Running After Birth: A Safer Way Back

As soon as you reach 6–8 weeks post-baby, you might be planning to lace up your running shoes, but pause for a moment. Have you given your body enough time to heal?

I generally advise waiting at least 4 to 5 months before returning to running.

For most women, returning to running isn’t realistic in the early postpartum months. Running is usually not appropriate before around 12–16 weeks postpartum, and many women will need closer to 4–6 months or longer before their body is ready.

Running is a high-impact activity that places significant demand on the body. During pregnancy and birth, the pelvic floor undergoes substantial stretching, and research shows that this area can take several months to recover. Returning to high-impact exercise too soon may increase the risk of pelvic floor dysfunction.

You may feel mentally ready, but your body may still be recovering.

When you do return to running, build up gradually. Start with brisk walking, then introduce short jogging intervals. A Couch to 5K programme can be helpful, as it includes walk breaks and allows your body time to adapt. Most importantly, pay attention to how each session feels.

Visit a women's health physiotherapist 

This is my number one tip.

Running is a high-impact sport that places significant demand on the body. To return to running safely after having a baby, your body needs adequate time to heal and rebuild strength.

It is recommended that all women, regardless of delivery type seek a pelvic health assessment with a specialist women’s health physiotherapist. This allows for assessment of strength, function, and coordination of the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles, which are commonly affected by pregnancy and birth.

If you experience any of the following symptoms when attempting to return to running, this further highlights the importance of seeking professional support:

• A feeling of heaviness or dragging in the pelvic area (which may be associated with prolapse)

• Urinary leakage or difficulty controlling bowel movements

• A pendular abdomen or a noticeable gap along the midline of the abdominal wall (which may indicate diastasis rectus abdominis)

• Pelvic or lower back pain

• Ongoing or increased bleeding beyond 8 weeks postpartum that is not related to your menstrual cycle

There’s still plenty you can do

In the days and weeks following delivery (depending on the type of birth), gentle abdominal and breathing exercises can begin to help retrain coordination of the core muscles. It’s best to seek guidance from a qualified professional to ensure exercises are appropriate for your stage of recovery.

Gentle walking can also be introduced and built up gradually.

Following a postnatal assessment with a women’s health physiotherapist (typically around 6 weeks postpartum), and once you’ve been cleared to exercise, I recommend starting with light resistance training. Begin with bodyweight exercises and progressively add resistance over time.

In my experience, this approach is highly effective when working towards a return to running. It allows you to rebuild strength, improve core control, and increase fitness in a controlled and supportive way.

Real Life Examples:

Two of my clients are featured below. Both were keen runners prior to pregnancy and continued running throughout. They returned to running 5–6 months postpartum.

Both clients began weight training with me 8–10 weeks after giving birth. We focused on rebuilding strength, improving core coordination, and addressing abdominal separation all of which have now fully resolved.

Once they felt strong and confident, they gradually reintroduced running and have continued to build from there.

Here are their stories…

Holly

“I’ve been running for the last couple of years, enjoying the social aspect of being part of a club as well as competing in road/off road races for fun. Before lockdown I was training for my third marathon (Paris), but instead I had to make do with running loops around the Emirates stadium and Sunday long runs on Hampstead Heath, near where I lived before moving to Leeds. 

Almost as soon as I found out that I was pregnant I felt pretty tired, but was lucky enough to be able to run for most of my pregnancy, albeit at a much slower pace with walking breaks. The most annoying thing was round ligament pain and the aching soles of my feet, plus needing a wee every 5 minutes. I ran in a mile race and a 3 mile relay at seven months, and ran/walked my last 5k at 38 weeks! 

After having my baby girl, I didn’t run for 16 weeks, instead focusing on gradually restrengthening my core, walking, indoor cycling and sessions with Claudia. I began by doing the couch 2 5k programme very slowly and worked my way back up to doing a 10k race last week (5 months post baby). I’m looking forward to building back up to longer distances and intensity, as well as going out with my daughter in the running buggy!”

This is Holly running a race at 34 weeks! Wow!

Faye

“Before pregnancy, I was running 3-5 times a week. Doing lots of races. Cycling and swimming weekly too.

During pregnancy, running 3 times a week. Kept the distance but reduced the intensity. Walking when I needed to, didn’t always stick to plan. Ran a 5k a few days before giving birth. Lots of walking and swimming throughout.

I restarted running at 12 weeks postpartum properly. I did go for a jog sooner but didn’t feel quite right. Found the pelvic floor physio really helpful for advice. I followed a broad couch to 5k (probably a more accelerated version). Started run/walking, then extended the running time keeping the pace slow. I’ve also restarted cycling and swimming for cross training and have found that, together with walking everywhere with Skye means I haven't lost much fitness. Things I found useful to return:

- Our strength sessions

- Cross training and keeping fit before I started to run again with lower impact cardio

- Doing my pelvic floor exercises (I was doing these 3x per day using the Squeezy app)

- Also found I feel better running cross country than on roads as less impact

Now at 5 months post, I’m currently running 3 x a week, totalling around 30k. Have managed to run a few races and have felt brilliant!

I’d missed the buzz of wearing my club kit and racing!
Next stop buggy running when Skye hits 6 months old.”

Faye at 30 weeks pregnant out on a run! 

All recoveries are different 

Take your time when returning to running. Every pregnancy, all recoveries and all return to running stories will be different. 

It’s important to go by how you feel, try not to compare and not place too much pressure on yourself.