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

Send us a text 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 whitney@themotherrunners.com