon and you could risk pelvic floor dysfunction, which really isn’t worth the risk.

As I was approaching the 12 week mark I started to test the waters with a little impact (after I was cleared by a physio to do so!) and it was only when I was felt comfortable jumping and hopping that I considered a very gentle return to running.

Don’t Be Afraid Of Being A Beginner

I’ve run for the best part of 10 years and every distance from one mile sprints to ultra marathon but when it comes to returning to running after pregnancy I am taking the beginners approach and using a Couch To 5km plan. It’s so easy to get swept up in the idea that if you’ve done something before you should be able to do it again, but I see pregnancy as a reset where everything is new - a new body, a new lifestyle and new challenges. It’s actually really exciting, how often do we have the opportunity to be a beginner at something we love?!

I’ve always been a massive fan of the Couch To 5km programme as it’s sensible, gradual and accessible - exactly what you need whether you’re starting out or coming back from a break. It’s been a joy working through the runs week by week and making progress step by step and I love the feeling of accomplishment as I tick off each run!