From Foundation to Finish Line: A Postpartum Running Plan
At Foundations Pelvic Health, we are a team of perinatal and pelvic floor therapy specialists. We are dedicated to helping women feel empowered throughout their pregnancy and feel prepared for labor and delivery, as well as postpartum recovery!
Returning to Run Postpartum: Building Strength for Success
One of the most common goals for postpartum moms at Foundations Pelvic Health is returning to running. After nearly 10 months of pregnancy, your body has undergone significant changes, and running may have felt different—or even out of reach. In fact, studies show that approximately 46% of runners stop running during pregnancy. Now, you're eager to feel like yourself again, but it’s not always clear where to begin.
At Foundations Pelvic Health, we’re committed to helping you reach your goals in a safe, sustainable way. Although you might be cleared for activity at six weeks by your OB or midwife, jumping back into running too soon can lead to injury. Our pelvic floor therapists focus on rehabilitating the body properly, especially the pelvic floor, before returning to high-impact activities like running.
Your Postpartum Timeline: A Focus on Healing and Strength
After childbirth, your pelvic floor and core are typically weaker, and your body needs time to heal and recover. Many new mothers need guidance to properly coordinate and strengthen these muscles. Without adequate core and pelvic floor strength, it’s challenging for your body to manage the increased pressure from high-impact exercises like running.
New research suggests that returning to running before three months postpartum may not be advisable. Instead, the focus during the first three months should be on low-impact exercise and strengthening, followed by a gradual return-to-run program between three to six months postpartum.
Timelines can be a little variable as every individual is different, so we do recommend checking in with a pelvic floor PT for an assessment to help you get started.
Building a Strong Foundation Before Hitting the Pavement
As pelvic floor physical therapists, we emphasize the importance of strengthening not just the pelvic floor and core, but the entire body before you return to running. Your glute muscles are often weaker due to postural changes and the demands of pregnancy. Strengthening these muscles is crucial for maintaining proper alignment and preventing injuries when you start running again.
Start with bodyweight exercises, gradually adding weights or resistance as your body strengthens. Key exercises like lunges, squats, and deadlifts are vital for building a strong foundation and should be part of your exercise programming (remember, leg day is important!).
Current Guidelines for Returning to Run Postpartum
The American Physical Therapy Association’s 2023 guidelines recommend achieving the following milestones, without experiencing any symptoms, before returning to running postpartum. Watch for symptoms like urinary or stool leakage, pelvic floor pressure, increased urgency, or pelvic and lower back pain.
Here’s what to aim for:
Load and Impact
Walk 30 minutes
Single-leg balance for 10 seconds each leg
Single-leg squats (10 reps each leg)
Jogging in place for 1 minute
Forward bounds (10 reps)
Hopping in place (10 reps each leg)
Running man (10 reps each side)
Strength
Single-leg calf raises (20 reps)
Single-leg bridge (20 reps)
Single-leg sit-to-stand (20 reps)
Sidelying leg lifts (20 reps)
Pelvic Floor Strength (assessed in standing)
Strength of at least 3/5
10 fast reps
8–12 reps of 6–8 seconds at max contraction
60-second submaximal hold
Progressing Your Postpartum Running Program
Once you’ve successfully reached the above milestones, your pelvic floor PT will guide you through a gradual running program to increase your time and mileage. Progression will depend on your personal goals and how your body responds to training.
We recommend changing one variable at a time to avoid overwhelming your body. Variables to consider include distance, speed, running time, terrain, hills, and stroller use. The guidelines from Goom et al. suggest prioritizing distance and time increases before adjusting the intensity of your runs. Additionally, incorporating walk breaks can help limit fatigue and promote a smoother transition back to running.
Cheering You On: Postpartum Running Support for Every Goal
Our method of helping our postpartum patients includes fully customizing your exercise routine based off of your delivery, symptoms and goals.
We support mamas with running through pregnancy, and have helped many postpartum mamas successfully train for half-marathons, marathons, and many other races! We look forward to supporting you on your postpartum running journey, whether you're training for a race, getting outside, or simply looking to break a sweat!