Returning to running postpartum can be a challenging journey, but with patience, dedication, and the right approach, it can be an empowering experience. Remember to listen to your body, start slow, and prioritize core and pelvic floor strengthening exercises. Above all, be kind to yourself and celebrate every step forward in your postpartum running journey.
As a Physical Therapist and Running Program Specialist for MedStar Health, I spend the majority of my clinical hours working with injured runners. Virtually all of them want to return to comfortable and healthy running ASAP; preferably sooner. Every injured runner wants to find out what went wrong and how to fix it. And if we can help make them a better runner in addition, all the better.
Running is an excellent way to improve your health, both mental and physical. It is recommended that adults living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes spend at least 150 minutes participating in activities such as running. Running increases heart health, increases muscle and bone strength, decreases adipose (fat) tissue, and increases insulin sensitivity.
It’s no secret that right after having a baby there is some physical rehabilitation that needs to occur. Many women experience that noodle-like feeling in their core. Many women experience new leakage that has not been problematic before. Simple tasks that were easy before such as getting on and off the floor may not be so simple after giving birth. As you continue to get stronger and more active postpartum, how do you know when it is time to start running again? Here are some guidelines.
Welcome to MedStar Health in Federal Hill! I’m Becca Schwender, physical therapist and member of the race medicine team. For those who ran the 2019 Marine Corps Marathon, you are well aware how hot weather can change your race day plan. Training through hot and humid summer months requires planning ahead to make the most of your run.
Training to become a better runner is an arduous journey. You dedicate hours per week to logging miles; each stride over the pavement bringing you closer to shaving seconds – or minutes – from your race times. Tempo runs, hills, sprints, and intervals all cycle in and out of your arsenal. Your nutrition is dialed in, and your recovery habits are on point. Though the process is challenging, you’ve been here before, and you know exactly what to do to get the needle to move. Well, until the needle slows. Or stops.
I put off working with a nutritionist until it was the last thing I could think of to improve my running. Charm City Run Nutrition Program Coach and Sports Dietitian Sarah Schlichter and I actually exchanged emails months before I decided to move forward. I wasn’t sure, at that time, I could change. I’m pretty stubborn about certain things, and food has always been one of them. My friends and family actually used to call me “Picky Nicky” because of how particular I was about what I would eat growing up.
By: Dr. Matthew Silver, coach, educator, physical therapist, and founder of Alpha Project Phyzio & Performance
Plantar fasciitis can be the scourge for many runners. If you’ve had it before, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The morning stiffness in the foot/heel, the time off from running, the stress of being un-able to properly train for your race/marathon. In fact, plantar fasciitis is the third most frequent complaint of runners visiting sports medicine clinics.
