Motivation

How to return to running after pregnancy

If you or your partner were a runner before pregnancy, getting back into the sport after having a baby may be tough, but these tips from our Spanish ambassador, Nerea Perez, will help you to go back safely. We have asked for her thoughts and wisdom on how best to resume running after the birth of her child.

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Nerea became a first time mum with her first son in March 2022. With his arrival everything changed, but not the desire to continue running, so she had to juggle a lot with the help of her partner to be able to go out and run when the little Roi could do without her.

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In this article, we discuss topics such as running after pregnancy, priority changes after birth and how she has approached a return to running.

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Nerea’s top tips to get back into running after pregnancy:

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Take your time

Despite the fact that I was still exercising until the day I gave birth, I started running again after 3 months. The way I approached my return to running was very slow, the first few months I walked, each time longer and more intense, and then gradually I started jogging, for a short time and very softly for a month. In order to make all these decisions during my return to running, I was treated by an osteopath, a pelvic floor physiotherapist and a muscular physiotherapist in addition to my check-ups with my doctor and midwife.

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My advice for other mums is listen to your bodies. When I felt comfortable walking 10km (almost every day) and the caesarean scar did not bother me, I started to try to run for 10 minutes to see how I felt but every person and body is different so you should not compare yourself to others and do what is best for you.

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Strengthen your body (pelvic floor)

I could not have come back to running without specific exercises to strengthen my body. For 5 months (even when I was already running) I went regularly to check and work on my pelvic floor. I also went to the gym to do specific strength work. At all times I was accompanied by my coach, in addition to having the help of two physiotherapists specialised in each field (pelvic floor and strength workouts). Having this help from the professionals will immediately find the possible problems that may arise and they will be able to treat them.

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Not the right time for setting goals

I was quite naive and I thought that after a month I could be running after having been active throughout the pregnancy and keep running until the end, but the body needs to reset after the whole process of pregnancy and childbirth and that takes time. Even so, 3 months is too soon in perspective for all that my body has had to do in 12 months.

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After Roi´s arrival, priorities have changed and obviously my first priority is my son, but I still give myself my place too, because it is absolutely necessary to feel good and at ease to take care of someone so vulnerable with all the mental burden that entails. So everyday I try to find, although it is not always possible, 1 hour for me and do whatever I feel like. Either when he is sleeping or at school....

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Have breaks between sessions

At first I ran 3 days a week and no longer than 30 minutes. I was doing this routine for a month, and then I increased it to 4 days. I did these daily runs to get back my mojo, sometimes with a pace´s change, but never series or fartlek. All my training to get back to where I was was very gradual.

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I avoided injuries mainly with the help of strength training once a week and of course resting when it was time or when the body asked me to. As all new parents will know, not sleeping and carrying a baby around all day also takes its toll and you have to be careful.

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Wear the right running and supportive clothes

I never really used nursing sports bras, I used the sports ones I had because being elastic it was very easy to lift them if necessary. 

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However, I always used bras with pads to avoid having to wear nursing pads and to minimise friction, since the sensitivity of my breasts made me very uncomfortable.

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If you would like to have a look at the SportsShoes website, you can find different styles that suit your needs.

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See all sports bras here.ㅤ

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Advice when running and breastfeeding

In my case, I used to start and finish my workouts close to home to waste as little time as possible in case my son needed me, then, when he started to space out the feedings more, that changed and I could do longer workouts.  

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I pumped my milk and that way I was sure that my breasts wouldn't fill up while running and I wouldn't stain my clothes. And especially at the beginning of resuming running, I tried not to get too tired to not to produce lactic acid so it would not interfere with lactation, which although nothing ever happened, as there are hardly any studies and information about it, I preferred not to risk it because the baby comes first and for me it was important to keep producing milk for as long as possible.

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Final advice

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My final advice would be to enjoy your baby as they are only small for such a short period of time, whereas there is a lifetime of running to be had. I hope my experience can give other new parents some value and ideas on how to return to the running as a new parent. But it is good to remember that there is no right answer. Everybody is different and that is why it is important to find what works best for you.

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Are you feeling inspired? Then join our SportsShoes Strava Run Club and become part of our inclusive community.
And for more inspirational tips to become stronger, better and happier, then check out our Motivation category. Because it’s no fun standing still.