REAL TALK: When We Felt "NORMAL" Running After Having a Baby

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In this episode, we (Olivia, Tricia & Whitney) answer a question we’ve been asked often by listeners: what it was REALLY like for us to return to running postpartum and when we finally felt NORMAL running after having a baby. (Shanna could not make it today—we missed you Shanna!)….

SPOILER ALERT: None of us had a BOUNCE BACK story to share. In fact, quite the opposite. 

-We talk about the impacts beyond the physical changes recovering from pregnancy including sleep deprivation and hormonal changes. 

-We share the impact of breastfeeding had on training. 

-And we discuss how stress & anxiety around having a baby impacted our recovery. 

-We also talked about lessons learned and Tricia, as a pelvic floor physical therapist, gives guidance for new moms. 

We hope sharing our journey shares a REAL account of what it is like to return to running after having a baby—not just someone’s highlight reel. 

As usual, we give a mother runner shout-out (to Shri!), read a listener review (thank you!), and give a reminder to drop a review and check out our secret podcast on Patreon.com/mileswithmomspodcast. 

Thanks for being here! 

Whitney Heins is a mom of 2, a lifelong runner, a VDOT-certified running coach for moms who run, and founder of the resource, themotherrunners.com. When training for her first marathon as a mom, she found a dearth of information related to running and motherhood. She also felt extremely isolated as a new mom. As a former TV journalist and a freelance writer she decided to use her skills to fill the void with an online resource and community, called The Mother Runners. Whitney also recognized a need for run coaches who understood the demands of motherhood, so she also became a running coach—unearthing a passion for helping moms reap the rewards and empowerment of running. Coming out of a long injury cycle, she ran a 2:54 marathon and 1:20 half marathon in her 40s. She lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband, two kids, and three dogs.

• www.themotherrunners.com
• Instagram: @themotherrunners
• YouTube: The Mother Runners
• [email protected]