Getting Back Into Running Shape Postpartum

My baby turned exactly 4 months old on Fourth of July, and I wanted to get back into running. I took it easy for a while because of my 2-finger abdominal separation after giving birth to my third, a 9 pound 2 oz baby at birth, but I really missed it. For a while my breasts felt too weird to me and that alone was enough to put me off even trying.

This long weekend was almost a wash when it comes to fitness. We put our social activities as well as general laziness above working out and didn’t work out at all Friday or Saturday as intended. The kids also had a birthday party to attend on Sunday 11am so I almost thought this weekend would be a complete wash. Luckily. our new club has child care 8:30am to 4:30pm so we were able to pack up our gym bags and head to the gym after the birthday party.

While we usually take a class, since there are no classes in the afternoon, we did our own thing on the gym floor. I decided to try to get back to running. I speed-walked/ran a 5K (3.11 miles) in 40 minutes and completed 3.45 miles in 45 minutes (cooldown after 3.11 miles. I did 10 minutes of rowing, a bit of weights, then stretched a good amount before heading to a shower with a quick steam.

At first, I started with speedwalking and it was pretty comfortable. Then once I picked up the pace to 5.0 my boobs started to hurt a little from the bounce. I thought that I was wearing a supportive enough bra, but it was only supportive before baby. Postpartum boobs is heavier or more sensitive, so I think I will need to get new bras for sure. I have always had a lot of admiration for my well-endowed friends who run but now I appreciate their effort in a new way.

I have decided to set a goal running a “race” with the stroller if I can August 1st. I have not yet decided if I can go back to a 10K by that time, but I think a 5K (with stroller and 22lb+ baby) should be doable.