Episode 125: Postpartum Return-to-Run, Training Through Stress, and Letting Go of Data
In this episode, we start by diving into the often-overlooked role of stress in training, explore how high stress shows up physically, why tuning into your nervous system matters, and how to adjust training when things feel off. From there, we discuss the benefits of stepping away from data-driven training and using trails or unstructured sessions to reconnect with effort and flow. We also touch on practical reminders about hydration as the seasons shift and the importance of training for experience, not just fitness—whether that’s dialing in pacing, fueling, or race-day logistics. Finally, Katie shares an in-depth look at her postpartum return-to-run journey, breaking down how approached training with patience, intentionality, and support. Check it out!
Katie:
Thoughts on trails and data
Background: many athletes are road marathon training right now and indoor training for 70.3s, which means data is very much in your face all the time. Easy to get caught up in all of the numbers. Trails as a potential solution/ way of thinking about movement in general
Why trails are so good (mentally!) for super Type A runners/triathletes
Pace/HR are incredibly variable and (especially in the Whites) mean almost nothing, unlike in road activities.
Technical terrain instead helps you to focus on what matters -- your body, your strategy, your feel -- and not the distractions provided by your watch. (If you stare at your watch too much you will eat shit)
Challenge of the season: get out on trails at least 1-2x per month even if your primary race is a triathlon or road run. Good to take a break from the constant focus on pace, etc.
Also - in my experience so much easier to find flow state when you aren’t distracted by the data!
Postpartum return to run thoughts/updates
Disclaimer -- I’m not a medical doctor, pelvic floor PT, etc., and I have experienced pregnancy one time with one baby -- think of this as an N of 1 from a friend and keep in mind that some elements may resonate and some may not, and pregnancy and postpartum are somewhat unpredictable in the sense that you could do every single thing I did and have a different experience with how it all plays out in your body.
And a caveat: there is no right way to return to sport; ask yourself big questions about what you want to do and whether you have the mental/emotional/logistical
Update: I am back to running! Yay! Wanted to recap how I have structured my return to run with some granular data.
Background - what I was doing in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy. (I am grateful that I was able to keep up a really strong base throughout, so returning to sport was a bit less jarring than it might have been if I had not been able to move for longer. Keep in mind that more time off might necessitate a gentler ramp just from an aerobic fitness and strength perspective, separate from the pelvic floor and postpartum healing process.)
3x strength per week with prenatal focused trainer
5x cardio as uphill treadmill or Harvard stadium, 20-45 minutes (shorter when combined with strength). No more than 2x per week stadium.
Decent amount of walking with life in a city.
Days 0-7 postpartum:
A whole lot of nothing! Survival mode. Stayed mostly in bed. No regrets on this and no desire to do more. Sleep was also terrible and body felt very fragile.
Days 7-14 postpartum:
Walks, 20-45 minutes.
Light mobility and diaphragmatic breathing to activate core.
2-4 weeks:
Movement in some form pretty much every day, which did a ton for mental health!
Started spinning on Peloton (20-45’)
Started light uphill treadmill walk (20-45’)
Started light strength work
Continued daily mobility and diaphragmatic breathing
HR was a lot higher than expected for very light effort at first, but started to normalize in the 3rd-4th week
4-6 weeks:
Zwift set up, leveled up the cycling to 45-90 mins (longer only when I could fit it in with baby schedule) with short intervals
Uphill treadmill up to 45-50 minutes, higher incline/speed
Progressively increasing weights/reps in strength work
6-8 weeks:
Re-introduced Monday recovery tech swim
Back in person 1x per week with trainer, strength starting to feel super solid and a good challenge
Started to feel like I was “training” again
Mobility every day, breathing down to every other day
Example of a repeatable basic week:
Monday tech recovery swim
Tuesday: 60 min strength, 30-45 min uphill TM
Wednesday: 90 min Zwift with intervals
Thursday: 60 min strength, 30-45 min easy Peloton
Friday: 60-90 min Zwift Z2 + mobility/breathing
Saturday: 60 min strength, 45 min uphill TM
Sunday: 90 min Zwift low cadence + mobility/breathing
8-10 weeks
Return to run protocol after pelvic floor PT visit
Mobility every day, breathing down to every other day
Similar to repeatable basic week in 6-8 weeks but subbing uphill TM for run/walk intervals. Example progression
3x 5 run, 1 walk; 4x 4 run, 1 walk; 4x 5 run, 1 walk; 4x 6 run, 1 walk; etc… to 3x 9 run, 1 walk → 30 min continuous, 40 min continuous by week 9, etc.
Consistency before volume before intensity
How I feel now/ reflections on the process:
I feel great! Basically normal from a pelvic floor perspective; even cardio fitness is feeling great on runs.
Strength and maintaining cardio throughout = what I think was most helpful, as well as working with an amazing performance bubble (especially prenatal trainer, pelvic floor PT, prenatal chiro)
I have been loving the process unfolding as I get to layer on more things, and have been thinking a lot about approaching each changing week with the mindset that I what to do what I can with complete intention rather than spend any time thinking about what I wish I was doing
Overall, profound sense of gratitude for:
What my body is capable of
Support from Connor/family to make workouts possible, which can be a logistical challenge with a newborn
There is some mom guilt in that I feel like it’s a bit of a luxury to ask for help to get to work out, but I think it’s reasonable to consider movement to be a mental health need for me right now (and maybe always) and protect it as such.
General systems that have helped me:
Determining what, in a given day, can be done:
With baby on me - LOTS of things! Dishes, laundry, work, etc.
With baby asleep in bassinet, chair, or play gym - all of the above + cooking
NOT with baby - workouts
This means that pretty much any free time I have to myself is for workouts. Don’t “waste” free time to myself on e.g. dishes
Upcoming plans:
Some short distance racing later in the spring! Doing what I can with the time I have and the unpredictability of schedules. Excited to go fast for short distances and see what I have!
Elena:
Training for experience vs training for fitness:
Why race sims or race effort is important, but shouldn’t be judged solely in the context of fitness
Getting the experience or feel of that kind of effort and knowing when it’s ok to push more vs when you should stay steady or pull back
Don’t over-index on it if it’s not your day or think “how could I possibly hold this for x amount of time”
Example of marathon workouts – rotating under pace, at pace, and over pace to figure out where that strain and HR jump happens
Or examples for race sim practice – fueling on the bike to understand the feel, or running in the heat to understand what it feels like to take in extra electrolytes. Could be anything, but focus on what kind of experience you’re trying to gain
Hydration:
As it gets warm again, a reminder to focus on hydrating throughout the day! I think it can make a big difference in day to day training feel and recovery
Stress is stress is stress:
Nervous system compilations should be considered in training, and it’s ok to adapt! Hardest part is not spiraling and comparing nervous system fatigue to lost fitness. It’s a sign that things need to look a little different for the adaptation to take root.
Ski panic story – likely a symptom of nervous system fatigue
How to tell? Poor sleep, deeper fatigue in workouts, lack of motivation, notable outside stressors
Solutions? Ignore the data, turn to adventures, turn to social outings, practice rest, and of course take care of yourself with fueling and hydration and sleep
Challenge of the week
Katie: New playlist for an upcoming workout!
Elena: Drink a big glass of water first thing in the morning
Gear or resource pick of the week
Katie: Artipoppe Zeitgeist baby carrier