Can you run a marathon after having a baby?

With a new baby in tow, time to run will be your biggest challenge , but if you commit to doing it, you will soon reap the rewards. It is clear that recovery and postpartum care are essential, but if you like running, we are going to give you some tips so that you are able to go from postpartum recovery to being a good runner again.

YOU HAVE TO RECOVER FIRST

Whether you’ve had a vaginal delivery or a C-section, your body has been through a lot and needs time to recover. The more time you spend recovering, the more ready you will be for him to get back to training. Make sure you get the go-ahead from your doctor, too, before you start running.

SET A REALISTIC GOAL

Running a marathon as your first goal just isn’t realistic . You have to give yourself time to get to that. In addition to the lack of sleep you are dealing with, your time is no longer yours, so training time is greatly reduced. Try not to see this as a negative, but rather as an opportunity to set a new goal. When was the last time you ran a 5K race? A small goal like this can set the stage for running a great marathon when you have more time and feel better.

DEVELOP A STRONG CORE

Throughout your pregnancy, your pelvic muscles will have expanded and been under increased load. You must retrieve them again, not only to prevent conditions such as abdominal or rectal diastasis, but also to prevent injury elsewhere. After all, the core is critical to your running movement , so weakness here can affect everything else.

FOLLOW A PLAN

This plan must be structured and progressive . You won’t always be able to train on the same day, so plan on doing three sessions a week, whenever you can integrate them. Keep your training miles low but regular and frequent – especially when you first return to training. Instead of running / walking a 2K session you try to go straight back to a 10K run twice a week. Doing things this way will help you improve faster and avoid injury.

FOCUS ON RUNNING EASIER

Simple runs where you can talk and run at the same time will strengthen your endurance energy system without damaging your body too much. When you start running again, start with interval training , such as walking for three minutes and jogging for one minute. The following week you can do two minutes of walking and two minutes of jogging, and so on, until you are running normally again … slowly but surely!

REST AND RECUPERATE

The body repairs itself and recovers during rest, if you put the correct training load on it. However, with a new baby, you won’t be able to sleep eight hours a night peacefully , which means that recovery from exercise will take longer because sleep will be more important than running. Make sure you give yourself plenty of recovery time after each day of exercise.

With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to getting fit and strong after your baby is born , along with a host of other benefits. You will have a great sense of personal fulfillment at the end of each race, and when you feel stressed for whatever reason, going for a run will be like a liberation for you. Running time is your biggest challenge as a new mom, but if you really commit to doing it, you can surely do it.